by Beth Yarnall
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Let me make it up to you.” I pulled him away from the others and pretended to be interested in his shoe. “I’m trying to get Jun out of here.” I hitched a thumb in the direction the paramedics had gone. “That’s his friend back there.”
“His friend is the one who—”
I clamped a hand on Juan Carlos’s mouth, cutting him off. “Yes. So shut up and let’s go.”
Juan Carlos nodded, glaring at me. I eased my hand back.
“Your hand tastes nasty,” he said. “If you’re going to put it on my mouth, make sure it’s washed next time. Scratch that. Don’t ever put your hand on my mouth again. Disgusting.” He faked spitting.
“I just washed it! Get over it.”
“Not likely.” He wiped his mouth with his sleeve to prove it.
I knew that to be true. Juan Carlos rarely got over anything.
We rejoined the group just as Alex returned. Together, we walked out of the hotel to catch a cab. I was never so glad to leave a place in all my life. Nothing good had happened here for me. For all its opulence and beauty, this hotel held nothing but bad vibes and negative memories. And ghosts.
The cab ride to our hotel was quiet and sullen. I was grateful for it. How in the world was I going to tell Jun his friend had killed Dhane and driven Trinity to take her own life? He’d been through so much in his young life. How many more hits could he take?
Alex slipped his hand in mine and gave me an uncertain smile. He’d gotten more than he bargained for when he’d agreed to fly to Vegas and help James get Vivian out of jail. I glanced up at him. He didn’t seem to regret it. In fact, he seemed to enjoy—I guessed enjoy wasn’t the right word. He thrived on all the intrigue and mayhem. Plus, he really seemed to want to build a relationship with me. Would it last once we were back home and our work and lives got in the way again? Once the forced proximity was gone?
I guessed only time and effort would tell. I decided to enjoy the moment and rested my head on his shoulder, snuggling up next to him while Jun chatted and chirped away about everything and nothing. By the time we got to our hotel, Alex was looking a little twitchy. Jun rode his nerves like the roller coaster atop the Stratosphere. I suggested Alex have a drink at the bar while Jun and I went upstairs.
As soon as I got to the room with Jun, I wished I hadn’t let Alex off the hook. I could’ve used the moral support while I broke Jun’s heart.
Sitting across from him in my hotel room, I almost lost my nerve. He watched me expectantly, as though he knew this was a moment he should pay attention to. I was afraid I’d let him down, as he’d been let down so many times in his young life. But as with anything, I supposed it was best to begin at the beginning.
“Jun—”
“Yes?” He reached for my hand, blinking his ridiculous Kewpie doll eyes at me.
“I need to tell you something. Something that might upset you.”
“Okay.” His trust in me was written all over his face. I only hoped I lived up to it.
“It’s about what happened back at the Raine and…Tenchi.”
His brows bunched together. “Tenchi?”
“Yes. He was there. He was the one who got hurt.”
“Is he okay? Why didn’t you tell me? I need to go see him.” He made a move to stand, but I held onto his hand, pulling it for him to sit back down.
“I don’t know if he’s okay. We can find out after I tell you what happened. Please, just a moment.”
He settled back down and squared his shoulders, as if preparing himself, like a good little soldier. I imagined him having to do this as a child, bracing for the blows that came too often for a young, abandoned boy.
I rubbed the back of his hand with my thumb. “Tenchi approached me in a hallway. He didn’t look well. He was upset about Trinity.”
Jun dropped his eyes and let out a shaky breath. “She died.”
“Yes, she did. And Tenchi blamed himself for her death.”
“Why? He didn’t kill her. Tenchi wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
I wanted to press a hand to my heart to put pressure on the pain that had settled there. Instead, I wrapped Jun’s hand in both of mine and inched closer, feeling he’d need someone to hold him when I told him the truth about his friend.
“He did, Jun. He confessed to me and the police that he was the one who killed Dhane.”
Jun pushed my hands away, his mouth twisting down. “No.” I tried to reach for him, but he shook his head. “You’re wrong.”
“I’m sorry.”
