Page 37 of Ripple Effect, Vol. 3

“I don’t think Gina committed suicide.”

“You think I had something to do with that.” It’s not a question, so I don’t bother to answer.

“What makes you think this Randy is looking for you?”

“What did you do, bring me here to bait him for you?”

I can’t lie. If he’s looking for her, I want to find him, and coming back to the place she last saw the bastard seemed like a pretty good start. “Yeah.”

“Randy isn’t the problem, Rip. He’s an asshole, but he doesn’t have the balls to kill someone. Not even for me. It’s Rook you need to worry about.”

“And you’ve no idea what Rook wants from you.” The butterfly tattoo on her wrist catches my attention, but my next question is cut short when Alice brings two glasses of water and sets them in front of us.

Dylan pushes against me, urging me out of the seat, catching Alice’s notice.

“Is everything all right, honey?” Alice asks, throwing my guard up.

I slide out of the booth, allowing her to scramble to her feet, ready to chase after her if I have to.

“Where’s your rest room?” Dylan looks around the restaurant. If she wants to bolt, she’s about two steps from the front door.

My muscles settle again as Alice smiles and points her around the corner beyond the cash register.

Dylan scurries across the diner, and I glance up in time to catch a familiar face enter the place. His presence is an absolute fucking mystery to me, and my hands ball into tight fists at my side, as he strolls up so casually.

“The hell are you doing here?” I ask, damn near growling.

“Was in the area.” Enzo looks around the diner, as if he’s looking for someone, and my gaze trails after Dylan, who’s already rounded the corner. He takes a seat across from me, smelling like a bag of weed and a bottle of whiskey, and eyes the two glasses of water on the table. “Waiting for someone?”

I don’t answer. The little cocksucker doesn’t realize he’s one breath away from death.

“You’re a little far away from home,” I manage to grit out.

“As are you.” He sticks his dirty fingers into Dylan’s water and pops an ice cube into his mouth with a grin I’d like to smash with my fist. “I understand Gina’s kicked the bucket.”

“Yeah? Who told you that?” I have a good idea.

“Lou called me on his way over. Told me you commissioned it.”

I hike my elbow onto the back of the seat and tip my head. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“I should be asking you. She’d certainly never slit her wrists over the likes of me.”

Red flag number three. I never said anything to Lou about Gina slitting her wrists.

Alice sets down two plates and glances over at Enzo. “Can I get you something, dear?”

With a fake smile plastered to his face, he looks up at Alice. “No. Thank you.” The moment she steps away, his gaze flickers to the two plates and back. “Hungry?”

“Yeah. Why are you here?”

“I’m following up on a tip. That pocketwatch I showed you? Belongs to a girl, from what I understand. She’s from these parts, so I’m told.”

“Who told you that?”

“A little birdy.” He leans forward, glancing at Alice to the right of him and back at me. “I know you’re good at what you do, Rip. But you have no idea what I’m capable of. So when I find that girl, you stay out of my way.”

“You gotta kill a woman to prove your worth? Smells like a pussy to me.”