Page 88 of Five for Silver

“Flowers and chocolates—”

“Things that are no longer here. That can’tbe proved.”

Lucy leaned closer. “That pearl drop fuckingnecklace.”

Chad widened his eyes. “What?”

“Yeah,” Lucy sneered. “The one she waswearing when she disappeared. That was from him. She didn’t likeJames, he creeped her out, but she liked that, she liked howexpensive it looked, how grown up it made her feel and she’d wearit to school to the awe of everyone else.”

Chad pressed his lips together.

“He was clever about the gifts, never handedthem over directly, just left them in places she’d find with anameless note. Roses. Heart shaped chocolates. And a pearl dropnecklace. What did he tell you happened the night she went missing?And don’t say he was cautioning her for possession, we both knowthat wasn’t true.”

“He said he was ending things before it gotserious between them.”

“Let me guess, he was letting her downgently, putting an end to her schoolgirl crush on him? Ever thegentleman.”

Chad didn’t answer.

“And you believed him?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what tobelieve.”

“He’s a liar, Chad.”

“But so are you.”

Lucy recoiled as if he’d hit her. Shereached back for the open door of her truck. “I didn’t kill mysister. I didn’t see her on the road that afternoon. I thought Icould trust you, but you’re like him, like James, like all of them,protecting each other.”

She jumped back into the truck and slammedthe door shut. The engine choked and spluttered before rumbling asshe turned it around. Chad watched the truck race back up the dirttrack, cheek still stinging and with the taste of blood on histongue.

“Shit,” he hissed, before turning back tothe house.

Romeo waiting for him with his arms foldedin the hall, breathing heavily through his nose. He didn’t look atChad, but watched the horizon where Lucy’s truck had faded to a reddot.

“She hit you.”

It came out as a rumble. Chad ignored him,and rolled his fingers into his cheek while squeezing past Romeo toget to the kitchen.

“She fuckinghityou.”

“Just a slap.”

“Do you know how hard that was?” Romeoasked, pursuing Chad through to the sink, and breathing down hisneck. Chad spun the taps on and leaned down to fill his mouth withwater. He spat it out, bloodied, into the sink before asking, “Whatwas hard?”

“Watching her hit you through the spyhole inthe door, and not rushing out there to strangle her. I almostdid.”

Chad turned to face him. “You can’t do that,Romeo. You can’t. You can’t be seen.”

“I want to kill her.” Romeo growled,gripping Chad’s face.

“She was angry at me.” Chad looked away. “Ideserved it.”

“No, you didn’t.” Romeo lifted Chad’s chin.His grip bordered painful. “Being angry doesn’t give her the rightto hit you.”

“It’s fine—”

“It’s not fine,” Romeo snapped. He swept histhumb across the heated skin. “She’s very lucky not to be deadright now. I’m tempted to take your car and ram her off theroad.”

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