Page 48 of Macaron Massacre

His eyes widen right before he gets to the business of glowering at me properly.

The remnants of the room begin to drain, and I speed over to Noah and Everett.

“And?” Noah gives me that stern look that says so much—none of it is great.

“And, he likes me. I think I made a new friend.” I couldn’t help it. The last thing I was going to confess is that I managed to tick off a mob boss.

The muscles in Everett’s jaw pop, and he looks decidedly handsome even if he is a little miffed that I didn’t listen to him.

“What did you learn, Lemon?”

I rattle out our brief conversation to them both. “And that’s about it.”

Noah looks past me a moment at poor Rich sitting crooked on his throne. “I wonder if that money had anything to do with his murder?”

Everett’s brow twitches. “Money is a great motivator for murder. And so is revenge. Unfortunately, Rich seemed to tick off a broad spectrum of people.”

“There has to be a way to narrow this down. Hey? Can I ask what the two of you were talking about?”

Noah and Everett exchange a long hard glance, and this tiny thread of camaraderie frightens me on some level.

Everett nods, and Noah clears his throat. “Everett shared a note he found on his windshield.”

“Just a piece of paper—not a note,” Everett is quick to clarify. “A small heart-shaped cutout. It was black.”

My breathing ceases. I can’t move. “What’s happening?”

Noah sighs as if he couldn’t figure it out himself. “I’ll look into it. I have a surveillance camera trained on your house, Lot. I’m going to set up another one and point it his way.”

“Don’t wait. I’m really worried about this.”

“And so are we.” Noah pins his evergreen eyes to mine. “It’s time you start carrying that gun we got you. Whoever sent those flowers, that note—it doesn’t sound like they’re stable.”

“Do you think it’s the woman from the bakery? I’ve seen her at least three or four times now.”

Noah nods. “We can’t be sure, but I’m thinking it is.”

Everett’s chest expands as he picks up my hand. “She knows what you look like. You’ve introduced yourself as my girlfriend. She might be watching me—watching us. I don’t like the thought of you all alone at the bakery so early in the morning.”

“And”—Noah interrupts—“I agree. I’m going to make sure there’s a patrol car stationed on Main Street in the early hours until traffic picks up.”

“This got serious fast.”

Nell’s words come back to me, but I don’t dare repeat them.

Is Everett’s future really going to be altered?

Nothing is going to happen to Everett.

It just can’t.

Chapter 17

True to Noah’s word, there is a patrol car cruising up and down Main Street at this early hour where not even the sun has dared to show up yet.

No sooner do I get the first batch of my raspberry turnovers into the oven than a gentle knock comes from the window, and I spot Everett looking far too comely to ever be safe.

I head over and let him in, locking the door behind him in the event his stalker isn’t too far behind.