Page 39 of Volatile Vice

“What the hell are you talking about? What happened?”

“He must not have gotten my text in time. You know, my text breaking the date. So he showed up at our house. But my parents were out for the evening and…”

Her voice is sad, fearful.

“Baby, what happened?” I say, my voice lowering an octave.

“Someone…killedhim, Vinnie.”

My stomach drops out from under me. This couldn’t possibly be the work of my?—

“Someone killed him, and then got into our house, and…” She starts crying.

“For the love of God, Raven. What the hell happened?”

“My mother found him in my bed. In my bed in her house. His throat was slit, Vinnie. There was a note attached to the body.”

This can’t mean anything good. “What did the note say, Raven?”

“It didn’t make any sense.”

I have a horrible feeling it’ll make sense to me, but I don’t say that.

“What did it say?” I grit out.

“It’s said, ‘your move, Cobra.’”

My blood runs cold.

My fucking grandfather. But why would he leave such a note when he’s the cobra?

Except he’s thekingcobra.

“Vinnie?”

I can’t respond to her yet. I’m too damned angry.

“Vinnie, are you there?”

“I’m here.”

“Do you know what the note means?”

Do I tell her I do? She’ll only worry about me. It’s enough that I’m worried about her.

“No. I’m sorry. I don’t.”

“You think it has something to do with…”

“Don’t say anything else, Raven. Please.”

She lets out another sob. “He was helping me. The attorney. He was helping me set up my nonprofit. It’s because of me that?—”

“Don’t you dare go there,” I tell her. “Don’t you dare take the blame for any of this.”

“Vinnie… Why did you…”

I swallow. I try to find the right words. The last thing I want to do is hurt this woman. This beautiful, wonderful woman who I love more than my life.