Page 36 of Carved Obsession

Or maybe you just want it to be her.

“Fuck the puzzle box.”I’m going after her.

Grabbing my keys, I shove off the chair and rush straight out the office door. I’m about to walk into the parking lot when I realize the dark-haired kitten is clouding my judgment, and I’m already making mistakes. I spin on my heels, and with determined steps I’m urging to move calmly as I walk back into the bustling speakeasy, I signal a waitress to follow me as I head behind the bar toward the bartender on duty.

“Did you see a solo person here today?” I ask them.

“Several,” the waitress answers.

“Yes,” the bartender agrees.

“Any of them suspicious? Any of them disappeared out of your sight and went toward the back door?”

“I didn’t notice anything,” the bartender explains, “but there were a few occasions when I was busy with customers and wasn’t able to watch the door.”

Pushing back a sigh, I try to rationalize with myself that killing him would be pointless since I can’t blame him for serving our customers and tending the bar.

I turn my attention to the waitress, noting how tense she is as she fumbles with her hands.

“I haven’t seen anything either. But I’ll ask Heather, the other waitress.”

“What about a woman on her own?” I ask them both.

This time they exchange looks for a moment. Their expressions aren’t of knowing, but slight confusion and a touch of curiosity.

“Only Mrs. Reinhardt,” the bartender says, but I doubt the former beauty-queen heiress in her late fifties is who I’m looking for.

“I served a blonde woman. Long, luscious waves. She looked to be in her forties, maybe.”

Scarlet could have been wearing a wig, but no way she looks to be in her forties. Late twenties, at most, with soft, glowing skin, far too perfect to the touch.

Christ’s sake!

“Okay. Go through all memberships scanned in the last four hours. Pinpoint the solo orders you remember, and text me those names.” We don’t use actual payments here. Our customers simply scan their membership card, and the money gets pulled out of the card or bank account they have on file. This will come in handy. “Do your best to identifyallof them.” I turn to leave, throwing them a knowing look over my shoulder.

Their widening eyes suggest they understand the importance of this.

And it is so fucking important. Because if I find out that wretched minx had anything to do with this, sinking my teeth into her will be so much sweeter.

If it wasn’t her...Well, that’s an even bigger problem, because I have no idea who it could be.

Chapter 10

Carter

After the briefest detour at my house to change into something less constricting, I followed the young crescent moon to Scarlet’s family’s estate. Recklessness burns through my bones, urging me to burst in and demand satisfaction for the fucking troubles she caused, regardless of the consequences and who could witness or record it. Such unfamiliar, stupid recklessness.

Unlike anything I’ve ever felt.

But I silence it with logic as I finish my check for perimeter cameras. I can’t go around the whole thing since they have so much land here. I should be okay, because surprisingly, they have no surveillance here.

Bit odd for such a large estate.

But it’s okay—I brought my own.

With one last look through the birches that shelter this side of the property from the quiet road, I grab onto the thick wisteria branches and scale the brick wall. Before jumping to the other side, I peek over, noting the utter stillness between the multitude of trees and bushes dotted all around the grounds. No people in sight. No obvious cameras, either.

I throw the hood of my black sweatshirt over my head and jump down. I land on my feet on the thick grass, the unopened puzzle heavy in the pocket of my sweatpants.