Jun backed away from me, as though the distance would protect him. “You’re wrong!”
I stood but didn’t go to him. “I’m not wrong. That’s what happened. I’m so sorry.”
“No.” His face crumpled and he dropped to his knees, his voice hoarse. “Tenchi, no.”
“He came looking for me. He had a knife. He would have killed me if the police hadn’t gotten there in time. Instead he hurt himself. He…he tried to kill himself.”
“No,” he whimpered, sagging under the weight of his emotions.
I dropped to my knees next to him and smoothed a hand over his head. “It will be all right,” I told him, not really believing my own words. “You’ll be okay.”
He reached up and gripped my wrist, holding too tight. Rising up over me, he pushed me back. Tears ran in black lines down his face. “You killed Tenchi.”
I scrambled backward, trying to free my wrist. “I didn’t. He hurt himself.” I tried to twist free from his grip. “Let me go.”
He yanked me toward him, holding me against his hard, tense body. His face molded and changed, as though he were shedding one mask for another. I didn’t recognize this face. Or the voice that came from it. “You killed my brother.”
Panic washed cold over me, crawling up my neck to choke me. “Your brother?”
He squeezed my wrist harder, putting pressure on bones as fragile as twigs. “I worked so hard.” He grabbed a handful of my hair, holding my face close to his. “I kept us together. Tenchi didn’t kill Dhane. I did. I killed him because he wouldn’t let Tenchi be with Trinity. He made him go away.” He jerked my head. “Do you hear me? I killed Dhane.”
“No.”
“What? You think I couldn’t do it? I’d do anything for my brother.” He shook me, his hand tightening in my hair, hurting me. “Anything.”
I believed him. In that moment I believed he’d killed Dhane and he’d kill me, too. “I know you would. I believe you, Jun. I believe you.”
He looked me over, as if seeing me for the first time. “I thought you were my friend.”
“I am.”
He shook his head slowly. “I don’t think so. Dhane said he was my friend, and then he tried to make Tenchi go away.”
“Dhane was wrong.”
“You’re not my friend.” He released my wrist and put his hand over my mouth, trapping my head in his hands. “You killed Tenchi.”
My lips brushed against his fingers. “No, Jun. Don’t do this.” The horror of what he’d done, what he was willing to do, roared through me. I tried to kick out, but my legs were trapped beneath me. I gasped for breath. My screams trapped behind his hand. Blackness framed the edges of my vision.
I was going to die.
He applied more pressure with each word, cutting off my air. “You killed Tenchi. You’re not my friend.”
I clawed at his arms, his face. He shifted his body, pinning my arms down. A red haze filled my vision. This was how I’d meet my end. A strange stillness settled over me, blocking all sound. My vision narrowed, condensing down to nothing but the realization that the last thing I would ever see was the cold, empty eyes of my killer.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I’d been so terribly, terribly wrong about so many things. How I’d die was one of them. I closed my eyes on that thought.
There was a commotion behind Jun, startling him. His weight shifted. I bucked, wriggling free enough to bring up a knee, making just en
ough contact that his hand fell away from my mouth. I rolled to the side, sucking in air, most of my body still pinned under Jun’s.
Suddenly the room filled with people and noise. So much noise.
“Azalea.” Alex was at my side.
I tried to reach for him, but my arm wouldn’t cooperate. He squeezed my hand. I hadn’t known he held it. He pulled me up and into him, and I crawled the rest of the way into his lap, craving his safety. He held me hard, careful not to crush the air from my lungs.
Lips brushed mine and a hand smoothed my brow. I opened my eyes to find Alex’s, very close and intent. “You’re safe now.”
Safe. It all came rushing at me at once. Tenchi. Jun. His hand over my mouth and nose. His eyes so close to mine, watching for my death. And the awful coldness inside him. I hadn’t seen that. How could I have been so close, have liked him so much and been so wrong about him?
“What happened to Jun?” I tried to pull back, but Alex held me to him, turning us both.
