Page 122 of Devil's Iris

Katherine Pierce. The missing FBI agent.

My bodyguards are close now, weapons drawn and trained on her head. I raise my hand quickly. “Wait! It’s okay, I know her.” They stop but don’t lower their weapons, and I notice Paul pulling out his phone—no doubt to text Romero.

“I’m afraid I can’t leave their sight. So you’ll have to say whatever you need to say with them watching,” I apologize, and she gives me a jerky nod.

“You shouldn’t be with him,” she starts, leaning towards me with a note of urgency in her voice. “You think he’s gentle, charming, kind—but he’s just like the other Nightshades. He only knows how to wear a convincing mask.”

I don’t need her to specify whoheis. “While I appreciate this warning,”—and I do, especially knowing Emily and the guys have been searching for her for months, and she came out of hiding to what, warn me?—“I’m not under any illusions about who I married. I know exactly what kind of man my husband is, so I don’t need the heads-up.” I study her face. “Where haveyoubeen, Katie?”

She looks… good. Healthy. Her blonde hair is now cut short to her chin, but the strands look thick and shiny. Her cheeks are rosy, and I don’t see any bruises or signs of injury. If she hasn’t been getting tortured these past few months, why hasn’t she contacted Emily?

“You know who I am.” Her tone flattens. “Glad to see Emily is making new friends.” Is that a hint of jealousy in her voice?

From my peripheral, Paul pockets his phone, done with his emergency text. Can I stall her until Romero shows up?

Probably not.

“You’re going to Rafael’s, aren’t you?” She reaches down to grab my hand before I can confirm or deny. “Tell Emily I’m sorry. So very very sorry for how everything spiraled. Tell her I’m fine. Then tell her to call off her fucking dogs—they’re putting me in danger. It was a massive fucking risk to even come here now, but I didn’t see any other way to get this message through.” Her words end with an angry bite.

Before I can think of a response, she lets go of my hand and melts back into the shadows like she was never there. My guards immediately rally around me, forming a protective formation as they usher me to the car.

I spend the whole ride to Rafael’s pondering Katie’s cryptic warning, deliberately ignoring Romero’s increasingly demanding texts about who the hell I was talking to.

He’ll find out soon enough.

The moment I step off the elevator into the penthouse, I seek out Emily. She’s in the master room getting ready, since I’m apparently the first to arrive—a miracle considering my impromptu detour.

“You won’t believe what just happened on my way here,” I announce, perching on the edge of her vanity table.

“The cops rejected your pastries?” she asks with a grin while curling mascara through her lashes.

“I saw Katie.”

She freezes mid-application, then slowly looks up at me with wide, startled eyes. “What?”

I relay the encounter, leaving nothing out. By the end of it, she’s pacing the room, visibly shaken.

“What did she mean that it’s putting her in danger? Is she on some kind of underground mission?”

I don’t have any answers, so I just watch her, wondering if perhaps I should have waited until after the dinner to share this news. Then she shakes herself, seemingly pulling it together.

“This is actually good news. We can trace her from this encounter.”

I’m about to answer when Romero’s voice booms through the penthouse. “Leni!”

I sigh as I slide off the vanity. “Romero’s here. Hold that thought.”

My husband is waiting in the living room, radiating barely contained fury. Before he can start ripping into me, I walk straight into his arms where I belong.

“You won’t believe who I ran into at the station,” I say against his chest, then tell him everything.

“You should’ve called me the second you recognized her,” he scolds, scowling down at me.

“And risk her disappearing before I could find out what she wanted?” I snort. “No way.”

His mouth forms a thin line as he pulls out his phone and types rapidly. “You’re getting punished for that when we get home,” he says in this silky voice as he drops his phone back into his jacket pocket, and my core clenches in anticipation.

“I can’t wait,” I reply cheekily, which makes his eyes darken dangerously.