Chapter 17 SAMAEL
SAMAEL
We’d been laying low for the past two days, hoping to shift the spotlight from the four of us.
Strangely enough, Tyrone hadn’t tried barging into my house again and the absence of Runo at the house made for some quieter nights.
Things had changed in the last several weeks, Slash, Aeron, and I needing something different in our relationship.
We all saw it, all realized that while we still loved each other, the dynamic needed Runo’s crazy to complete us.
We weren’t enough for each other as is. Slash would still need me at some point to quiet the demons in his head and Aeron would need me to be that rock but it would be different going forward.
We need Runo more.
And I was okay with that.
Runo had called in a few times, mostly to check on his cat.
I got the feeling that he missed us in his own twisted way so I kept on the phone as long as I could before he inevitably hung up.
He had come back last night to dispose of Brent and I purposely stayed in my office.
I didn’t want to know what happened to the guy, mostly because there was just an ounce of guilt lingering from that kill.
His betrayal had cut me deep and knowing how close Tyrone was to us, it would have only been a matter of time before Brent reached out to the detective.
We were one step closer to starting this new life of ours, however fucked up it was going to be, Aeron holed up in my room as he finalized the sale of his food truck.
I left him arguing in an online form with rabid fans saddened that Gourmet Eats would no longer be servicing Primrose. It was for the best, though.
Slash, on the other hand, had been dodging requests for an interview, slowly bringing items from his apartment to my estate. Most of his ‘toys’ were piled high in the guest bedroom, ones I hadn’t seen him use in at least a year. Maybe we really were changing. It felt strange but also good.
Officer Daniels swiped by my desk with a tight smile. “The new guy Chief Matthews hired is really digging into The Three Terrors. He definitely thinks you’re connected or some shit.”
I pushed out a laugh. “He thinks everyone is involved if you look at him wrong. He came to the house the other day and interrogated Killian regarding his whereabouts too.”
Officer Daniels frowned. “Why was Killian… I thought you two broke up.”
“We’re working it out. That’s not the point.
The point is that Tyrone is burning bridges that I’m not sure he’ll be able to rebuild.
Going after the chief’s son? Not a great look.
” Shouting from down the hall stole my attention, Officer Daniels’ face paling as a result.
Apparently, Tyrone had found something else to be mad about and was directing his anger at the chief. Lovely. “Let me go check on that.”
I pushed away from my desk and headed down the hall to the chief’s office, standing just outside to hear Tyrone’s angry voice. He was bent over the chief’s desk, one of his hands fisted on the surface.
“You’re either in on it or cleaning up after someone!” he yelled.
My eyebrows raised, a grin tugging at my lips before I caught myself.
I knew he was but anyone else making that connection was wild.
His optimistic ass could barely handle paperwork, let alone actually murdering anyone.
He wasn’t even really covering up Runo’s murders and instead diverting attention with his resources.
I stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind me as Tyrone whipped around, his hazel eyes blazing with anger. “If you’re going to accuse the Chief,” I mused, “maybe do it privately and not where everyone can hear.”
Tyrone let out a frustrated growl as he straightened up. “I don’t trust you either, motherfucker.”
I leaned against the wall and forced a cold grin to mask the unease twisting inside my chest. “I’m not asking you to, but where is your proof in all of this?
I’m sure you’re a great detective and investigator, but you’re overstepping.
Coming to my house late at night to interrogate my guests as well as calling people past midnight? ”
Tyrone’s eyes widened, his jaw tightening. “How did you…”
I sighed, the lie slipping out smoothly, though my chest tightened with the truth.
“Jade and Killian still talk, and she asked if something was wrong.” They didn’t talk at all.
Not since Runo kidnapped her and threatened to kill her.
However, the guard watching her had been checking in and sending me information over the past few days.
Finding out that Tyrone had called Jade and she had let that bit about our foster life slip was going to piss Runo off when he found out. I asked my guard to hold off a little bit, just so that Runo didn’t go off and do something stupid.
Tyrone’s fists clenched at his sides. “This is what I’m talking about! All of you have so many secrets that it’s impeding the investigation. Why the fuck did you not mention you were in foster care with Phoenix and Ryker?”
