Inca nodded at the medical examiner’s question, “Is this the body of Nancy Sardee?”
Knox leaned in. “You need to say it out loud, honey.”
Inca swallowed back the bile in her throat. “Yes. This is my mother, Nancy Sardee.” She looked at them both. “Can I have a few moments alone with her?”
The doctor nodded, and Knox smiled softly at her. “I’ll wait outside for you, sweetheart.”
Inca waited until the door had closed before she stepped closer to the table, placing a hand gently on Nancy’s head.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, and fat tears dropped down her face. “This isn’t fair. Not you, Mom. How could you be gone?”
She thought of all the times Nancy had gone on a rant about some perceived injustice, how she would accuse Tyler and Inca of ganging up on her when they would tease her, the way she would give Scarlett the stink-eye when Scarlett was too rowdy. All that energy snuffed out. Inca shook her head. She glanced behind her at the door; it had a window, but the blinds were drawn. She wanted to know what her killer had done to her.
Sucking in a breath, she gently lifted the sheet covering Nancy’s body—and immediately wished she hadn’t. Although the medical examiner had done his best, he could not have concealed the brutal slashes, the deep stab wounds, the unthinkable violence inflicted on her. The horror. Inca was about to pull the sheet back when she noticed, almost hidden amongst the bloodstained skin and stab wounds, bruises on Nancy’s stomach. Someone had beaten her mother before he killed her.
Inca dropped the sheet and stepped back, fumbling for the door handle behind her. She staggered out of the room, hyperventilating. Knox, sitting outside, darted to her side and held her while she tried to get her breathing under control.
“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay. C’mon. Let’s get you out of here.”
Outside, she found she couldn’t look Tyler in the eye, just nodded when he asked her in a broken voice if they’d made a positive identification.
“I’m sorry, Pops. It’s Mom.”
She expected him to crumble then, but to her surprise, he merely nodded, his expression blank. “Better get me to the airport then.”
At the airport, Knox said goodbye, then gave them privacy as Inca hugged Tyler tightly. He held onto her for a few long minutes.
“You take good care of yourself, Bubba. Will you change your mind about coming with me?”
She shook her head, trying to smile. “There’s things I have to do here, Pops.”
He frowned. “Just be safe, then. Call me later. I should be in no later than seven. I’ll make sure my cell is on.”
She studied him for a few minutes. “I love you, Pops. I wanted to tell you that. And I want you to know that I will be forever grateful for the life you’ve given me.”
He kissed her forehead. “I love you too. You’ll always be my girl. No one could be more like a daughter to me, not even if you were my flesh and blood.”
She waved him off with tears in her eyes. Knox came to collect her, and she looked at him gratefully. In the car, they sat in companionable silence.
At the outskirts of the city, Knox glanced at her. “I’ll drop you off at home, okay?”
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “Look, Inca, we’re gonna catch the guy, whoever it is.”
She looked at him. “Sounds like someone believes a certain someone else is innocent.”
He laughed at her convoluted sentence. “I have questions. Like, if Olly killed Nancy, why the hell was he spotless? There was no blood on his clothing. Nancy had defense wounds—why isn’t Olly covered in bruises?”
“And why would he kill Mom anyway?” Her voice was gruff but determined.
He looked over. “Quite.”
She sighed. “Do you think they’ll let him go?”
Knox shrugged. “If common sense prevails, I hope so. He has alibis for about half the murders in the city. Just wish he’d let someone else know what he was up to earlier. I have to admit, his behavior when he broke up with you colored my vision of him, along with his attitude towards Tommaso and what you told me about the other day.” Inca looked away from his gaze.
“And probably the things you had seen made you hypersensitive to everything, I’ll bet.”
“Yup. I saw monsters everywhere.”
Inca turned away from him then, not wanting him to see the fear in her eyes. “I know what you mean.”
At the mansion, she turned and hugged him goodbye. He smiled at her.
