Page 125 of Hell Hath No Fury

Emma fixed her with a sharp gaze. “I think Sonny might have died here.” She pointed at the carpet. “I need to check it out.”

Nell’s mouth hung open, thinking.

“Go,” Emma said as quietly as possible. “Now.”

Nell managed to gain her feet and gather her crutches, but by the time she reached the kitchen, Ashley reappeared in the doorway with a tumbler of water.

Emma swore to herself and kept up the coughing spell.

Nell shot her a grin. “I’ve changed my mind about those cookies,” Nell said to Ashley, pointing to the kitchen. “If you don’t mind.”

“No, that’s fine.” Ashley seemed annoyed but resigned to her fate of playing hostess to two unwanted guests.

It occurred to Emma that Ashley may have learned to be conciliatory thanks to her demanding husband. She carried the glass to the sofa and handed it to Emma just as Nell shouted out, “Ashley, I’m sorry to be a bother, but I need your help.”

Emma concealed her smile behind the act of sipping water. Clearing her throat, she thanked Ashley.

“Whatever,” she replied and returned to the kitchen.

As soon as Ashley was out of sight, Emma set the glass on a side table and dropped to her knees. She fingered the smashed dents in the carpet. The feet of a piece of furniture had definitely caused them. Shifting her focus, she reached for one of the glints of light reflecting from deep in the pile. She pinched it and immediately knew her first assumption had been correct. Glitter from the stuffed pony. She brushed it from her fingertips onto her jeans and spotted another. She almost ignored it, but she was already alone and on her knees. She sunk her fingers into the carpet’s pile.

She touched something solid. Tiny.

Sharp.

Definitely not sparkles from a toy. As she gingerly came up with the shimmering speck of glass, she froze, aware that she was no longer alone in the living room.

ChapterThirty-Seven

The drive from Fran’s house to Eric’s took less than ten minutes even in the pouring rain. Lights shone from inside, letting Matthias know they’d made it home. He pulled into the driveway, cut the engine, and checked his phone, surprised that Emma hadn’t responded to his text. Not even with a thumbs-up emoji.

He climbed out, crossed the yard to the front stoop, and pressed the doorbell. From inside, he heard Eric call out. “Come in! It’s open!”

Matthias needed to have a long talk with Emma’s friend about safety and security. First, Eric kept his key under a rock. Even now, he wasn’t locking his doors.

As Matthias entered, Eric appeared in the short hallway between the kitchen and the foyer and stopped. “Oh. I thought you were Emma and Nell.”

Matthias felt the muscles in his arms and neck tense. “They aren’t here?”

“No. They dropped me off after Nell was discharged from the hospital and went off on a mission.”

“What kind of mission?”

“Nell decided she wants to save Ashley Jones from herself. They went over there so Nell could give her a brochure from the rehab facility and try to convince her that drugs and alcohol are not the answer.” Eric chuffed a laugh. “Talk about irony.”

“Nell and Emma?”

“Absolutely. Nell may be putting up a good face about getting clean and sober, but she’s still at a fragile state. The least little thing can send her spiraling. Emma knows that and would never let her go anywhere, especially to visit another addict, alone.” He chuckled. “Besides, Nell can’t drive with that cast on her leg.”

The conversation with Fran once again looped through his mind.

A woman can only take so much before either she or the bastard abusing her ends up dead.

“What’s wrong?” Eric asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Maybe nothing.”Hopefullynothing. “How long ago did they leave?”

Eric glanced at his watch. “About an hour.” He brought his eyes back to Matthias. “What aren’t you telling me?”