Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 287

Stella leaned in. "When I left the house that afternoon, I was just heading over to see Nadine for lunch. But I was tailed the second I drove out the gates. That means they already knew exactly where we live."

"And you mentioned you've been investigating this syndicate for a while now. How is it you've made zero headway until now?"

"Because the mole is right beside you. They know your every move, actively sabotaging your investigation from the inside."

Having laid out her premise, she didn't stop there. "Also, you need to keep an extremely close eye on Wade."

Julius arched an eyebrow. "Why him?"

Stella rubbed her chin. "Him finding us in that orchard wasn't a coincidence. The more I think about it, the more glaring the red flags get."

"I think he went out there to execute us. He only backed down because I caught him off guard and stripped him of his window of opportunity."

"Why would you assume he was there for blood? He was my eyes on the ground." Julius popped another slice of orange into her mouth, figuring her throat must be dry from the detective work.

"That's exactly why he's the perfect suspect! Hell, I bet he's the one who shot Gideon. He had the means and the motive," she mumbled, happily chewing on the citrus.

"And what exactly is his motive?" Julius prodded, genuinely curious how deep her deduction went.

"First, tell me this: how good is his aim?" Stella shifted, suddenly feeling lethargic, and unapologetically sprawled across his chest.

"Exceptional. But that alone doesn't prove he pulled the trigger." Julius wrapped an arm around her, shifting her so she was more comfortable.

Julius kissed her softly. "Your logic is flawless. I've had my own suspicions about Wade. We'll run a stress test on him in a couple of days to smoke him out."

"Oh? How do you plan on doing that?" her eyes lit up with intrigue.

"By feeding him a lie and watching him take the bait."

"You better give me the full debrief afterward."

"Deal. But right now, it's nap time. I haven't slept since you were taken. We are going to catch up on our rest... and maybe a few other things."

With a wicked glint in his eye, he lifted his wife effortlessly and carried her up the stairs.