Chapter 38
Chapter thirty-eight
Damien
The numbers on my screen blur as I stare at the acquisition proposal, but my mind isn’t on the tech company we’re discussing. It’s on Luna. It’s always on Luna. I’ve been so busy going over these documents with Cade this morning, I haven’t even checked the cameras to see how her day is going.
“The valuation seems fair.” Cade riffles through a stack of papers on his desk.
The sound drags me out of my thoughts of Luna.
“Guardian Matrix Solutions’ AI algorithms would integrate perfectly with our existing infrastructure.
This deal is solid. No red flags at all in their docs. And the price is right.”
I nod, forcing myself to focus on his words. Athena lifts her head from her bed in the corner, her scarred ears perking up. She’s better than any security system. She senses when someone’s coming long before I do.
“The board meeting is scheduled for—” Cade stops mid-sentence as his eyes narrow at something on his screen. “You’ve got company.”
I turn toward the window as Sheriff Mills’ SUV pulls to a stop in front of the house. I press the speaker button on my desk phone. Tiffany, my executive assistant, picks up on the first ring.
“Yes, Mr. Wolfe?”
“Did Sheriff Mills call looking for me?”
“Yes. She said she had some questions about the incident at Elk Fest. I told her you were working out of your office up there today. I sent you a DM twenty minutes ago to let you know she was on her way.”
I glance at the screen to my left, where my DMs appear. I was so wrapped up in the call with Cade, I missed their coming in.
“Okay. Next time, call me in addition to sending the DM.
“Yes, sir.”
I hang up, then rise to my feet, shoving my chair back so hard it hits the wall behind me. “I’ll call you back.”
“Damien, wait—”
I disconnect the call and smooth my expression into something appropriately curious and welcoming. By the time Karen Mills knocks on my front door, I’m the picture of an innocent billionaire, willing to answer any question she may have.
“Sheriff Mills. My EA told me you’d be stopping by.”
She studies my face with those sharp cop eyes of hers.
Karen Mills is good at her job—I’ve done my research—but she’s also predictable in the way most law enforcement is.
They look for patterns, for evidence, for logical connections.
They don’t look for monsters hiding in plain sight, wearing expensive suits.
“Mr. Wolfe, I was hoping we could chat about what happened at Elk Fest. With Odell Pearson.”
“Of course.” I step aside to let her in. “Would you like some coffee?”
She follows me through the dilapidated hallway, her eyes taking in the peeling wallpaper and scuffed woodwork.
I can almost hear her thoughts. Why would a billionaire live and work in a place like this?
The answer is simple but twofold: because this house holds ghosts that understand me and because it’s close to Luna.
Her expression shifts as I lead her into my office, a stark contrast to the rest of the house. Athena pads over to investigate our visitor, her tail wagging.
“Beautiful dog,” she says, extending her hand for Athena to sniff.
“Rescue.” I watch as my girl decides Karen is acceptable.
She settles into the chair across from my desk, pulling out her notebook. “I’ve read the reports, but I wanted to get your account of what happened with Mr. Pearson that day.”
I lean back in my chair, projecting casual confidence. “It was pretty straightforward. I was visiting Luna’s booth, and Pearson started harassing her.”
“Harassing her how?”
“Verbally at first. Calling her names, getting aggressive. Then he lunged at her. Tried to grab her.” My jaw tightens at the memory. “No one should ever lay a hand on a woman like that.”
“So you intervened.”
“I did what anyone would do. I stopped him.” Our eyes lock across the desk. “I won’t apologize for defending Luna, Sheriff. Pearson was twice her size and clearly violent.”
She scribbles something in her notebook. “According to witnesses, you took him down quite efficiently. Do you have any military or law enforcement background?”
I almost smile at that. If only she knew the kind of training I’ve given myself over the years. “I work out regularly.”
“Have you had any other interactions with Pearson? Before or after that day?”
“None. I’d never seen him before in my life. Why?”
“He was found murdered this morning.”
I keep my face neutral. “What does that have to do with me?”
“Nothing at this point. What about the other individuals who’ve been found dead recently? Daryl Rawlings, Thomas and Bertha Meyers, Raymond Davis, and Calvin Whitmore?”
I let confusion cross my features. “I’m sorry, what about them?”
“Did you know any of them?”
