Page 32 of Secrets & Desires
Amber sighed. “Hard to say. Someone fucking with his head. The killer. No, he or she would have sent personal photos, surely? These are the photos the press used of Ari when she was alive, and a crime scene photo. Anyone could have got holdofthem.”
“But why?Whynow?”
Amber gave her a crooked grin. “If it’s someone being malicious—someonejealous, maybe—I would say it’s because of you. Not you, Livia, but you and Nox. Anyone can see how in loveyouare.”
“You know what? I forgot this…” Livia went out into the hall and came back with her coat. “This was left for me at the collegeyesterday.”
She handed Amber a crumpled-up piece of paper. Amber read it aloud. “Break it off with Nox, or I’ll make your life hell, whore.Delightful. Well then, I think we can guess who would be sospiteful.”
“Mavis Creep.” Livia’s tone was icy. “Fucking bitch. I’ll rip her to pieces with my barehands.”
Amber grinned at her. “At least we can rule out anyactualthreat.”
Livia frowned. “Threat?”
“Don’t you get why these pictures were sent to Nox, honey? They’re implying the same will happen toyouif you two don’tbreakup.”
Livia snorted. “Thencome at me, bro. I don’tscareeasy.”
“You’re a feisty one,” Amber grinnedather.
“You havenoidea.”
They both turned towards the sound of Nox’s voice. He smiled at them both, his eyes exhausted, and he slipped his arms around Liv. “Sorry I scared you, baby. Just a littlenutty.”
“No problem, big guy. I haven’t even begun to show youmycrazy yet.” She grinned up at him and Ambersmiled.
“Now, if you two are going to getmushy…”
“Seriously, Ambs, thank you for coming. I don’t know what I would have done.” Livia’s expression was earnest. “You’re a realfriend.”
Amber reached for her hand. “Listen, you two are good for each other. Which doesn’t mean you’re not going to go through crap like this, but I’ll always be there. You,” she fixed Nox with a steely look, “I’ve played soft ball with you for twenty years now. Now you have Livia, it’s hard ball from now on. You need to see a shrink, you need grief counselling. It’ll hurt, it’ll really fucking hurt, but it needs tobedone.”
Nox nodded. “I agree. It’s time.” She saw his arms tighten around Livia, and shesmiled.
“Good. Now, I’m going to leave you alone but I’m acallaway.”
Livia shook her head. “Stay, havebreakfast.”
“I would but I left a rather attractive Australian in my bed and I think I need to go dealwiththat.”
Livia groaned. “God, Amber, I’msorry.”
“I’m not. He woke up and wanted totalk, of all things.” She grinned as they laughed. “Bye, peeps. I’ll see youlater.”
As they watched her go,Livia looked up at Nox. “She’s goodpeople.”
“She is. Come inside, Livia, there’s something I have toshowyou.”
Hand-in-hand, they walked up stairs to the room where Livia found him earlier. “This was my mom’s room. Dad killed her and Teague in here.” He sat down heavily on the bed. The heavy counterpane puffed up with dust. “The police told me Teague died instantly, a shot to the heart, but Mom was shot in the stomach and bled out slowly. My father killed himself in thenextroom.”
Livia sat down next to him and took his hand. Nox stared at the bloodstain on the rug. “I had to identify their bodies. Dad…he shot himself in the head, so you can imagine…but Mom and Teague. They just looked so…peaceful. Asleep. It didn’t make sense that they were gone. I was waiting for Teague to open his eyes and grin at me, shout ‘psyche!’ Fuck.” He rubbedhiseyes.
Livia pressed her lips to his cheek. “I’ve never seen a photograph of Teague.” She tried to say it lightly, so that if he needed to break down he could without thinking she was trying to jog him out of his melancholy. Nox stood and went to the dresser, picking up a frame. He handed ittoher.
Livia looked at the photograph of a happy family. Teague and Nox, both tall, handsome, and smiling. Nox had his mother’s green eyes, Teague, his father’s dark brown. Tynan Renaud looked so proud of his family. His wife, Gabriella, was beautiful, her arm around her youngest son. Livia traced her finger over Nox’s teenage face. He looked so young, like a Greek youth, so gorgeous and free of hurt. She looked upathim.
“I wish I could take your painaway,Nox.”
