Page 55 of Lay It Bare

“Because I don’t do drama? Dropping a prisoner unseen into the middle of a police station sounds dramatic to me.” Ellisandre couldn’t keep their lips from twitching with suppressed amusement.

Alice pushed the mushrooms around the pan and then pointed with the spatula at Ellisandre. “You don’t do drama, you end drama. So yes, it’s exactly what you would do. And if it takes drama to end drama, you will do that too. Actually, you do do drama. Just not relationship drama. All your drama is everything else.”

Ash nodded in agreement, looking proud of Alice’s convoluted reasoning.

Ellisandre’s phone went off. The one connected to Sevastyan. They checked the screen. All thoughts on Ash and Alice’s accusations snapped out of existence. “Someone’s put a hit out on Jun.”

Ash uncrossed his arms. Alice visibly braced herself against thin air.

Ellisandre read through the rest of the message twice. “Ash, computer. Need you to look something up.”

Alice finished making lunch while Ash tracked the agent who posted the hit down to Connecticut, just north of New York City. Linda and Dana made it upstairs in time to eat warm food. Ellisandre, Alice, and Ash kept their news to themselves, bantering their way through the meal. Ellisandre pulled Linda aside as the dishes were being cleared away. “Can you keep Dana with you until tomorrow morning?”

“I could. Richard and I were going to meet up. Maybe she can stay with Collin while he and I talk. Any particular reason?”

“No reason.” Ellisandre shrugged.

Linda shook her head, rolling her eyes. “No reason, of course. And now the kids are involved. If you have a huge vat of acid somewhere to dissolve the bodies in, don’t let them near it.”

“I’m only involving two out of our three kids,” Ellisandre whispered back.

“Oh, so Dana is like me?” Linda quirked an eyebrow back, in almost perfect imitation of Ellisandre themselves. “Too delicate?”

“Ash was already on the dark side before I got my claws in him. And Alice started her training under her grandfather, if you’ll remember. I’ve corrupted no one.” Ellisandre lifted their chin. “Delicate has nothing to do with it.”

Linda narrowed her eyes, but her gaze was teasing. “Of course. Pure as driven snow. Not a devious bone in your body.”

“Only for us.” Ellisandre leaned in, wrapping one arm around Linda’s waist and pulling her close.

Linda gripped Ellisandre’s arm in return, squeezing affectionately. “Just bring everyone home safe.”

“Promise.” Ellisandre planted a kiss on Linda’s shoulder.

They left the cleanup to Linda, signaling Alice and Ash to go back down to their apartment with them.

“We’re doing something?” Alice asked.

“How would you like to go get the hit removed?” Ellisandre said.

“Like . . . a mission?” Alice’s eyes went wide.

Ash appeared to have gone mute.

“Like a mission. Ash, you’ll be in the van running communication, info dump, and maps. Alice, you’ll be with me. I’m going to give this agent a talk. When we’re finished, he’ll know why he shouldn’t put a hit on members of our family.”

Ash shook his head. “I’ve been adopted by the mob.”

“I think it takes more than one hitman to make a mob,” Alice remonstrated

“One. Two.” Ash pointed between Alice and Ellisandre.

“It’s just a conversation,” Ellisandre said. “No one’s dying tonight. Probably.”

“I’m not a hitman,” Alice sputtered.

Ash didn’t look like he believed either of them. “Fine. I’m in. I’m in. But you—” he pointed at Ellisandre “—are explaining to Mr. Reevesworth if anything happens to me, like getting arrested. Again.”

“You won’t get arrested.”

Ash grimaced.

“I’m in.” Alice nodded. “This is what I’ve been asking for. And by the way, this totally proves we were right. You did catch Damian’s dad.”

“Can’t prove it,” Ellisandre smirked.