Free Four Letters (The Lust List: Devon Stone #3) by Mira Bailee

in his voice. “…It wasn’t an accident.” He says it like he’s doing a suspenseful voiceover.
    Maddie glares at him. “Exactly, smart ass.”
    Devon straightens up. Only he can find a way to joke right now. “So who hates your boss? A disgruntled employee?”
    “Funny you should ask.” Maddie pulls out her phone and shows us a message. “I got this right before it all happened.”
    A text message that includes a photo, just like what Nat sent me the other day at the Stone mansion. It’s a photo of the bar taken earlier tonight, I assume. And the message:
    Have a nice night.
    “You know who sent this,” Maddie says to me. “Just like she sent the message to you. She’s trying to threaten us—all of us.”
    The look on Devon’s face is one of hate and fury. “She? Natasha? She’s messaged you?”
    “Hey,” Lex speaks up from her side of the limo. “Is she the reason your car crashed today?”
    And now I have three sets of eyes on me, waiting.

    I avoid eye contact with Devon as I come clean about everything. After showing him my text from Nat, I tell him about the flowers that had been waiting for me in my room.
    “I thought she was just being creepy. It’s not like a message or a bouquet would kill me. And if she wanted to kill me,” I think back to waking up in that maintenance closet, “she already had the chance.” And would she? Would she go so far as to kill for Devon?
    “That photo,” Devon points to Maddie’s phone, “is proof she did this.” He motions out the window to the bar. “But why? She doesn’t even know Maddie.”
    “No, but…” The message Maddie left Nat plays back through my head. “Maddie called and threatened her, telling her not to mess with me anymore. I think it made her mad.”
    “You think?” He looks to Maddie. “How very bold of you. And what was that about your car?” We all check on Lex who seems to be asleep. Granted, I hadn’t thought she was listening in a few minutes ago either.
    “The mechanic called me earlier. Said the accident didn’t appear to be an… accident. My brake lines were punctured.”
    “And you told Lex but not me?”
    I can’t tell if he’s angrier at me or the crazy woman who did all these things to us.
    “No. She was in the car when the brakes went out. I didn’t tell her what they found out with my car. That was just a good guess on her part.”
    Devon glares at me as he tries to process it all.
    “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about all this right when it happened. It didn’t seem like a big deal until my mechanic called, and by then, my priority was on you and Lex and—”
    “Don’t do that. You really think us going out to some club—where she could’ve been, by the way. Did you consider that? Did you really think that was more important than telling me you’re getting threats from her?”
    It sounds ridiculous when he says it out loud. “I was going to talk to you about it in the morning.”
    Devon sighs and pulls out his phone. “Mark, take us to Olivia’s.” We start down the street, and Devon makes a phone call. “You need to find Natasha … Mhmm …. She’s at it again, this time going after Olivia … I want her in cuffs. She violated the restraining order, attempted homicide, and committed arson. I want the highest charges pressed. Got it? … Call me back once you have her.” He hangs up, watching out the window, not looking me in the eye. “I’m staying with you tonight. My guys will find her.”
    “The same guys who didn’t find out about Lex before we did? Are you sure—”
    “They’ll find her. I want you to stay out of it. And I’m the first to know next time. Got it?”

    Devon ditched his button-down shirt and is lounging in my bed wearing only his jeans. This view of him makes me forget all my troubles. Maddie’s asleep. Lex is passed out on the couch. It’s just me and Devon, and I have him all to myself. Staring at me as I climb into bed next to him, he hardly flinches