“I’ll see you back at home. I don’t want you alone until we get this asshole. I’ll be home as soon as I can, hopefully with Olly.”
“Thanks, Knox, for everything.”
Inside the mansion, Inca deliberately went straight to her room, wanting to be alone to grieve. She lay on her bed and the sense of loneliness, of hopelessness she’d been trying to bury, threatened to overwhelm her, and she pulled up the comforter to hide the tears. Exhausted, she leaned her head on her hand and closed her eyes.
Before long, images and half-clouded dreams began to run through her mind. Kissing Raffaelo, standing with him at the edge of the cliff. Now they were at the bottom, Raffaelo lying motionless on the rocks. She was screaming for him to wake, but he was gone. There was a laugh, a movement, behind her. She turned. She expected to see Olly, but no, it was Tommaso driving the knife into her, grinning, giggling. Pain. Blood.
Death.
Luna had refused to stay at the Winter mansion—and neither of the brothers seemed keen on her staying with them. She could tell from their hostile eyes that she wasn’t welcome. They clearly thought Olly was guilty.
As soon as Knox had taken Inca and Tyler into the city, she had slipped from the house and walked back home, letting herself into Olly’s place, tidying it up, looking for any clue. The detectives had clearly already been there, and she ignored the Keep Out crime scene tape. There had been enough secrets around her.
And yours is one of the biggest, isn’t it, Luna?
She closed her eyes. She could never take back what she had done. Never. And yet … it felt unfinished, what she felt she had to do. It’s time.
She left Olly’s place and went to Knox’s apartment, sliding under his bed to ease up the floorboard she had removed a few weeks ago. From underneath, she took up the small bag, then crawled out again. She left a note on Knox’s desk, then, with tears streaming down her face, she walked into the inky black night.
“Well, kid.” Trent pushed open the door to the interrogation room. Olly looked up, his eyes heavy and tired. His lawyer, Bryan, followed Ford in and patted Olly’s shoulder. Trent smiled at him.
“Your construction boss has confirmed your alibi. We still have questions, but for now, you’re free to go.”
Olly gaped at him. “What?”
Bryan cleared his throat. “No evidence, buddy. They’ll bail you for now. You will have to surrender your passport—”
“Knox can take care of that,” Trent interrupted with an apologetic nod to the lawyer.
Olly followed them out of the precinct in a daze. Bryan said goodbye, Trent, too, and Olly was left alone on the sidewalk. He began to walk, not paying attention to where he was going, just needing to feel the ache in his leg muscles and the cold air in his lungs. His speed increased and then he was running, pushing himself harder and harder until finally, he stopped, chest heaving, the blood pounding in his brain.
He was free. There had been moments over the past days when even he had believed himself capable of … anything. All he knew now was that he had to get to Inca, to hold her, to protect her.
One thought dominated his mind as he turned and began to walk across the city to the waterfront. Inca was in trouble. The image of Nancy’s body flashed in his mind, and Olly couldn’t help seeing Inca’s face, contorted like Nancy’s had been in absolute terror and agony, her body shredded and bloody.
“No…” Olly’s jaw set. Before this ended, Olly knew in his heart, more people would die.
But if it took his last breath, Inca would not be among them.
Raffaelo stroked his fingers down her bare back. Inca had stepped out of the tub, and now he wrapped a thick fluffy towel around her. She looked exhausted, drained, and grief-stricken. She had woken up screaming from the nightmares earlier, and it had taken both him and Tommaso to calm her down. She had cried for most of the rest of the day, the full impact of what had happened hitting her full force.
She leaned against him now, and he kissed her temple. “Tommaso is preparing some hot soup for you. You need to eat.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Try for me.”
They walked slowly hand-in-hand down the stairs. In the kitchen, Tommaso smiled at her and kissed her lips softly. “Here, eat. It’s good.”
Inca smiled at him. “Did you make it?”
Tommaso grinned. “No. That’s how I know it’s good.”
