Page 154 of Kiss Marry Kill

I frowned. “But the stalking continued after Archie’s death.”

“Yes. Once Archie was murdered, Kimora was dead broke and had no idea what to do next. Unbeknownst to Kimora, Archie had changed his ATM code, so she couldn’t get any money out of Janelle’s account. When that didn’t pan out, she just tried stealing Janelle’s jewelry. She was lost without Archie running things. I get the feeling she didn’t sneeze unless Archie told her to.”

“I must say, hearing all of that makes my problems seem very small.” I shook my head.

“I agree.” Royce smiled. “I’m glad I found you, Max. There are a lot of weirdos out there in the world.”

“Ain’t that the truth?” I sighed. “Speaking of weirdos, I’m meeting River tonight to sign papers for my lease buyout.”

He took hold of my hand. “Good. I know you’ll be glad to have that behind you.”

I weaved my fingers through his, enjoying the firm warmth of his skin on mine. “Will you be home at a halfway decent hour tonight?”

“I certainly hope so. I need to spend some quality time with you.” He raised my hand to his lips.

I grinned. “How gallant.”

“That’s me, gallant through and through.”

“Well, I’m meeting River at 7:00 p.m. at his house. If I’m not home by 9:00 p.m., dig up his garden. I’ll be there waiting.”

A line formed between his light brows. “I can’t imagine he’d get violent over some land.”

“No. I don’t think he would either. I’m just kidding.”

“Lucas will probably be there too. He shadows River.”

I nodded. “Most likely. Lucas is the voice of reason. I don’t think he’d let River murder me.”

“Definitely not.” Royce frowned. “Call me when you’re done with River, okay? I’ll pick something up for dinner.”

“Will do.”

Royce stood. “And now, I must shower and get to work.”

I smirked. “Yep. Someone has to protect the dogs of Rainy Dale from little green men.”

He groaned and left the room.

****

River lived in a one-story home in a quiet neighborhood. I parked on the street and got out of the car, feeling anxious. Things were definitely cantankerous between us lately. It seemed neither one of us was willing to pretend any longer.

I rang the bell, glancing around the neat porch. There were potted plants and wind chimes hanging from the veranda. The door opened, and River stood there in jeans and a black collared shirt.

“Maxwell, you’re right on time.” His smile was brittle as he stepped to the side. “Come in, please.”

I entered his home, noticing the pungent scent of sandalwood. There was a stick of incense burning on a table in the living room, the thin white smoke curling like string into the air. I was surprised that Lucas wasn’t waiting inside. It seemed it would just be River and me tonight.

The inside of his home was sleek. Contemporary. The decor reminded me of his clinic with lots of chrome, glass, and a mostly monochromatic color scheme. His couches were low to the ground and burnt orange. On the glass dining room table, there was a stack of legal-looking documents. I moved toward the table, just wanting to get this over with. River joined me, but then he moved toward an arched doorway.

“Sit and look over the paperwork. I made us some tea. You like tea, right?” He arched one brow.

I didn’t want to sit and have tea with him. I just wanted to sign the papers and get the hell out of his space. But since this would probably be the last time I had to be alone with him, I decided I could be magnanimous. “Sure. I like tea.”

“Excellent. I have wine, but maybe drinking together is a bad idea.” He laughed gaily and disappeared into the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes and went back to examining the documents. It was pretty straightforward; the lease had a set amount that I was required to pay to break my lease early. Fortunately, there was no termination fee. Not that I wouldn’t have paid it. I’d gladly have paid any fees to get out of my lease with River.