Page 13 of Bitter Spirits

Des’s unhappy voice took on a warning note, holding her in place. “Isa, if Angel is mixed up in whatever this is, let Locke handle it.”

She didn’t want to acknowledge the painful hitch in her chest that idea caused. “It’s not that simple.”

“It is that simple.” Des’s tone was hard. “You confront Angel, and things are going to get messy.”

Like they aren’t already? “I know, Des.” Isa didn’t need him to spell it out—she’d lived the nightmare before. She threw open her door and got out, beeping the car’s locks. “We need to see if Kelly knows anything.”

“About the Den or Angel?”

“Either.” She started for the bar’s entrance.

After a beat of silence, he gave in. “You want to ask her outright?”

“You have a better idea?”

He muttered something she didn’t catch then said, “If you put Locke and Angel in the same room⁠—”

“I get it, Des.” She yanked the door open and clattered down the stairs, too keyed up to be creeped out by the shadows enveloping the stairwell. “But you know Locke. He won’t back off.” And she couldn’t live with herself if she let him walk into that vipers’ pit alone.

“Fine.” With that, Des’s voice cut off.

She hit the main floor just as the door behind the bar swung open. Des held it as Kelly passed through, her face drawn and streaked with tears.

The girl spotted Isa and froze in place. “He’s really dead?”

“He is,” she confirmed, trying not to wince. Kelly paled further and started to wobble as panic and horror filled her face.

Des caught her, giving her something to lean against, but Kelly didn’t look away from Isa. “It was an accident, I swear.” Her voice teetered between hysteria and pleading.

“I know.”

Kelly tore free from Des and rushed from behind the bar, leaving Des to follow at a slower pace. Isa met her halfway, capturing the younger woman in her arms.

“I can’t… I don’t know what to do.” The words tumbled out as tremors ran through Kelly’s slender body.

Isa tightened her hold, giving her a tether so she wouldn’t fly apart. She wanted to console Kelly—reassure her that the paltry paring knife couldn’t have possibly inflicted enough damage to be lethal, that something else killed Leo—but had no solid evidence, so she kept silent. She met Des’s grim gaze, finding a reflection of the protective streak they each carried. It was what made Wonderland a strange family. Proof or no proof, there was no way they were hanging Kelly out to dry—that wasn’t how they worked.

“We’ve got you.” She loosened her hold and shifted so she could see Kelly’s tear-ravaged face. “Locke’s right behind me. He’s going to ask you what happened.” She held Kelly’s reddened gaze. “You tell him exactly what you told me and Des. Don’t elaborate. Don’t try to charm. Just repeat what you told us, okay?”

Kelly swallowed hard then managed a jerky nod.

Isa forced her lips to curve up. “Good. Afterward, Des is going to take you home so you can talk to River. You remember him?”

Kelly nodded. “He’s a lawyer, right?”

“Yep, and since he’s on our side, you can answer any question he asks, but don’t try to make things sound better than they were. You give it to him straight, then you do everything he tells you. Understand?”

Kelly’s nod was smoother this time.

Isa looked behind Kelly to Des, who leaned a hip against a nearby table, and raised her brows in silent question. He gave a small head shake, so she turned back to the girl in front of her. “Kelly, did Leo ever mention the name Angel or a place called the Den?”

Kelly frowned. “No, why?”

The door at the top of the stairs creaked before Isa could answer. She lowered her voice. “Remember, keep your answers to Locke simple.”

She turned so she could wrap an arm around Kelly’s shoulders as they both faced the man gliding down the stairs. He hit the floor in a fluid stalk, and Isa couldn’t suppress the shiver that wound down her neck as he closed in. Goddess help me if he ever decides I’m prey to his Hound.

Locke’s gaze darkened as it slid over Isa and the disheveled Kelly. His attention shifted to Des, whom he acknowledged with a slight chin lift. When his attention returned to the two women, Isa felt Kelly stiffen next to her. Locke’s prowling intensity lessened as he gentled his features.