Chapter 21
Elijah
Outwardly, nothing seemed out of place at the cottage.
There wasn’t even a car in the drive. My first panicked thought was that it was Josh’s mom, but I quickly dismissed it.
There was absolutely no way Josh would ever have given that woman security clearance.
Which led me back to my chief concern—who else did have it?
Perhaps if I understood more about how the system actually worked, I might have known.
As it was, I was walking blindly into my own house.
The hinges were mercifully silent as I opened the door after discovering it wasn’t locked.
I dragged in a lungful of air, seeking any kind of clue who could have invaded my personal sanctuary.
The complete absence of any such identifying scent immediately gave me pause.
It also reminded me of when Josh used to take potions to hide his scent.
I warily made my way through the foyer and the short hall that led to the main part of the house.
As I stepped into the living room, my gaze fell on a man sitting patiently at the dining table.
Before him lay several perfectly organized folders and data tabs.
He peeled out of the chair with an unnerving grace that put me in mind of the way a larger creature would move to avoid breaking things.
He was nondescript with dark hair kept stylishly short, his tan skin had distinct olive undertones, and he stood maybe five-ten.
If it weren’t for the peculiar tilt to his gold-tinted eyes and the sharp suit he wore, he could have easily blended into any crowd.
For all my worrying on the way here, the supposed intruder didn’t appear threatening in the least.
He straightened his burgundy tie, which would have matched Josh’s vest perfectly, and looked straight at me. “Dr. Bennett, I hope you will forgive the intrusion. My name is Theodore Lombardi. I am Detective Hart’s legal representative.” He gestured to the table. “We have much to discuss.”
I stared blankly at him. “You’re Josh’s lawyer?”
“And by extension, yours. Now, if you would please have a seat, Dr. Bennett, we can begin.”
My fingers were numb as they closed around the top of the chair and pulled it away from the table.
Theodore Lombardi followed suit and resumed his previous seat.
His unusual eyes snared me and, though it didn’t make a damn bit of sense, images of fire.
I blinked rapidly to clear the disturbing imagery and dropped my gaze to his array of documents.
That, on top of his not having a smell, only made me more uneasy.
I swallowed my nerves and willed my hands to be steady.
He slid a folder over and opened it. “You no doubt are curious as to why I am here now.”
“Actually, I’m more curious how the hell you got into the house at all.”
His gaze flicked up, not with anger or annoyance, but with an eerie calm that exuded patience the likes of which I’d never known.
Suddenly, I had the distinct impression that despite his outward depiction of a man in his early fifties, Theodore Lombardi was extremely old. My unease increased tenfold.
I swallowed thickly, finding myself increasingly intimidated by that all-knowing stare. “My apologies. I was in a stressful meeting with the Klamath Pack Alpha when Atlas notified me that someone had disarmed the security system.”
He nodded and folded his hands on top of the folder.
“It was not my intention to cause you undue concern. However, I appreciate your expeditious arrival. To answer your initial question, I used my personal access to disarm Atlas and am pleased to see you are utilizing the system. Detective Hart expressed great concern you would not.”
I’d met a lot of professionals in my field as a literary critic.
They ranged from delusional recluses to austere, tenured professors, but none of them compared to the consummate professional sitting across from me now.
I debated telling him it was the first time I’d used the system since we’d known his mother was in town, but something told me he already knew.
That suspicion did nothing to quell my quietly growing concern.
Not even my parents had ever made me feel so much like a child as Theodore Lombardi did.
“In answer to the question you have not asked, but invariably will, I am here now because Detective Hart has failed to make his last three check-ins. Thus, I find myself in your home to determine his state of health.”
“Josh isn’t here,” I replied out of reflex.
“I’m well aware that the detective’s medical leave expired and the results that followed.”
I frowned at him, getting more confused by the second. “Then why are you here?”
“To ascertain whether he is still alive. In the event of his demise, certain steps need to be taken. Promptly.”
“What makes you think I know if he’s alive or not?”
Theodore Lombardi leveled that ageless stare at me once again. “You are his bonded mate.”
“H-how do you know that?” My concern morphed into full-blown fear.
“I know almost everything there is to know about the detective’s affairs. For the sake of time, I will assume that Detective Hart is still alive and in good enough health that it has not begun affecting you.”
“Affecting me?”
“Naturally. The bond is a connection that links two souls together. Since the bond is fully completed, should anything extreme occur, you would at least have some inclination.” He said it so matter-of-factly that it was hard to question.
Though I was hard-pressed to think of anyone who could say as much about the bond, not even other lycans.
“Are there any more inane questions you would like to ask, or can we proceed?” Despite the annoyance evident in his choice of words, neither his tone nor his expression reflected it.
I shook my head.
“Excellent. Before we begin, I have a point of interest I am to address with you per Detective Hart’s express wish.
” He paused as if to ensure he had my full attention.
“No one is to know of the bond. He understands that there are those like myself and Eric Trappinger that are already aware of the connection, but he requests that the information continue to be contained for your own personal safety.”
“What about his safety?”
“It goes without saying that your safety directly affects his.”
I repressed a wince at the obvious logic.
“Do you agree to limit this knowledge?”
“What happens if I don’t?”
“Detective Hart asked that I convey his deep desire that you do so and implore you to trust him.”
It wasn’t exactly as if I could say no after that. “Fine. I’ll limit the knowledge to as-needed.”