She appreciated both of them trying to make her feel better and truthfully, she didn’t want to be anywhere else. The soup was good, and she managed about half of it. She looked at them both, sitting with her so patiently.
“Is it weird? What we’re doing here, I mean? The three of us?”
Neither brother looked surprised at her question. Raffaelo sighed. “I would think, to most people, yes. But we are not most people. The love between us … it is pure, I think.”
“I think so too.” Tommaso smoothed his hand down her hair. Inca nodded.
“I can’t deny what we have is incredible. I love you both, so, so much … but do we have a future? What about when …” She got choked up. “When we want to have children? What happens then?”
“That is far in the future, Principessa.”
“Is it, though? I’m twenty-eight; you are thirty-five. In the next ten years …”
“We will worry about that when the time comes. Surely, if anything, what has happened lately shows us we must live in the moment?” Raffaelo’s voice was quiet, but full of love. “When it comes time for children … we will have to talk.”
She nodded. “Because our children cannot be cousins and siblings. That is a step too far, even for me.”
Tommaso nodded. “I understand. Although it has happened before—a wife marries a man who dies, then she marries his brother.”
“This is too complicated a discussion for this evening. Mio caro, are you cold? You’re shivering.” Raffaelo grabbed a throw from the chair next to the fire and wrapped it around her. Inca was only wearing a simple white dress, and she hugged the blanket to her now. But she shook her head.
“No, I am not cold. I don’t know why I’m shivering …” The trembling got worse.
Tommaso got up and came to her. “It’s the shock. Raff …help me.”
They both wrapped their arms around Inca and held her until the trembling subsided. She smiled gratefully at them. “No one could love both of you the way I love you,” she said simply.
Tommaso and Raff looked at each other, each reading the love for this woman in each other’s eyes.
“We will make this work, my love,” Raffaelo said and pressed his lips to hers. Tommaso nodded.
“I swear we will.”
Knox got home utterly exhausted and spent. He collapsed on his couch, taking off his gun belt and closing his eyes.
Just five minutes and I’ll go to bed.
He was on the verge of sleep when his cell phone buzzed.
“It’s me.”
Olly.
“Hey, man. What’s up?”
“I’m out. On my way home. Is Luna with you?”
Knox got up and checked the guest room. “No, man; she’s probably at yours. Want me to go check?”
“Would you? She’s not answering her phone.”
“Of course, I’ll …” He trailed off when he saw the note on his desk. His heart failed. “Olly … get home now. Now.”
“What?” Olly sounded panicked, but Knox, his chest tight, hung up. His legs felt like jelly.
Dear Knox,
I’m so sorry … I never meant for Scarlett to get hurt. She was wearing Inca’s coat, and when I realized it was Scarlett, it was too late. I ended her pain quickly, but I couldn’t take it back. I loved her too. I have to finish this. I’m so sorry. Tell Olly I love him.
Goodbye,
Luna.
It was after eleven when the security guard came to find them. “Miss Sardee? There’s a Luna Rosenbaum here to see you … I made her wait at the front door because it’s late … what do you want me to do?”
“Luna’s here?” Inca got up, but Tommaso halted her.
“It’s way too late, Inca. Tell Miss Rosenbaum to come back in the morning.'
“No, it’s okay. Let me go see her. Thanks, Craig.”
He nodded and left them. Tommaso shook his head at her. “I don’t like this.”
Inca rolled her eyes. “It’s just Luna. I won’t turn my back on a friend.”
“Let her go, Tommaso.” Raffaelo sounded irritated. “You’re not her master.”
Inca threw a grateful look at him and patted Tommaso’s hand.
“I won’t be a second.”
Luna looked as if she were shivering, and Inca reached for her to pull her into the warm of the house.
“No.” She avoided Inca’s hand, and Inca frowned.
“What is it, bubba? What’s going on?
Luna was staring at her, studying her intently. Inca got worried. “Are you okay? Is Olly okay?”
