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.Maybe it was better if she didn’t sit across from him at the breakfast table.“I’m gonna head out for some breakfast.”“Okay.I’m going to grab a bagel from the coffee place downstairs, hit the hotel gym and take another crack at that case.” She turned at the adjoining door.“Let me know what happens with Nigel, okay?”“Will do.”She closed the door and kicked a stray shoe across the room.He wanted to get as far away from her as possible.But she didn’t blame him.The Kendall slide show went over well, but it must’ve twisted the knife a little to see all that he’d missed.It had all seemed so clear-cut two years ago.Now looking into Eric’s face, she didn’t know what she’d been thinking.Okay, so she’d ruined any chance she had of reconciling with him, but he seemed excited about meeting his daughter.Maybe he’d forgive her by the time Kendall got married.She picked up the room and the evidence of a night of passion that had taken a wrong turn—actually had been derailed.Hell, it crashed and burned.But not before Eric Brody had satisfied every need she had and some she didn’t even know she had.She headed downstairs to the lobby, keeping an eye out for Eric—just in case he changed his mind about breakfast.She bought a banana and a bagel and perched on a stool at one of the high tables scattered around the coffee shop.As she spread cream cheese on one half of the bagel, her phone rang.Was Eric lonely? She grabbed the phone, but the display showed a blocked number.She answered anyway.“Christina, it’s Vivi.”Christina’s pulse jumped.“Vivi, are you still in Mexico?”Her sister clicked her tongue.“How did you know that?”“I had someone track you down.I was worried about you after your friend, Darius, found me and told me you were missing.”“Darius contacted you?”“He was worried.Why didn’t you tell him where you were going?”“I don’t trust anyone right now and neither should you.How did you track me down? Who found me?”“My coworker’s brother.He’s a private investigator.Don’t worry.He’s not going to tell anyone where you are.What’s going on?”“I was in danger, Christina.I’m fine now, but you’re not.”“If you’re talking about this purge of Dad’s coven, I know all about the danger.”“How do you know about any of this? You’ve never been involved before.”“I’m working a case, Vivi.”“Isn’t that a.coincidence?”She knew Vivi didn’t believe in coincidences.“Yeah, it is.I work murder cases, Vivi.”“Just be careful, Christina, and don’t believe everything you hear.”“What is that supposed to mean?”“It means there’s no reason for our coven to be targeted.There are always a few bad apples that taint the rest of us.There’s something else going on.”Christina sucked a smudge of cream cheese from her finger.“What exactly have these bad apples been doing?”Her sister whispered, “Black magic.”Despite the tourists trooping through the brightly lit lobby and the customers lining up at the coffee shop counter, Christina felt a cold line of fear creep up her spine.“What does that even mean, Vivi?”“I’m not going to get you involved any further than you already are.”“I am involved and if it helps me solve this case.”“It won’t.You won’t.And the people on the other end of this thing? They’re not as appalled at the coven’s actions as they’d like everyone to believe.”“What are you saying, Vivi? Help me out here.”“Let someone else handle this case, Christina.Get off it.You’re exactly who they want.”“Stop talking in riddles and give me some names.” The pause on the other end of the line went on for several beats.“Vivi? Vivi?”She smacked her phone on the table.Why had her sister even bothered to call? She didn’t need a warning.She needed answers.She finished her breakfast, tossed her trash in the garbage and then headed for the gym.She may not find the answers she needed on the treadmill, but at least she could work off some of this stress.She returned to her room an hour later and sat down with the report.The words began to blur together.Come on, Olivia, where’s the weird stuff you were into? From all accounts, Olivia had lived and worked in Portland quietly as a waitress at an upscale restaurant—nothing strange in her background, no enemies.Eric knocked on the inner door.“It’s unlocked.” He may be keeping her locked out, but her room and her heart were wide-open to him.He stepped into her room.“Are you hungry? We’re having lunch with Nigel in Chinatown.”“Is he willing to talk?”“He’s meeting with us, which is more than anyone else will do.”“Did you tell him what happened last night after he left?”“I figure we’ll surprise him and watch his reaction.”“Speaking of surprises, Vivi called me from Mexico.”“Was she able to clear up anything?”She swung her legs off the bed.“Just made it murkier.She knows about the vendetta against the coven, but she’s not convinced it’s because someone’s trying to stop their evil ways.”“She admitted that the coven was involved in something evil?”“She dismissed it as a few bad apples [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]