Page 67

I walk towards her room, opening her door cautiously as Dante follows closely behind.

She sits curled up on Lucien’s lap as he strokes her hair softly. This may be the gentlest I have ever seen him. Her eyes are bloodshot, and she produces fresh tears. We don’t say anything, but we both stand and pull ourselves together for a hug. I start crying again as Astra shakes while she sobs into my shoulder.

“Don’t ever fucking ignore me again.” Her words are filled with anger.

“I didn’t mean to… I swear.. I would never do that to you…” I cry into her shoulder as she does to mine.

“She was so young, Ev. She was kind to everyone. Who would do this?”

She sobs harder. I pat her back, allowing her to vent to me safely.

“I don’t know who would kill an innocent woman, Astra, but we will find out who did it, and we will make them pay.”

“She was shot… in the fucking head.” She cries harder.

My throat constricts, trying to hold myself together.

She releases me from our hug, and she cuddles back onto Lucien’s lap. I take a seat on Dante’s lap in a nearby chair.

“Do you think you can figure out who did this to Amara?” I stare at Dante, the man who I know is capable of tracking people down.

“It would be a waste of time. If the police found nothing, I won’t either.”

I stare at him in disbelief.

“Seriously? You won’t even try?” My tears stream down my face, taken aback by his nonchalance.

“I could try. I’m just saying—no leads or known enemies, there is nowhere to start. Especially if nothing was recovered from the scene.”

“She did have an enemy,” Lucien states in a collected demeanor.

Everyone shifts their attention to Lucien, but I don’t miss the way that Dante flexes his jaw in the confession.He knows. He knows something.

“Do tell,” Dante responds, as if he is agitated.

“Last summer, Amara went to a party to collect Astra. Ended up staying late and hooked up with one of my cousins. My cousin was pretty pissed off, saying she used him and she owed him money for some pills she took. I didn’t buy it. In all the time I’ve known her, she never used drugs. He swears on it, though. He thinks she used him and then ghosted him.”

The tension in the room smothers us in a thick pressure, coiled and ready to snap like a loaded trigger.

“She would never do that,” Astra says, her voice wavering.

“IF she did do that, then your cousin would be the one to do it. Are we done here?” Dante’s comment is clipped.

“That’s the problem, Dante. My cousin was killed six months ago.”

My brain is trying to connect all of the pieces. It feels like one minute we have nothing, and now we have all of the pieces, but we can’t fit them together.

“Will you guys please stop. She wouldn’t have done that. There is no way that is the reason she was killed yesterday.” Astra tries her best to remain calm, but the arguing is getting to her.

Dante stands and storms out the door, and Lucien follows him.

I join Astra on her bed, watching her as she picks at her fingernails.

“Hey…..”

She looks up at me, and her lashes are clumped together. She’s a mess.

“I am so sorry. She didn’t deserve what happened. We will figure out who did this. Even if they aren’t going to help us.”