Page 39

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “It’s about Craig, and Lonzo.” The names felt like shards of glass on my tongue.

Morgan’s body stiffened. Her gaze hardened. “What about them?” Her tone was guarded and defensive.

I closed my eyes briefly, toughening myself for the impact of my words. “Lonzo, he’s the one who killed Craig. And I, I knew he did it. I’ve known for a while now.”

“What?”

The thick silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the sharp intake of Morgan’s breath. She stood abruptly, pacing my small living room like a caged animal.

I didn’t want to repeat it but— “Lonzo killed Craig.”

She stopped in her tracks and whirled around to face me. “What do you mean, you knew?” Her ashen eyes blazed with a mix of disbelief and betrayal. “How could you keep something like that from me?”

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I rose to meet her, my hands outstretched in a plea for understanding. “I wanted toprotect you, Morgan. I thought, I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn’t want to add to your grief.”

Morgan scoffed. “You didn’t even warn me. He could’ve tried to kill me next.” Her voice was raw with pain.

“When I finally knew for sure it was him, you were no longer in danger. I wanted to protect you from everything.”

“Protect me? By lying to me? By letting me think Craig’s death was just some random road rage car accident?”

I flinched at the accusation, knowing she was right. “I’m so sorry, Morgan. I never meant to hurt you. I was just, I was scared.”

Her expression softened slightly. Her anger was giving way to a profound sadness. “Scared of what, Chanel? Of me? Did you think I was going to fight you or something? You were afraid of me.”

“No, never of you.” I shook my head vehemently. “I was scared of losing you. Of losing our friendship. I was afraid of dragging you into a world you didn’t understand. A world I barely understand myself.”

Morgan sank back onto the couch, her shoulders slumping under the weight of my revelation. “What world, Chanel? What are you talking about?”

I sat beside her once more, our knees touching as I leaned in close. “The underworld, Morgan.”

“What? The world of drugs and cartels and shit. I already know about that. It’s the reason you left Minnesota. And now it’s the reason my boyfriend is dead.”

“It’s all my fault. I’m the one who dated that asshole.”

“You didn’t know Lonzo was a criminal. I met him twice, and I didn’t even know he was a criminal. He didn’t have a sign on his forehead. He looked like a regular guy.”

“I know, but all this shit is my fault. I didn’t want you to have to think about any of it ever again.”

“Well, I have to think about it. Lonzo is still out there somewhere.”

“Well, not exactly. Lonzo is dead.” I admitted. I stood and did some pacing of my own.

“How do you know he’s dead? He could be in Mexico. You told me those detectives questioned you because he escaped his ankle monitor and he’s out here on the loose. He’s missing, right?”

“He’s not missing. He’s dead.” I stated bluntly.

“How the fuck would you know that?” She pressed. “How do you know for sure?”

“I saw his dead body.”

Morgan stood and closed the gap between us. Her anger had fallen from her face and was now replaced with curiousness.

“Tell me everything.”

“Lonzo came to Minnesota and attacked me in this apartment. He held my hostage and tried to rape me. I really think he was planning on killing me.”

“He found you?”