Chapter Twenty-Four #2
“My goodness, watching you makes me glad I don’t have an omega,” Wyatt said. His long blonde hair was loose around his face in a way I’d never seen before. He was handsome, and he and Ally made an incredibly attractive couple.
Why haven’t they ever looked for an omega to add to their relationship? Do neither of them truly want this kind of connection?
Bennett growled softly and my eyes snapped to him. “Sorry! You can feel my thoughts, can’t you?”
“You’re looking at Wyatt, but I can feel your attraction and curiosity,” Bennett said through gritted teeth. “If you don’t want me to kick him out, you’re going to need to put a lid on that for a few more days.”
Wyatt scratched the back of his neck. “Bennett, I’m not going to touch your omega. I think it’s pretty damn clear you two were made for each other, so tell your inner wolf to simmer down so we can get through this.”
I took his hand and squeezed. “Sit with me.”
“After,” Bennett said, walking to the kitchen. He clanged around in the fridge and heated up soup while I talked to Wyatt.
“How are you and Ally doing? I hope she didn’t have a hard time covering my shifts at the bar.”
Wyatt looked at me with wide eyes and whispered, “Am I allowed to talk to you when he’s in the other room?”
“No!” Bennett yelled.
I snorted. “Ignore him. He’s being ridiculous. Seriously, how is Ally?”
“She’s fine,” Wyatt said. “There was only one night that was an issue, so Oakley covered. As far as I know, no one got food poisoning, so that’s good.”
I laughed, and Bennett came back into the room with a bowl of chicken noodle soup. “Should I be worried about this?” I asked.
Wyatt shook his head. “Oak dropped it off, but Ally made it.”
My jaw dropped as Bennett sat down next to me. I lifted the spoon to my mouth and blew. “Ally made food outside of the bar? She broke her rule for me?”
Wyatt smiled fondly. “She did. Guarantee you that won’t happen again.”
“Can we get this over with so I can take care of Felix without having to smell you?” Bennett asked as I ate my soup.
“You know, you used to be nice,” Wyatt said.
“He’ll be nice again after he fucks me,” I said with a laugh.
“That’s accurate,” Bennett said, squeezing my knee. “Please. I don’t want Felix to have to relive this over and over again.”
My heart skipped a beat at the concern in his voice.
“Okay.” Wyatt took a deep breath. “When Donovan and I first started looking into this case, we were under the impression that Ryder was most likely responsible for your overdose and that he probably acted alone. We were able to get eyewitness testimony confirming that he’d been following you for the last couple of months—most likely since you arrived in Mirror Lake. ”
“Since the bar,” I whispered. “There was a night, back in March, when he came to the bar looking for me. I think he saw me with Bennett that night.”
Wyatt nodded. “Based on the events as I understand them so far, it’s possible that seeing you with another alpha is what triggered the behavior that followed, though I don’t know why he sought you out to begin with.”
“What else do you know?” I asked.
“Your accident. I know that Ryder’s car was spotted fleeing the scene, and when we finally got a warrant to search his place, his car was in the garage with a dent in the hood and a broken headlight consistent with the hit and run that your vehicle experienced.
We couldn’t find any prints in your car to tie him to your overdose, but we do believe he was the one who hit you.
His voice also matches the anonymous 911 call. ”
“He told me he was trying to save Felix,” Bennett said. “He said that right before Felix woke up.”
“He was,” I said, looking up at Bennett.
“He asked me to meet him there to break our bond. I believe he was serious about it, but when it came time to do it, he freaked out, injected me with heroin and then told me he couldn’t let me go.
I think he was going to kidnap me and hope I relapsed so I would stay with him.
But there was someone else there who injected me with a second dose of heroin and threw Ryder out of the car.
It was enough to kill me; I remember knowing that even in my messed-up state.
I passed out, but I remember the car getting shaken by something. ”
“Do you remember the other person who was there?” Wyatt asked.
I nodded slowly and looked up at Bennett.
“I do now. I can’t remember what he looked like.
But I remember his scent. I’d smelled it once before.
He smelled like cleaning chemicals and cocaine.
He had no scent of his own, like he was using a scent masking spray to cover it, but he smelled like cocaine and bleach. ”
“Calvin?” Bennett asked, rage flooding the bond between us. “Are you telling me Calvin is the one who did this to you?”
