Page 2 of Masked

Parker made a face that said the officer was ridiculous. “I’m sure he’s got someone he can call if it’s that bad. Or that girlfriend of his that’s entirely too young for him can comfort him.”

The officer shifted uncomfortably, and Reva got a sick feeling in her stomach. “We should go, Parker. I understand you’re not close, but the officer is right, having a familiar face when you get the worst news of your life is a comfort.”

She wished she’d had someone familiar to lean on the night her worst news came.

Parker rolled his eyes but waved a hand. “Fine. Get dressed. I can drop you off at home on our way back.”

She blinked. “I thought we were going to get breakfast.”

Then again, if Parker’s stepfather was about to be in crisis, her being at home might be for the best, so she didn’t wait for him to respond. She just headed for the bedroom to search for the rest of her clothes.

Five minutes later, they were climbing into Parker’s BMW.

“I can’t say I was prepared to introduce you to my family,” he said with a forced laugh. “Especially not to Noah. He’s… different.”

Reva put a hand on his arm. “It’s fine. Something tells me he’s about to get some really awful news.”

Parker gave a terse nod, and they spent the rest of the drive in silence. She wondered how badly the marriage to his mother must have ended. Then again, if Noah still had Parker in his emergency contacts, it couldn’t have been that bad, right?

It took nearly forty-five minutes to get to their destination, and Reva was awestruck by the size of the house they parked in front of. She knew Parker was well off just by the apartment he had and the car he drove, but this house screamed filthy rich.

The police officer asked them to stay back while he knocked on the door. It took a full two minutes before a man in his early to mid-forties answered the door. He wore dark denim pants and a black sweater that stretched across his broad shoulders, and there was a look of irritation in his dark eyes.

“Can I help you, officer?”

His voice nearly made Reva gasp. It was deep but not booming. There was a comforting richness to it, and she wanted to hear him speak more.

“Mr. Jasper, may we come in?”

So, Parker shared a last name with his stepfather? Interesting.

“I’d rather you didn’t. What’s going on?”

“Does Elise Bricker live here?”

Noah blinked, and a chill raced through Reva as the man realized what he was about to hear.

“Where is she? What happened to Elise?” His voice was still powerful, but there was a tremor in it that gave away the panic that was likely bubbling inside him.

“I’m afraid Ms. Bricker was found dead a few hours ago.”

Noah’s fists clenched, and Reva’s stomach lurched as she watched his world come undone.

“That’s impossible. She was on her way home from a business trip. I just got a message from her two hours ago saying her plane was delayed.”

The officer straightened and held up a hand. “Are you sure about that? She was found dead in a friend’s apartment several hours ago and we believe she was killed sometime between Friday evening and Saturday morning. That message may have been from her killer.”

Something shifted in Noah, and he backed away. “Come in. I’ll get my phone.”

“Sir, we had to contact your stepson to find you, and we hope you don’t mind, but he followed us.”

Noah blinked in confusion and then his eyes landed on her. Reva locked eyes with him for several seconds before he shook his head and jerked his gaze to Parker.

“You didn’t have to be here. But come in.”

“Noah, I’m so sorry,” Parker said, heading for the entrance. “We didn’t know what they were going to tell you, and Reva insisted we come. I’m glad she did.” Parker smiled her way as they stepped through the door.

Noah looked pained for a moment, then he turned on his heel and disappeared further into the house.

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