Jun lay on his stomach a few feet away, hands cuffed behind his back. His eyes were eerily calm, his gaze watchful and empty. And when he spoke, his voice held a quiet petulance. “You’re not my friend.”
“No. I’m not your friend.” My voice rasped rough, but I managed to put enough force in it to make him flinch.
“Get him out of here,” Kennedy ordered.
Hands grabbed at him, but Jun didn’t resist. He stared at me until he vanished from my sight.
“What’s going to happen to him?” I asked.
“Why do you care?” Alex looked down at me, like he couldn’t believe I was for real. “He nearly killed you.” His voice broke at the end. He didn’t try to cover it up.
“The paramedics are here,” Kennedy said from behind Alex, his mouth set in that perpetual thin line of determination.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re going to let them check you over, or I’ll cuff you and they’ll take you to the hospital. Your choice.” That Kennedy, always threatening.
“Jerk,” I muttered.
“I think that’s the sweetest thing you could say to me right now,” Kennedy said, giving me a wink that didn’t mask his relief.
The paramedics filled my line of vision, making me lay back down. They did their best to annoy me, poking and prodding, pinching and squeezing until they declared me ready to be transported.
“I’m not going anywhere.” I sat up and was suddenly at the center of a merry-go-round. “Whoa.”
“She should really go to the hospital,” the paramedic informed everyone, as if I wasn’t there.
Kennedy filled my vision, slipping his hand into mine. “I agree. You don’t looks so good, Ms. Smith.”
“I’m fine. I just sat up too quickly. There, that’s better.” The room only spun half as fast now.
Alex crouched down next to me. “I think they’re right. You should get checked out at the hospital.”
“And miss Vivian’s wedding? No. What time is it?”
Alex frowned, clearly on Kennedy’s and the paramedic’s side. “Ten thirty.”
“I still have time to get there. Where’s Juan Carlos? I need him to fix my hair.” I reached up to touch my updo where Jun had pulled it and blew out a sigh of relief that I still had any left.
“They can go on without us or change their plans,” Alex said. “Because you’re not going anywhere.”
Kennedy squeezed my hand in both of his, then released it, standing. “I’ll leave you to deal with her. Good luck with that.”
“Wait!” I struggled to stand with some help from Alex. The room tipped and me with it. I swerved, landing with a bounce on the bed. I put a hand to my head. “Oh.”
“She really should go to the hospital,” the paramedic insisted.
“Stop saying that. I’m fine.” Mostly.
Kennedy looked impatient or worried, I wasn’t real clear on anything at the moment. “What is it?” he asked.
“How’s Tenchi? Did he…?” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.
“He’s alive,” Kennedy affirmed. “In surgery, but he should pull through.”
“Are Tenchi and Jun really brothers?” I asked.
“Is that what he told you?”
“Yes. Jun said that he killed Dhane because Dhane didn’t want Tenchi around Trinity anymore. He was splitting them up. Jun killed Dhane so Tenchi could stay with Trinity, but Trinity killed herself over Dhane’s death and Tenchi tried to kill himself over Trinity’s death.” I took a deep breath, realizing that I was a rambling moron and if I didn’t hold it together, they would ship me off to the hospital without my consent.
“You got most of that right,” Kennedy said. “All except the part about Trinity’s death being a suicide.”
I blinked up at him, trying to focus, but his face was all swimmy. “What are you talking about?”
But in the back of my mind I’d known it all along. Trinity would never have gone anywhere without Curio, not even to her death. And then I remembered something Jun had said early on about Trinity becoming obsessed with people and stealing from them. Was that how my flower had ended up in her hand when she was pushed over the railing? The same question that had been rattling around in my head since I’d found poor Trinity came up again.
“Who?” I asked. “Who would do such a thing?”
“Dhane’s will left his half of Hjálmar to Trinity. But according to the will, if Trinity died, ownership would transfer directly to his business partner, Mackenzie Todd.”
“Mac killed Trinity?” Although she’d been at the top of my list of suspects, I’d scratched her name off after Juan Carlos had told me about her applying for the product patent.
