Raspberry Tart Terror (Murder in the Mix Book 30) Unknown (christmas read aloud .TXT) 📖

“Don’t just stand there.” Carlotta practically jumps out of her skin. “Read on, Foxy.”

“Okay.” I take a breath. “Last one says, It’s time to stop riding on my coattails. Tell your followers you’re quitting, and encourage them to quit, too. Close this account. Close all of your social media accounts. You’ll have a new brother or sister coming into your life soon. If you care at all about keeping them safe, you’ll do a complete social media shut down tonight. Final warning. I am coming for you. Those who don’t listen, swim in a pool of blood.”

“They threatened the baby.” Lottie’s panting picks up as she grips me by the arm. “Noah, this is dangerous.”

“Duh.” Evie plucks the phone from my hand. “But Verity is dreaming if she thinks I’m quitting social media.” She stalks off to her bedroom with Waffles in tow.

“What do we do?” Lottie wraps her arms around her belly.

“I’ll handle it.” Everett takes a breath.

“Come on, Lot Lot.” Carlotta attempts to navigate Lottie toward the kitchen, but Lottie is proving immoveable. “There’s still a whole other bucket of Pickin’ Lickin’ Chicken left. I’ll even let you have the leg.”

“I’ve lost my appetite,” Lot whispers.

Carlotta huffs, “That’s easy to say after you’ve gulped down two free range chickens all by your lonesome.”

I look to Everett. “How the heck are we going to figure out who’s sending these messages?”

“It’s not Verity,” he says. “I can guarantee you the so-called GPS in that phone isn’t going to coordinate to a grave. Whoever did this, either had access to Verity’s account to begin with or they knew enough about Verity to hack into it.”

“I know all of Lottie’s passwords,” I tell him.

“So do I.” His brows hike a notch.

“Hear that, Lot?” Carlotta elbows her on the arm. “They’ve got your number. They know exactly how to push your buttons. And after listening to Foxy cry about your fun bags, he’d love to have five minutes pushing a few leaky buttons, too.”

“Wait a minute”—Lottie wisely chooses to ignore Carlotta’s remark—“if we go along with that thinking, regarding the passwords, then I bet there’s a very good chance Chad Harris knows how to hack into any of Verity’s social media accounts, and that includes Insta Pictures.”

Everett nods. “We’ll track Chad down tomorrow and make him talk.”

Carlotta turns my way. “What about the social media conglomerate Evie’s got cookin’? You’re not gonna make her shut it down, are ya? She’s been hocking my book and increasing my sixteen through twenty-five-year-old fan base. If she shuts down the Insta show, it’s liable to cost me money.”

Lottie frowns over at her. “It’s liable to cost my baby its life.”

“It’s not costing anyone anything,” I tell them. “Whoever this is, I’m about to shut them down for good. Nobody threatens my family. It’s in my hands.”

“I feel better already.” Carlotta links arms with Lottie and navigates her toward the kitchen. “Come on, Lot. Let’s stuff our pie holes with mashed potatoes and gravy.”

“Sounds good,” Lottie says. “We can pile the mashed potatoes on that chocolate cake from Lava Java.”

“And put the gravy on the brownies,” Carlotta counters.

Lottie pats her on the arm. “Now you’re talking.”

Everett pulls me in by the sweater and glowers my way. “The last time you took things into your own hands it cost me plenty,” he seethes. “Don’t you dare make a move without me. There’s too much riding on the line this time. They could lock me up for a lifetime, but nothing can happen to that baby.”

I nod because he’s right.

“Fine. I won’t make a move without you.” I swipe his hand off my shirt. “I’m sorry I cost you everything.” My head turns toward the kitchen as I watch Lottie as she holds that precious bulge in her stomach, and how I wish I weren’t the one having to leave for the night. “You’ve cost me everything, too.”

I take off and herd away the crowd outside the doors until most of them take off.

Someone in this world is threatening to kill those I love the most.

And chances are they’ve already killed once.

This is one case I need to solve posthaste.

And I won’t rest until I do.

Next stop, tracking down Chad Harris. He’s going to cough up some answers, whether he wants to or not.

Nobody has a choice in anything anymore.

This ends now.

Before someone out there puts an end to someone I love.

Lottie

Noah and Everett made quick work of it and tracked down Chad Harris to the exact location he would be at tonight—the exact location we’re currently situated in as well, which just so happens to be a wedding.

Yes. A wedding.

As soon as Carlotta got wind of where we were headed, she decided to tag along, as did Keelie. They both claimed they were looking to make good on that bouquet toss. Not sure how that fares for Bear, but I’m guessing Keelie’s interest in the flowers has more to do with decorating her dining room table with a primo floral display than it does scoring another husband.

Every last one of us is dressed to the nines as we step into the back of the Fallbrook planetarium just in time to see the bride and the groom running down the makeshift aisle much to the applause of the crowd that’s gathered.

“Quick, Lottie, duck!” Keelie does her best to pull me out of the way just before the bride and groom can bolt right through my body.

The groom is dressed in a light gray suit and the bride has on a dove gray gown to match. Both are so lost in their laughter they hardly notice the fact a band of strangers just wandered onto the scene.

“Geez, Lemon.” Everett pulls me in close. “Who knew the happy couple would prove to be lethal as well.”

“Me,” Noah says, craning his neck into the crowd beginning to circulate.

It’s true. Noah warned me things could get dicey, but only as far as the suspect was involved.

The main hall at the planetarium