Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 214

214 A House with Eyes

Lucian

Mara handed me the letters, and I lifted one to my nose.

Nothing.

No scent. Not even a trace of Martha.

Just Mara’s, faint from when she found it.

I scanned the writing, then waited in silence until Darian arrived.

When he walked in, I passed the letters to him. “Mara found these in your mother’s room after we dropped her off. She was searching for evidence of the poison.”

Mara greeted him and Tiffany with a soft, polite “hello.”

Darian took the envelope, brought it to his nose, and frowned. “Other than your scents… nothing. Honestly,

if I didn’t know better, I’d assume one of you wrote it.”

I knew it wasn’t an accusation, just an unsettling observation.

“Latex,” he added after another sniff. “There’s a faint trace of it. Someone who handled this was wearing

gloves.”

I took the envelope back and checked. He was right. It was there, barely detectable, but unmistakable.

We’d missed it.

“That’s not all,” Mara said, her voice firm. “The spot where your mother collapsed, it had been scrubbed clean. But the rest of the room? Completely untouched. As if whoever went in didn’t want us to notice

anything had been disturbed.”

We moved to the couch in the sitting area, letting the implications settle in. Tiffany quietly laid Emma down on the bed nearby. She wouldn’t be leaving, but Darian was still dressed to go to the hospital.

“What do you think?” he asked Mara, his voice low.

She exhaled. “I think Chase has people in this house. Maybe one, maybe more. I’d say Martha was

poisoned as a diversion, except for those checks. She sold everything. Her room’s empty. That part of it…

feels real. I believe she really did plan to take her life.”

She paused, her expression tightening. “And now the only person who could confirm any of this is in a

coma.”

Darian nodded solemnly. “I’ll hold on to the envelopes. When she wakes up, I’ll ask her directly.”

“Good,” I said. “Keep it quiet. Don’t bring this up to anyone. If Chase has eyes and ears in this house, we

can’t afford to tip him off.”

13

214 A House with Eyes

arranging forged passports and new identities to keep us hidden.

Clau

It wasn’t without risk. Travelling to Mistwood under false identities meant if something went wrong, if we disappeared, no one could track us. We’d be ghosts.

But it was the only way Chase wouldn’t see us coming.

“Out with it, Lucian,” Mara said, breaking the silence.

I sighed. She was staring at me, eyes narrowed, heart already bracing for impact.

I leaned in and kissed her, hoping for a distraction, maybe comfort. But she pulled away.

“Don’t do that,” she said gently. “Don’t kiss me to keep from saying what you need to say. I know you, Lucian. You’ve been holding something in since last night. And I know that’s why Darian took Tiffany and Emma out.”

She wasn’t wrong.

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