Luna was still staring, her ice-blue eyes wide. “It’s like a cancer.”
Inca was confused. “What is?” She began to shiver now— the night was cold, and her thin white dress was no protection. “Come in. I’m cold.”
Luna gave her a strange smile. “You won’t be in a minute. Your beauty. It’s like a cancer. It infects everything you come into contact with; it always has. All those women … Nancy … your birth mom … Scarlett. She was wearing your coat.”
Inca started to get scared now. “Luna …”
“She was wearing your coat, and I thought it was you. I thought it was you.”
Realization dawned, and Inca covered her mouth to stop herself screaming. “Oh, my God …”
Luna pulled out the gun she was hiding in her pocket and leveled it at Inca. “I won’t make the same mistake this time. No more cancer.”
And she shot Inca. Inca staggered back, blood blooming across her right side. She stumbled and dropped to the floor as Luna pointed the gun at her again and fired another bullet at her. Inca had raised her arm to defend herself, and the bullet smashed through her forearm and grazed her temple. In horror, she saw Luna placed the muzzle against her own head, and as Inca heard shouts coming from every direction, Luna smiled at her and blew her own brains out.
The last thing Inca remembered were the horrified faces of her two lovers as she lost consciousness …
Snowbound #4
Sorrento, now …
She sat on the stone seat that was carved into the wall of the villa and looked out over the Bay. Lights from the city, from the boats that bobbed in the marinas, from Naples across the water, twinkled in the gloom of twilight. Inca rubbed her arm absentmindedly. The wound, a through-and-through like the one in her side, had healed now, two months after the shooting, but it still ached occasionally. Mostly when she allowed herself to think about what had happened that terrible night …
Willowbrook, then …
She opened her eyes to see Tommaso, Raffaelo, and a stranger gazing down at her, all talking at once. There was pain in her side, her arm, her head and she couldn’t see out of her left eye. No, not blind, there was something …blood. There was blood streaming into her eye.
I’ve been shot.
OhGodohGodohGod … Luna. Luna shot me. Luna killed herself …
Inca struggled into a sitting position, despite the protestations from her lovers and the paramedic attending her, her one good eye searching. She saw the covered body on the marble floor, the front door to th
e mansion opened behind her.
No. No, please, no, Luna …
She pushed their hands away and tried to crawl towards her old friend’s body, tears beginning to flood down her face. She screamed at them, hysterical now as they stopped her. Raffaelo pulled her forcibly back against him, while Tommaso, his beautiful eyes scared, cradled her face in his warm hands.
“Bella, there’s nothing you can do, mio caro, nothing to do …let us look after you.”
Inca stared at him as if uncomprehending. “She didn’t mean it,” she whispered, eventually. “It was a mistake. Don’t let them crucify her … please, don’t let them. Oh God … Olly. Someone has to tell Olly. I have to tell Olly …”
“Miss Sardee, please, we have to take care of you now.” The paramedic exchanged worried glances with Tommaso, who nodded. Inca felt the prick of a needle in her arm. They were sedating her.
“No,” she said. “No. Please, I need to—I need to …”
She felt her body betray her again as the sedative took effect. As she lost consciousness, she felt a tear drop down her cheek, and Raffaelo’s lips kiss it away.
Raffaelo felt sick. He and Tommaso were at the hospital now, waiting in the relative’s room as Inca was being examined. When they’d heard the shots and rushed out to the sight of Inca lying on the floor, blood pouring from her side, her arm, and worse, her head, his heart had failed. Looking at Tommaso now, he could see his brother felt the same.
Tommaso turned terrified eyes on him. “She’ll be okay, right?”
Raffaelo knew Tommaso was looking for him to be the strong one again, to be the positive one, but this time, God, this time, he didn’t know if he could be. The relief at seeing that the head wound Inca had suffered was only a flesh wound despite the blood, was counteracted by how she had reacted with panic, fear, and terror. After everything she had been through lately, if she had a psychotic break, no one would blame her.
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