Page 62 of Sinful Empire (Mount Trilogy 3)
“You’ve been sleeping on and off for two days, honey.”
“Two days?”
My mom nods. “She’s been at your bedside with your dad and me. She’s a good friend to you.”
Friend. The word triggers another piece of my broken memory to snap into place.
“Magnolia.” Her name bursts from my lips. “Is she . . . Is she . . .” I can’t voice the last word, but I remember her smooth skin and thready pulse under my fingertips.
My mom’s features tense and her lips wobble. “She’s in a coma, Keira. They don’t know if she’s gonna make it.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “No. No. She can’t— We . . . I need to talk to her. She can’t—”
“Shhh. It’s okay. We’re praying for her too. The doctors are taking care of her. I’ve checked in on her myself. I knew you’d want me to.”
I can’t fathom my last words to my best friend being those of anger, regardless of what she did. Conflicting emotions wring tears from my eyes, and I want to beg for someone to tell me where Lachlan is, but I can’t.
My dad reenters the room with Temperance behind him. Two police officers trail after them.
“Keira!” Temperance rushes around Dad to reach me first. “Oh, thank God. You’re awake.”
“I’m so sorry,” I tell her.
“For what? This isn’t your fault.”
That’s where she’s wrong. Even with my battered body and nearly broken brain, I know that this is one hundred percent my fault. Nothing would have happened to Temperance if not for me.
“Ms. Kilgore, do you think you might be able to answer a few questions for us?”
“Not right now, gentlemen.” A nurse sweeps in and comes toward me, ready to poke and prod and do whatever it is they’ve been doing for the last couple of days. “You need to let her rest.”
“With all due respect, ma’am, we need some answers so we can carry on our investigation.”
Temperance turns toward them. “You don’t think working with the fire department to figure out who started the fire at the rackhouse is enough to keep you busy? Because we sure as hell don’t have any answers to that one yet. Or who clubbed me over the head? You could maybe try to figure that one out.”
“Ma’am, it’s not our fault your security cameras malfunctioned completely.”
“What? How?” I ask.
“Sorry, ma’am. We don’t know,” the officer says. “It’s been ruled as arson, but they’re still working on the motive.”
“Then you better work on that, because I already told you, we didn’t do it.” Temperance’s tone is bullwhip sharp. “We need every freaking barrel to fill the orders we have. So, if you’re looking for insurance money as a motive, you need to go back to detective school.”
“We weren’t implying—”
“Of course you weren’t,” my dad says, interrupting him. “Because no Kilgore or Seven Sinners employee would ever let something happen to that whiskey. It’s our blood. Our heritage. Our legacy.” My dad gives Temperance an approving nod like they’re a team.
Shafts of guilt stab into me because I know I caused this. Neither of them have a clue. “I’m sorry, Dad—”
He snaps around to look at me. “This isn’t your fault. Whoever did this is going to pay. We’ll make them pay.”
I blink as tears burn my eyes once more. The one man who could answer every single one of these questions is gone.
Was the blonde behind all of it? I remember bits and pieces of her. His destiny. Who was she, though?
“We’re not trying to suggest that you had something to do with this. We’re just looking for answers the same way you are.”
“I don’t remember.” Everyone looks at me as the lie leaves my lips. “I don’t remember anything. I’m sorry. I wish I could help.”
