Page 78 of Provocation (Temptation 3)

Julia

I toyed with my wine glass as I sat in my living room, Naomi on the opposite end of the couch, eyes wide as she struggled to grasp the sad, convoluted tale I’d just shared. I’d kept everything from her for too long. I had my reasons, but I needed someone other than Wes who I could talk to about all of this.

So, the instant I returned from seeing Nick, I called her, instructed her to leave the office and come to my house, where I waited with two large glasses of wine, despite it only being three o’clock in the afternoon. Then I told her everything.

About the jewelry I’d received.

About Claire’s podcast and what she was researching.

About her theory that someone was imitating Nick’s kill cycle.

How Lachlan was able to confirm that two pieces of jewelry belonged to his former girlfriend and his sister.

How the FBI agent who helped put Nick behind bars all those years ago hoped to reopen some of the local investigations into these women’s deaths.

How he was ordered to stand down, forcing Ethan to continue on his own.

How Ethan found a correlation between the locations of these kills and locations where I’d opened branches of my bakery, but had yet to uncover anything definitive.

How Agent Curran looked into Nick’s prison visitation records and learned Claire had seen him a dozen times, including the day before her death.

How Agent Curran visited Nick in the hopes of finding out what Claire and he had discussed.

How Nick insisted on seeing me before sharing what they’d talked about.

How Lachlan and I argued over my decision to see Nick.

How it all fell apart.

How much Lachlan’s words stung…

Because, deep down, I knew they were true.

I thought I was this strong woman who’d survived something horrendous. In reality, I’d allowed Nick to burrow under my skin again.

If he’d ever left.

I had my doubts.

“Does Imogene know?” Naomi asked in a hushed tone.

I shook my head, sipping my wine. “Not yet. I’m going to tell her. I just…” I trailed off. “I guess I’d hoped Ethan or Agent Curran would uncover something to unequivocally indicate that Nick’s connection was purely coincidental.”

“And now?” She arched a brow, smoothing her dark hair behind her ear.

I heaved a sigh. “I’m all but certain he’s involved in this. He has to be. You should have heard him, Naomi. He was…crazed.”

“He’s always been crazy,” she reminded me. “He was just smart enough to know how to hide it.”

“Not like this. It was…” A visible shiver ran through me. “I don’t even know. Almost maniacal.”

She reached across the couch, grasping my hand. “He can’t get to you. And if he somehow does, he’ll have me, Wes, and an army of people who care about you to get past this time. He won’t win. Trust me on that. He. Will. Not. Win.”

I gave her an appreciative smile. After the events of this past week, this was exactly what I needed. Time with my friend. The reminder that I wasn’t alone. Not anymore.

“I guess Lachlan was right after all,” I mused as I sagged into the couch. “I did play into Nick’s hand. Maybe I should have just listened to him and Wes from the beginning.”

Naomi tilted her head. “No. I think you made the right call.”