AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s just what the doctor ordered after the day I’ve had.”
Penny walked over to the kitchen table and set her bag down, then continued into the nursery. She looked into the baby monitor with a pinch of dread. How long had he been watching her every move?
Ryan followed Penny into the nursery and went straight to the crib. He set Peter down on a cotton dinosaur fitted sheet and moved toward Penny with an exaggerated, seductive swing of his hips. “What do we think about getting a start on baby number two?”
“Peter’s not even six months old. I’m still recovering from his birth. It will be a while before I’m ready to think about another.”
“That’s not what I wanted to hear.” Ryan frowned. “Peter needs a sibling.”
“I can’t fathom another child. I can’t even fathom a full night of sleep.”
“Come on, darling.” Ryan crossed the room, rested one hand on Penny’s shoulder. “Me and you, we’re meant to be together. Meant to have a family. How do you think we ended up like this? It was fate. All the obstacles we had to overcome just to be together…”
“What obstacles?”
“Oh, you know…” Ryan shrugged. “The other man primarily.”
“Roman wasn’t an obstacle. I broke up with him.”
“He was an obstacle, but now he’s not.” Ryan seemed completely unaffected by the fact that the man in question had been murdered. “Isn’t life so much better now that you’re completely free?”
“I was free,” Penny said. “At least I thought I was.”
As she spoke, her blood began to chill. He knew. He knew that she knew, and she should have guessed that he’d be prepared. She should have been more careful. She should have known he’d been watching, watching, watching.
“Aw, honey.” Ryan tsked. “I can see it in your eyes. You don’t trust me. It’s that stupid trial. You don’t believe anyone anymore. It’s ruining you.”
“I think you might be right.”
“Well, you never have to doubt me. We are meant to be together. You can’t fight fate.”
“Not even if you orchestrated fate?” Penny murmured. “You made me believe that we were destined to be together when I was most vulnerable. Pregnant, single. You held my hand when I went into labor, made me believe we were a family.”
“We are a family.”
“Families don’t have to kill to be together.”
“Sweet Penny.” Ryan shook his head. “You are so naive, darling. I love that about you.”
Penny backed away, inching toward Peter. Ryan stepped between her and the crib and raised his hand. He grasped her chin between his fingers, hard.
“I hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I was prepared to come clean about what I’d done for you, for us…but only when you were ready. You’re not ready yet.”
“You murdered a man just to be with me?”
“Roman was a sad excuse for a man. He didn’t understand the word ‘commitment.’ When I found out you thought he was the father of your child, I had to do something about it.”
“You planned his murder for months.”
“God, you ladies made it easy. You talked point blank about killing him. I couldn’t believe my luck—it was too perfect. Apparently, the lawyers thought so, too. That court case is a fucking mess.”
“How…”
“One little listening device sewn into your purse, and I heard everything. Unfortunately, I know you found the bugs this afternoon. The trackers. You shouldn’t have touched them, Penny. I saw you, heard you. I’m always listening, watching.”
“How’d you do it?”
“What, kill him?” Ryan smiled. “I’m not proud of the murder— that bit is messy. But the rest of it was perfect, I have to admit. The knife’s availability was made possible by you, darling. You and your filthy little habit of stealing. Yes, I know you stole the knife from Eliza. I know you also stole wineglasses from her. I would have bought you those things new, but you didn’t let me.”
