Page 69 of Six of Hearts
“Want me to rough them up when I find them?” Gabriel asked. “Make them disappear?”
“Not just yet,” I replied, “but maybe take a note of the address.”
Whoever it was who was sending the photos to Aria, they had a rude awakening headed their way, probably in the way of a money-hungry Floridian drug lord.
Twenty-One
Aria
It was nearly noon by the time I pulled up to Khloe's apartment, exhausted from hours of driving with nothing but my racing thoughts for company.
I knocked on the door in front of me, desperate to see someone's face I could actually trust.
It opened and Khloe appeared on the other side. Her brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and she was wearing a comfy outfit of leggings and a hoodie.
“Aria?” She lifted the sleeve of her hoodie and peeked at her smartwatch.
“What are you doing here?” She pulled me inside her door, into a tight hug. “You look awful.” She pushed me away and closed the door. “I mean, not awful. You look beautiful, but you look like you’ve been through hell.”
“I have been,” I said.
“Can I stay here for a few days?”
“Of course,” Khloe responded.
“What’s going on?”
She took my bags and set them aside and ushered me over to the couch. She disappeared into the kitchen, and a few moments later I could hear a cork popping out of a bottle. It was still morning, but I could certainly use a drink.
Khloe came back into the room, holding out a flute glass with an orange liquid inside.
“A mimosa,” I said lovingly as I took the drink. It was perfect for helping me deal with what had happened with Ronan.
“Okay, out with it,” Khloe said, settling down onto the couch next to me and took a sip of her drink.
“Well, you know how I’d told you my nanny gig had ended up being more than just one family, but it was actually six?” I began.
“Yeah,” Khloe said. “All single dads, right? Weren’t you getting involved with them?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It was just a sort of fling thing at first, but I messed around and let my heart get involved and now I’m in love with them.”
“Well, what’s wrong with that?” Khloe said. “Didn’t you say they were really into you too?”
“Yeah, but…” I took a deep breath. “I just found out that one of them, Ronan, wasn’t who he said he was. He’s a murderer who killed his ex-wife! And there’s no way that the other guys didn’t know the truth; they’re so tight-knit. They might have even been involved too. They all have these jobs that are ideal if you’re undercover killers.”
“Oh my god,” Khloe yelped. “Are you serious? Do you think they were going to do you too?”
My heart was breaking talking about the guys in such a negative tone. “Yes! The woman in the picture that was sent to me looks just like me.”
“Wait, picture? What are you talking about?” Khloe asked.
“That’s how I found out. Someone sent me some pictures anonymously and a couple of threatening letters,” I replied.
Khloe took another drink of her mimosa.
“Wow, so someone who knows them found you and sent you the letters? Aren’t you curious about who sent it to you?”
I hadn’t thought about that. I was so concerned with the fact that it had happened, that I hadn’t stopped for a moment to actually consider who sent it. All I knew was that it scared me that I’d somehow gotten myself caught up with murderers.