“The cameras in that hallway were repaired shortly after we discovered they’d been tampered with,” Kennedy said. “We have Tenchi leaving, and then a couple of minutes later Mackenzie Todd goes in. When she comes out of the room a short time later, she looks like she’s been in a fight. It didn’t take long for her to break down under questioning. She wanted Dhane’s half of the company. The only way to get it would be if Trinity died.”
Wow. I nodded, struggling to process it all. What a totally screwed-up family they were. Poor Trinity. And poor Dhane. He’d tried to protect his sister, only in the end he wasn’t able to. What a loss.
“I knew you’d be the lead I needed to completely solve this case.” Kennedy paused as if he were trying to decide something. “I’m glad I followed my hunch, and I’m glad you’re okay.”
So much made sense now. Kennedy letting me listen in while he questioned Jun, letting me take Jun with me, and that feeling in the hallway afterward of Kennedy setting a trap for me. I tried, but couldn’t muster the anger I should’ve felt toward him. I was just so glad it was all over.
“You’re good,” I said to him.
“Yeah. I am.”
“King Kennedy.”
Kennedy angled himself to leave, his mouth twitching as though he held back a smart-aleck remark. “I’ve got to go, but I’m going to want you to come down to the station tomorrow. And Ms. Smith?”
“Yeah?”
“Try to stay out of trouble until then, will you?”
“I’ll try.”
Kennedy inclined his head with a smirk, as though he didn’t believe me. He exchanged a handshake with Alex, then left.
The paramedics packed their things and tried one last unsuccessful bid to get me to go to the hospital. When they’d gone, Alex sat down next to me on the bed and drew me into his arms.
“What happened?” I asked. “What made you come into the room?”
Alex looked down and away. “It was Kennedy. Tenchi recanted his confession at the hospital when Kennedy questioned him before he went into surgery. Tenchi guessed it was Jun who had really killed Dhane. He tried to protect Jun by confessing. Kennedy figured he thought he’d take the confession to his grave and Jun would be safe.”
“Kennedy rescued me?”
“Yeah.�
� Alex didn’t seem too happy about that.
“You wanted to be the big hero?”
He made a face.
I took his hand. “You’re still my hero.”
He looked at me with the goofiest grin on his face. I couldn’t help but smile, like a big fool, back at him.
“Azalea?”
“Hmm?”
“I really want to kiss you.”
“So why aren’t you?”
He put his hands on my cheeks, gazing at me, like he was trying to impart some deep, important message. I grew impatient and threw my arms around his neck, dragging him toward me. Our lips met in a searing kiss that melted away all thoughts except for him and how he made me feel. We tumbled onto the bed, rolling around like two teenagers, all hands and hot mouths.
A fist banged on the door. “Azalea! Open up.” The fist struck again louder. “Azalea!”
Alex dragged his mouth away from mine and looked down at me, like he couldn’t believe his rotten luck…again. “I think he and I need to have a little talk.” Alex rolled off me and opened the door to a frantic Juan Carlos and placid Richard. “Your timing sucks as usual.” He made a sweeping gesture for them to come inside after they had already brushed past him without being invited. “Come on in.”
“Oh, Azalea! Look at you.” Juan Carlos turned to Richard with a smirk. “She’s finally been properly smooshed.” He returned his attention to me. “Good for you, girl. I knew Detective Drool-worthy would come through.”
“I wish it was, but that’s not my work,” Alex said.
“What do you mean?” Juan Carlos looked from Alex to me. “What’s he talking about?”
I told Juan Carlos and Richard about Jun with Alex filling in the spots where I was either not there or had nearly passed out from lack of oxygen. When we finished, Juan Carlos just stared at us, struck dumb for probably the first time in his life.
“I’m okay,” I told him.
Juan Carlos shook his head. “Oh my God. Oh my ever-loving God. I knew it! I knew that Jun was no good. Rotten to the core. A bad seed. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“Is that why you flirted with him?” Richard asked.
Juan Carlos sputtered, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish. I laughed. I couldn’t help it. I’d never seen Juan Carlos at such a loss for words.