“No. Should I?” I lean forward. “Sheriff, what exactly are you getting at here?”
She closes her notebook with a snap. “Probably nothing. Just following up on all leads.” She stands, and I rise with her. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Wolfe.”
“Of course. And Sheriff?” I pause at the door, letting my voice soften with practiced concern. “I hope you catch whoever’s doing this. Luna doesn’t deserve to live in fear.”
After I escort her out and watch her SUV disappear down the driveway, I return to my office. I reach for the keyboard to call Cade back, but when the screen lights up, his face is already there.
“You never disconnected.” He’s so fucking nosy sometimes.
Cade’s expression is grim as he leans forward. “I heard every word. Damien, this is fucking reckless.”
I drop into my chair, the leather creaking under my weight. “She doesn’t have anything on me.”
“She doesn’t need to have anything on you right now. She’s asking questions, connecting dots, and you’re making it easy for her by dropping bodies around like fucking party favors.”
“You need to get over this. I told you I know what I’m doing.”
“They’re evidence.” Irritation sharpens Cade’s words. “Evidence that’s going to lead back to you if you keep this up. You’re acting like a lovesick teenager leaving dead roses on his crush’s doorstep.”
“Watch it.”
“No, you watch it. You think Luna’s worth throwing away everything we’ve built? Everything you’ve accomplished?”
An animalistic snarl erupts from my chest at the mention of Luna’s name.
“She’s worth everything!”
I turn to stare out the window toward the woods that separate our properties. He’s right. For twenty-five years, I’ve been meticulous. Every kill planned to perfection, every body disposed of, vanishing from the world. And no one ever suspected me.
Then Luna walked into my life with her fierce protectiveness, her righteous anger, and her beautiful soul. And I started making mistakes. Started taking risks.
“The sheriff has nothing. She’s fishing.”
“She’s a good cop doing her job. And good cops eventually catch criminals when they get sloppy.” Cade’s voice loses its bite. “You’re not sloppy, Damien. You never have been. Don’t start now.” He pauses. “Should I hack into the county law enforcement database and see what she has?”
“No, don’t waste your time. I’m telling you, she has nothing. I’ve left no traces.”
He nods, but I know that look. He’ll do it anyway because protecting me, sometimes even from myself, is what he does.
“You have to reinstate proper disposal protocols for all your targets, even Luna’s.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Damien—”
“I said I’ll think about it. Move on.”
Athena pads over and rests her head on my foot. I crouch and scratch behind her ears, and she wiggles her body in response, her tail thumping against the floor.
“Well, think hard because I’d prefer we both stay out of jail.” He glances at the screen to his right. “I have to go. MJ is calling me.”
After we end the call, I sit back in my chair, staring out at the tree line.
Luna is less than half a mile away. I could be there in minutes, but I have to wait until dark to go to her.
I hate not being able to see her during the day because I lose my fucking mind and ask her to dinner, or try to, every time I do.
That doesn’t mean I can’t watch her.
I switch the monitors over to the sanctuary’s cameras, expecting a glimpse of her usual routine. Instead, my heart stops.
What the fuck!
Luna is sitting outside the reinforced cell she showed me during my tour of the sanctuary, slumped in a chair like a broken doll.
A massive black bear is inside with Maren and the other vet.
But it’s Luna who has my full attention.
She’s covered with a blanket, under which she is clearly shirtless.
Her left arm is secured in a sling, and her face is pale with shock and pain.
My hands shake as I lean closer to the screen, every protective instinct I’ve ever possessed roars at me to get to her. She’s alive, but she looks like she’s been through hell.
Before I lose my fucking mind and tear over there like a lunatic, I force myself to rewind the footage.
I watch the events of the last couple of hours in fast forward, stopping at intervals to listen and see more closely. Even with Luna sitting safe in that chair, the images on screen steal the air from my lungs.
I skip ahead to the current feed. Luna is outside the cell, looking like a bear attacked her, yet she refuses to leave until she knows the bear is fine. That’s my Luna—bleeding and broken but still putting everyone else first.
This is a new kind of rage for me. Not the cold, calculated anger I feel toward the animal abusers I hunt. This is pure, primal fury, the kind that makes men tear apart mountains with their bare hands.
I should have been there.
I find her standing in front of the living room window, moonlight bathing her in an ethereal glow that makes her look angelic. Even with her arm in a sling.