Lib Novel Page 96
Chloe Morgan smiled. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Kendra turned to the other woman. “And you’re Sloane. Hello.”
Sloane rolled her eyes. “Oh, shit. It is her.”
“You know who I am?”
Chloe nodded. “Of course. We’ve spent most of our lives trying to catch a serial killer. And you’ve helped catch quite a few of them in our hometown.”
“I was brought into this case by an acquaintance of yours. A retired detective, Paula Chase.”
Sloane gasped excitedly. “She’s here?”
Kendra decided to wait to break the bad news. “No. I’m here with a friend. When you meet him, I don’t recommend lunging for his throat.”
“Sorry about that.”
Chloe grinned. “My sister is paranoid about drop-in visitors.”
“I’ve been learning a lot about both of you.” Kendra was rubbing her throat. “From Paula, Detective Todd Williams, and a certain auto mechanic named Charles Davenport.”
Chloe grimaced. “Oh, God.”
“Yes,” Kendra said. “I must say, I dislike your taste in men enormously.”
“So do I,” Sloane said with a frown. “I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger. I’ve been trying to make up for them lately.”
Kendra was still rubbing her throat. “Any reason why you started to strangle me just now?”
She shrugged. “You were a stranger. I couldn’t trust you. But I didn’t finish it.”
“Thanks to your sister.”
“I was protecting her, too.”
“She’s not as bad as you think,” Chloe said quietly. “Apologize, Sloane.”
Sloane nodded. “I’m sorry if I hurt you. But I’ve been training for a long time and I could have really damaged you if I’d tried.”
“So that was practice.”
She nodded. “Sort of.”
“Then I should tell you that I also practice a good deal.” She looked at Chloe. “I work just as hard as you do and I’m very dedicated.” She patted the gun on her hip holster. “Another few seconds, and I would have gone for this.”
Sloane’s eyes widened. “How good are you?”
“Good enough. But that’s not why I’m here. We should talk about it later.”
“Why are you here?” Chloe asked. “Did Detective Williams think we might need more supplies? Heaven knows he gave us more than we could possibly use. But then he was always like that. Always taking care of us.”
“Yes, he cared for you both very much.”
Oh, shit. Sloane was sitting straight up, her gaze on Kendra. “Be quiet a minute, Chloe. She’s trying to tell us something and it’s not easy for her. Isn’t that right, Kendra?”
“Kendra?” Chloe whispered.
Kendra drew a deep breath. “She’s right. It’s not easy and it’s never going to be any easier. But you have to hear it, because it would be what I would want. Because you have to know he risked his life for you both.”