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Yeah. It would be. But he was MIA.

But she could handle this on her own.

And while her sisters took care of the bar, she would let the person who’d destroyed her place know how she felt.

***

She sat on the floor in the middle of the destruction in her apartment, her phone in front of her recording, the opening piano notes playing from the soundtrack she’d sing to. For the first and only time, she sang to Rick. Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited” perfectly captured her feelings and said everything she wanted him to know. She didn’t want him. He’d come uninvited and unwanted into her life. And while she—anyone—would appreciate the interest in her, he was not allowed to cross the line and assume she wanted his attention.

And though the song ended with a line that conveyed she needed time to think, she changed it, reiterating that he was not welcome.

The song was dark and filled with her anger and her decisive message.

She posted it without any words to her followers about why she’d chosen it. They’d know. Because minutes later,hewas the first to respond in the comments.

LyRick:I see right through this. You don’t want to want me. You just can’t help yourself. Yousay go away, but then you invite me to write and spend time with you, and you look at me and I know you feel something. You just don’t want to admit it. Next time you see me, it will be the same. You won’t be able to help yourself. You’ll be nice. You’ll pull me in. Next time, I won’t let go.

Sonya22:Dude! Get over yourself!

Songwriter4life:Beautifully haunting rendition. Luv it!

BrazilBabe10:Epic! And if you’re actually sending a message to someone... RUN! You don’t want someone like this in your life.

LyRick:Fuck off. You don’t know me or what Lyric and I have together.

More wonderfully appreciative comments about the song and her singing came in after Rick’s comment to @BrazilBabe10. Lyric usually stayed online and chatted with others, but tonight, she sent one last message to Rick and blocked him, then closed out of the app and went to work on cleaning up the mess he’d made of her apartment long into the early morning light.

Unable to sleep, she threw out all that was broken and salvaged the pieces of her life she’d bought and collected as she had grown into her independence and made a home for herself in a cozy space she called her own.

Until now it had been her sanctuary. A place where she made music and her life.

Now it felt stained by the person who had violated her privacy and home.

No, she couldn’t sleep, so she made a fire, sat on the floor, her knees pulled to her chest, and stared at the flames waiting for another day to begin, hoping it would be better. Praying M would come home and ease her weary mind and heart.

Chapter Twenty

Viper walked out of the interrogation room with a lot more answers than questions this time around. He’d successfully completed the first part of the job. He’d met the husband who wanted his wife killed, accepted payment for the job, and arrested the guy for hiring him to kill his wife. Now all he had to do was wait for tomorrow when they set the scene to make it look like the wife had been killed. He’d send Maria a fake picture along with links to fake-news reports, showing her he’d successfully done the job, uncover who all the players were in the scheme back at the Wild Wolves MC, arrest them, and be done with this for good.

It was nearly dawn. He was tired. All he wanted to do was call Lyric and hear her voice, but she was probably sound asleep after her shift at the bar ended hours ago.

“Good work in there. You got him to tell you everything about how he set up the meeting.” Nick looked pleased.

Viper felt drained but also excited that this was almost over. “We’ll get the rest done tomorrow—which I guess is actually today at this point. How’s the wife?”

“Devastated. Angry. Hurt. I think she’d like to set up a hit on her husband.”

“I would, too, if I was her.” He held out his hand. “Do you have my phone?”

Nick pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over.

Viper tapped in his code and saw the text notification from Lyric. He smiled and pulled it up.

“I take it that grin means—” Nick cut the teasing comment short at the face Viper made when the picture she’d sent shocked him.

“What the... If that asshole hurt her...”

“Is Lyric hurt?” Nick asked.