The chief’s eyes went wide, his hands freezing on the desk, his face paling further. I muttered, keeping my expression blank. “I don’t have to divulge my past. It wasn’t a great one by any means.”
“And then it’s just a coincidence that your foster mothers come through and end up dead?”
Well, shit.
I blew out a deep breath and dragged a hand down my face.
“Look, I applaud your attention to detail, but I also think this is getting out of hand. You’re looking at the wrong people.
I have no idea why you’d even be looking at the chief and I’ve put more man hours into this department than my own personal life. ”
Tyrone laughed, his eyes narrowing in my direction.
“Because he’s connected to this unknown killer.
He knew exactly where to pick up the body a few nights ago.
Not even that he got a tip, which he says he can’t share with anyone, and followed it.
He went exactly to where the body was. He did the same thing at the institution. ”
I feigned innocence, turning to the Chief, my eyebrows raised. “Wait, what?”
The chief bowed his head slightly, running his hands through his hair. “I can explain.”
I wondered if Runo had set all of these pieces in place. Had this been his plan? Was he this fucking meticulous or was it just happenstance? Keeping my expression neutral, I focused my gaze on the chief. “How can you explain finding the body if you don’t have a tip you can share?”
The chief’s eyes darted to the floor, his voice lowering just above a whisper. “Well, my son… Runo…”
Tyrone frowned. “Who is Runo?”
“That’s my son, Runo Matthews.”
I cut in, wanting to curtail the conversation before it got out of hand. “He used to go by Killian. He has the same debilitating disorder as his mother. His temperament sometimes changes between Killian and Runo, but Chief, you can’t blame any of this shit on him.”
“It’s complicated. I’m working on it,” he stressed.
I bit back a smile as I exited the room, Tyrone following close behind before he grabbed my shoulder. “I still don’t trust you, but if you’re covering for the chief, I need you to tell me. He can’t get away with this.”
Playing into Tyrone’s suspicions, I turned to face him. “We were much closer before I spent a weekend with his son, but the chief has always been a little… off. For a while, he didn’t even really want me on the Three Terrors’ investigation.”
Tyrone’s eyes widened. “What?”
I just shrugged and headed back to my desk, avoiding any further questions.
The only priority right now was to let the others know how fucking close Tyrone was to this shit.
I desperately hoped Runo had a plan for this too because at this point, my regular course of action involved dragging Tyrone down to my basement and beating the shit out of him until he was dead.
It was no surprise to find Aeron and Runo giggling over the stove.
They had done this last night too, both of them cooking actual food but that was more because they were using my kitchen than the fact that they had stopped their way of…
eating. However, I rarely had any kind of homemade meals available with the way I lived.
Not even with the occasional staff I hired to keep the place clean.
Aeron moved to start chopping something, Slash lounging at the table with the news on in the background as he organized a few of his scalpels and knives in a small pouch.
Lucy let out a little meow as she darted past me, bolting for her food bowl.
It all felt so… domestic.
I dropped my keys on the counter, the clatter cutting through the peaceful moment. “We’ve got a fucking problem. Tyrone is barking up the wrong trees and is now focused on your father, Runo.”
Runo hummed, his ocean-gray eyes glinting as he stirred the pan before he twisted around. “No, that’s the right tree. I need to make him squirm.”
I stepped closer. “Seriously? Isn’t that going to put the spotlight on you?”
Runo shook his head, helping Aeron dump a mixture of vegetables and something else into the pan on the stove.
He turned to face me completely, the grin playing on his lips a little more unhinged than I liked.
“After Jade fucking told Tyrone about the foster care situation, I was already planning something. We’ll have to move up the timeline but playing the card where you guys are just trying to survive will fix all of that.
Besides, if Dad tries to speak up, he’s going to be the one trying to fix everything, not me. ”
I stalked over to him and roughly pulled Runo into my chest, angling his chin up so that his gaze met mine. “I told you before not to leave me out of your plans.”
Runo’s grin widened, his eyes gleaming with that twisted spark, his hands resting on my hips. “I don’t even know if this plan will work.”
I tightened my grip, Runo letting out a small moan. My cock thickened against his stomach before I gathered myself. “Tell me anyway.”