“I think so,” I said. “But it doesn’t make any sense. Why would Calvin want to kill me? Why would he have anything to do with Ryder?”
“Well,” Wyatt said. “I looked into the books for the car detailing. He’s funneling a ton of money through your shop, Bennett.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why we have such a high profit margin,” Bennett said.
Wyatt shook his head. “There’s more than there should be. He’s fixed the books and he’s been cutting himself checks. There’s even more flowing through than you’re likely aware of and it’s most likely drug money.”
“Is he connected to the drug ring in Crescent River?” I asked.
“What drug ring in Crescent River?” Wyatt asked.
“How do you all not know about this? I’m surprised there aren’t at least whispers about it.”
“I know there’s a lot of buying and selling in the region, but I didn’t realize it was a coordinated operation. I have a lot of questions now,” Wyatt said.
“You can ask them when Felix is recovered,” Bennett grumbled.
“Victor’s Car Wash in Crescent River is a front too. Maybe they’re connected and this is their MO,” I said.
Wyatt took a deep breath and pulled his hair back into a bun at the nape of his neck.
“Before we go down that path, what I can say is that Calvin disappeared the day you woke up and he hasn’t been in town since.
Ryder also disappeared. Donovan has been out canvasing Crescent River and Mirror Lake—even Harvest Cove—at all hours.
There’s no sign of them. At this point, the best theory I have is that Ryder was working for Calvin.
For whatever reason, possibly your bond to Ryder, Calvin wanted you gone. ”
“Where is Donovan now? I’ll go search with him and take care of Calvin myself,” Bennett said.
I pressed my hand to his chest. “No. I need you here. Not in jail. Here with me.”
He took a deep breath, looking pissed off but resigned. He took my empty soup bowl and set it on the coffee table in front of us.
Wyatt frowned. “Ally would string me up by my balls if I let you get yourself arrested for murder, Bennett. Felix is right, he needs you here.”
“So what do we do now?” I asked, rubbing my arms.
Bennett pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and covered me before pulling me against his side and marking my neck.
“We’ll keep looking for them. You both just lay low here at the house,” Wyatt said. “Either Donovan or I will be parked outside your house at night, and we’ll be only a phone call away during the day. Understood?”
“Yes, thank you, Wyatt,” I said. “Hey, did you figure out what happened to Julia?”
“Julia Warsaw? Your nurse?” Wyatt asked.
“Yeah. She disappeared too and Bennett said you were aware.”
“Yes. We haven’t seen her since she and Ryder left the hospital.
But what I didn’t share with Bennett is that she called me at the station the morning before you woke up.
She wouldn’t give us her name, and she just said that we needed to look further than Ryder to find out what happened to you.
We were able to trace the number she called from to her cell,” Wyatt said.
“I asked Donovan to follow up with her, but he hasn’t been able to reach her.
It’s possible she was involved in some way. ”
Bennett nodded. “I think she was, at least at first. Felix’s meds were tampered with, and I assumed it was Carissa because she was new to Felix’s care team at the time, but it might have been Julia.
She earned my trust pretty early on, but that might have been to prevent me from suspecting her when things went south.
Maybe she also started to feel bad about her involvement? I don’t know.”
“Interesting. We’ll keep looking for her too,” Wyatt said, standing. “I’ll see myself out. Oh, by the way, I locked your cat in the bedroom. She’s a real asshole.”
I chuckled. “She just doesn’t like alphas. She’s wonderful to me.”
“I bet. Get some rest, both of you,” Wyatt said, heading for the door.
“We will,” I said, nuzzling into Bennett. After the door closed behind Wyatt, I tipped my head to look at Bennett. “Take Benny for a walk around the back yard and then come to bed with me. Please. I can go free Marley now.”
“No sex,” he said sternly.
I reached up and stroked his cheek with the back of my hand. “I just need you to surround me with your body until tomorrow morning.”
“I can do that,” he said, helping me to sit up. “Wait here while I walk Benny. I’ll help you to bedroom.”
He kissed my forehead and Benny jumped up, tail wagging as Bennett headed to the kitchen for his leash. I smiled at the sight of them together.
Note to self: Make sure Bennett always has a dog.