“Should you find it difficult to comply, there are measures that can be taken.” He pressed his long fingers onto the page nestled within the folder. It was then that I realized it was real paper and not a data sheet.
“What’s that?”
“A magical gag order. Detective Hart insisted it wouldn’t be necessary. However, I like to cover all eventualities.”
I swallowed hard. “It won’t be needed.”
“Excellent.” He closed the folder and switched it out for a data tab. “On to the estate.”
“What estate?”
“Joshua Hart’s estate, of course. You are the co-trustee and sole heir should he forfeit his claim in whatever circumstances may occur. As such, you should be aware of the assets.”
“Trustee? Heir? Assets? What are you talking about? I can’t be Josh’s heir.”
“But you are. All the paperwork is in order, signed, filed, and executed.” He passed me the data tab and picked up another for himself. “If I could please direct your attention to page thirty-six.”
I stared down at the tech in my hands like it was a live adder that would turn and sink its fangs into me at any moment. At a subtle throat clearing, I navigated to the requested page, and my eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. “What in the moon’s name am I looking at?”
“That would be Detective Hart’s net worth.”
Lombardi kept talking, but all I could hear was white noise. “Moons of Jupiter. That’s a lot of zeros…” I whispered under my breath.
He glanced over. “Ah yes, that’s only a partial account of the holdings. The assets we need to address begin on line fourteen.”
My gaze traveled over the obscene breakdown of wealth.
I knew Josh had money, but this was… incomprehensible.
Finally, I found what Lombardi wanted me to look at.
It turned out to be a substantial list of real estate holdings.
“I don’t understand. This looks like he owns practically the whole state of Washington. ”
“Not the entire state. With the restructuring he initiated, state holdings are down two-thirds from viable properties to acquire unsettled land. The estate proper is now five times its original survey.”
I tabbed to the next page and saw a sketched layout of a massive structure surrounded by undeveloped forestland. “This is Josh’s house?”
“Yes. In lieu of the detective’s signature, I will require yours.” He reached for another folder and spun it around. Within rested a formal declaration of property.
“What’s this for?”
“Detective Hart was in the middle of a price war when he was arrested. This page represents his victory in the acquisition of the disputed land. As I’m sure you’re aware, all land ownership over one hundred thousand acres requires an original signature by the possessor.”
I stared dumbly at the page. “A hundred thousand acres?” That was almost a third of Klamath pack territory.
“Seven hundred and fifty thousand, five hundred and twenty-five, to be exact. Once you sign, the estate holding will be around five hundred total.”
I felt faint. “Josh owns all of this land?”
“Correction, you own all of this land. As Detective Hart is currently incarcerated, the deeds fall to you in his absence. And may I remind you that this is only the most recent acquisition? This brings the sum total of Hart Estate land totals within the state of Washington to twenty-five million acres.”
I was in shock from my conversation with Conrad and being away from my mate for so long. That was the only explanation. Twenty-five million acres… that was bigger than some countries. I slowly shook my head and couldn’t seem to stop. “This is all too much.”
Lombardi made the tiniest sound that might have been a snicker. “He did mention you’d likely be overwhelmed. Were that to happen, he advised that I not direct your attention to the following three pages that outline his international holdings.”
Sure enough, I skimmed the next three pages, and black spots swam across my vision.
Josh wasn’t wealthy; he was obscenely wealthy.
Man easily had enough to buy the whole damn country and institute a new government if he saw fit.
I glanced back up at the lawyer—my lawyer—in time to see the ghost of a smile before it disappeared. “Is all of this from the Harker side?”
His smile turned feral, revealing terrifyingly sharp teeth, and his eyes burned as if they held actual fucking flames. “No. The other data tab shows the breakdown of the Harker Estate. The majority of this has been singularly amassed under the Hart Estate.”
“Full moon at midnight,” I said in a shocked whisper. “How? Josh is only in his thirties.”
A malevolent glee shone in Lombardi’s eyes. “I have a particular skill set when it comes to amassing wealth and keeping it away from prying eyes.”
“Prying eyes like his mother’s?”
“He said you were quick. Yes, Beatrice Harker lives on a comfortable stipend, completely oblivious to the fact that her access and rights to the Harker fortune haven’t existed for years.”
I pounced on that tidbit. “Josh has been giving her a stipend all this time?”
“Yes.”
“So, in order to send her said stipend, you would have to know where she is.”
“Just so.” Lombardi’s smile broadened as if he was enjoying my leaps of logic.
“You know where she is.”
Fire flickered in his eyes once more. “I always know where Beatrice Harker is.”
“I want her arrested. And when they drag her murderous ass to the same hellhole they’ve dropped Josh in, I want to be there.”
“As you wish, Dr. Bennett. I will see that it is done and have my contacts work to unearth the detective’s whereabouts. If you could sign that document, I will get started immediately.”
I grabbed the stylus and applied my unique signature, enhanced with a thumbprint, to verify authenticity.
Lombardi retrieved the folder and inspected the line. “Excellent. Should anything else arise, I have already taken the liberty of uploading my contact information to your bio-ware. Is there anything else I can assist you with before I leave?”
“Yes. I want a contract drawn up.”
Lombardi’s smile touched his eyes, lending them a sinister cast. “I thought you might.” He passed me the final data tab, then extended his hand. “It has truly been a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Bennett. I foresee a superb partnership in our future.”