Blood Ink Muse

VII. Tempting

She knew.

The way his soft earthy orb shines at the sight of her speaks so loud it's hard to ignore.

He adores her.

But is she ready for that? She wondered. Her mind drifting back to her art freak stalker on the loose, to her deceased friend who might fall down the earth to strangle her neck for taking her man and to the man she loves, who is better of without her.

Her thoughts went back to the man whose cursive handwritting splattered on the piece of letter she held on her hand.

Xavier is a lot of things, romantic, sweet yet due to this whole stalker ordeal she found herself looking at two probabilities.

He could be a bait.

Or

He could be it.

God forbids, she hopes it was the former for he was among the few people she calls friend. She didn't want to lose another.

She had finished pinning pictures into a seemingly disorganized spider's web. She was no detective yet she wanted to do her part in the investigation.

She had researched the profile of everyone surrounding her. From her neighbors to Tyler, who is actually Shawn using his deceased brother's identity. She knew from the way he looked at her that he was in no way gay yet his nightly adventures in his room made her conclusions waver.

He was Hugo's rival way back in high school, always ending up second best. It could be a motive in his part. To get to Hugo's mind, he could destroy his beloved sister's life for him to lose focus on himself and to exact revenge on him for his twin's suicide. Tyler, took his life because his girlfriend's affiliation with Hugo.

It was very well hidden secret, yet she had a damn capable detective at her heels.

As per loyalty, she knew she had him at the tug of his heartstrings. The man was head over heels who asked no payment but her heart once this ordeal was through. It was cruel yes, yet she had to have this leverage if she wants to make it out of this alive.

Shawn's connection to Natalia, their housemate and the officer in charge of her case left her uneasy. She deduced that her being Shawn's partner means he is also a part of the team investigating her pursuer. Which could be the reason why he has not been caught.

There are few inconsistencies with her theory that Shawn was her pursuer so she held on to that dearly wishing it was not him for she had learned to love him like a brother while projecting this clueless victim front.

The other suspect she had was this not so fatherly butler of theirs, Gio.

However, the pattern from the paintings sent to her was the setting when she first met with the victims. With this in mind she deduced that the last victim would be Gio.

She had first met him there at the villa near the beach. She was playing hide and seek with Hugo when she hid at a trunk of the many cars parked in their manor, Gio, who was unaware of the addition to the family due to his recent vacation, was supposed to do a maintenance check there when he saw her curled at the back of the car, asleep.

So if her hunch proves true then that disqualifies him from being the pursuer.

She pinched the sides of her temple, an ache forming as she tried to make out a plan. She was down to one suspect only and she had to be certain before she makes a move.

🎶 Coz I'm hot like hell, does it burn when I'm not there.

Dua Lipa's voice boomed, a signal to prepare for her appointment later making her march towards the bathroom.