Page 142 of Risky Passion

“Maybe,” Jaxson said, his brow furrowing. “Would explain a lot.”

“But why didn’t she get the hell out of there once she was an adult?” Whisper asked. “That’s what I’d do.”

“Being an orphan comes with a whole set of emotional complexities,” I replied, shrugging.

Whisper gasped. “Oh, jeez. I’m sorry, Tory, that was insensitive?—”

“It’s okay,” I said, brushing off her apology with a wave of my hand. “I’ve made peace with my parents’ deaths.”

For the benefit of those who didn’t know, I added, “I was orphaned when I was nine.”

“Oh, Tory, I’m so sorry,” Yasmin said quietly, her eyes brimming with sympathy.

“Shit, babe,” Maya said. “I didn’t know that. I hope your childhood wasn’t like . . . likethis.” She gestured to a row of kids’ photos she’d spread across the table in front of her, each one a haunting glimpse into the lives of children who’d been through hell.

I shook my head, my gaze dropping to the photos before finding Jaxson. He gave me a lopsided smile.

“I was lucky. I got adopted by a wonderful, loving family.” I gave Jaxson a faint smile. “So no, I didn’t experience anything like this. And it horrifies me to think anyone could do this to kids.”

“And it seems like there were heaps of bastards involved.” Ryder’s face twisted into a scowl as he gestured to the mountain of paperwork surrounding us.

“Once we catch Beatrice, we’ll hunt down the rest of them,” Cobra said with his attention glued to his laptop and his fingers flying across the keyboard like he was possessed. “Beatrice Holloway, let’s see where you’ve been hiding.”

“She called herself Triss,” Ryder said, shaking his head slowly. “She was a pain in the ass, but I never expectedthis.”

“And to think we were worried about her boss,” Whisper added, crossing her arms.

“I wouldn’t write him off just yet,” Ryder said. “Roger’s been running that wharf for fifty years. There’s no way he didn’t knowsomethingwas going on.”

“No, don’t say that,” Whisper shot back, her scowl deepening. “I like Roger. Besides, Triss fooled everyone. On the surface, she was just a grumpy old lady. Nobody would peg her as a mass murderer.”

A mass murderer.And a woman many of us had actually met. I’d crossed paths with her a few times when she arranged space at the wharf for Chui’s yacht after it was salvaged. She’d been cranky, but never in a million years would I have pegged her as someone capable of killing.

“How many people do you think she’s killed?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know the answer.

“Cooper Heathcote, for starters,” Whitney said with a cringe. “I saw her shoot him. She didn’t even hesitate.”

“And you didn’t recognize her?” Ryder frowned at Whitney.

“I’ve never met Triss Holloway.” Whitney shrugged. “So no, I didn’t recognize her.”

“The way you describe how she shot Cooper, my guess is she’s murdered plenty of people before,” Xander said, his tone grim. “It’s not that easy to kill someone in cold blood.”

“Don’t forget Grant Hughes,” Cobra added without looking up from his screen. “And he was already suffering after that amputation.”

“Hey, don’t feel sorry for him,” Maya said. “He nearly killed Lacey Brooks, remember? He blew up his house on Amber Island when Lacey was still inside. That bastard got what was coming to him.”

Aria clicked her fingers. “We need to call Lacey and Detective Tyler Kingsley. We’ll need their help when we go in after Beatrice. But we can’t let Watts find out. Not until we know for certain that he’s not involved.”

“But even if we know where Beatrice lives, do you really think she’llbethere?” I asked.

“Yes!” Cobra let out a triumphant cheer. “Got her address!”

He put Google Maps on to the massive wall-mounted monitor, and his fingers moved fast as he typed in the location. We all crowded around behind him as he zoomed in on the satellite view.

“Here it is,” he said, pointing to a house perched on stilts with a tin roof. A narrow pontoon stretched out from the house into the water, and a small tinny was tied up at the end.

“That’d be bloody right,” Ryder muttered. “That’s the house at the entrance to the Everglades.”

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