Chapter 33 #2
“You two can argue about this later. We’re pressed for time here.
Damien, drive the truck to your place. I’ll take the helicopter and meet you there.
We’ll hide them in the garage until this blows over, then dispose of them.
We’ll be back in less than five minutes, Luna, and we’ll get this scene cleaned and set to match the story. ”
“How long do we have?”
“Sheriff’s probably eighteen minutes out now.” Cade looks at Luna. “Are you sure you can do this? Lie to law enforcement about a man’s death?”
“You don’t have to do this, sweetheart. I’ll tell them exactly what I did. Confess everything if you’re at all unsure.”
I’ll rot in prison for the rest of my life if it will protect her.
Luna touches the bruise on her face, uncertainty and determination warring in her eyes as she looks at me.
“He came here to hurt me and my animals. If he’d lived, he would’ve tried again. If you hadn’t gotten here when you did—” Her voice catches in her throat, a soft sigh escaping her lips as her eyes soften. “I can do this.”
“Good.” Cade turns to head to the chopper.
“Wait.” He turns around at Luna’s voice. “What about the surveillance footage? The system probably recorded everything.”
Cade opens his bag and pulls out his tablet, swiping through a few screens. “Convenient system malfunction during the critical timeframe. Happens all the time with electronic equipment. The system now shows the cameras have been offline since yesterday.”
Luna looks back and forth between us. “This is insane. We’re really going to do this?”
“That’s entirely up to you.” I lift my hand to her uninjured cheek, relieved when she doesn’t pull away. “I mean it. Say the word and I’ll confess everything. Well, not everything.”
The rotor blades kick up, slicing through the air. Wind whips around us as Cade lifts off, the helicopter rising into the darkness.
“No.” Behind her eyes, uncertainty battles with resolve, but her voice doesn't waver. “You protected me tonight. Let me protect you.”
Her words stop my heart. Why would she protect me after everything I’ve done?
But I don’t have time to ponder it now, so I nod, reaching under the tarp and into Caleb’s pocket, grabbing his keys.
“You need to change out of your clothes. You can’t have Caleb’s blood on you. Put them in a tied plastic bag and hide them. I’ll incinerate them later.”
Horror dawns on her face as she realizes her favorite shirt, her grandfather’s flannel, has become another casualty of tonight.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but it has to go.” She nods as tears well in her eyes.
I cup her face in my hands, and she’s too shell-shocked to pull away. I lower my mouth to hers, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She gasps, but I keep it brief, pulling back, even though all I want is to sink into her and lose myself.
“I’ll be back in five minutes. Change and tend to Shadow. Cade and I will take care of everything, I promise.”
Luna’s phone rings as I get into Caleb’s truck. She glances at the display before answering.
“Maren? No, I’m okay… What?” She meets my eyes.
“Yes, Caleb was here. He attacked me, but Shadow protected me. He ran when Damien showed up. No, don’t come up here tonight.
Karen will want to process the scene, and I need to treat Shadow’s wound.
Caleb shot at him.” Maren screeches through the phone.
“He’s fine. Yeah, okay, I’ll call you when things calm down. ”
She hangs up and looks at me. “Maren listens to the police scanner sometimes. Since the first bodies showed up here.”
“Good idea to keep her away. One less complication. I’ll be back in five minutes. Now stand back a little. I have to peel out of here to make the tire tracks work.”
She nods and wraps her arms around herself. It kills me to drive away and leave her there, but we’re running out of time.
Cade and I are back in less than five minutes. He cleans and sets the scene, something he can do with his eyes closed by now, and I go in search of Luna. I find her in the sanctuary treatment room, cleaning Shadow’s wound.
“How’s he doing?”
Despite the tension in her body and the anguish visible on her face, her hands are steady.
“It’s just a graze, thank God. He’ll be okay. Won’t you, baby?” Her voice trembles as she presses a kiss on his nose. He rubs his head against hers, and then he looks at me.
He’s always trusted me with her until that night in the living room. The way he stood between us and then curled himself around her after she kicked me out, he knew I’d hurt her. But as he looks at me now, I feel like we’ve come to another understanding.
We’re both willing to kill for her.
Cade comes into the room. “Everything is set. Sheriff is five minutes out. Do we need to go over the story one more time?”
Luna walks to the sink to wash her hands. “I know what I have to say.”
We head back to the house, Shadow sticking close to Luna’s side. We climb the front steps. Luna’s front door is still hanging off the hinges, but Cade will secure it after the sheriff sees the scene as we’ve set it. I’ll have a new one installed first thing in the morning. A fucking steel one.
“Remember,” Cade says. “As far as you know, Caleb Hunter is alive. You have no idea where he went, and you’re just grateful Damien showed up when he did.”
She lifts her chin, breath catching in the night air. “I can do this.”
The sirens grow louder, red and blue lights flashing between the trees.
Luna reaches for my hand, her fingers threading through mine, and the simple gesture lands in my chest like a gift I don’t deserve.
“No more lies between us after tonight, Damien.” Her gaze locks onto mine, unwavering despite the horror of the last hour. “Promise me that.”
“No more lies.” I let the vow settle between us, knowing it changes everything.
“Then we better make this one count.” She squeezes my hand once before releasing it, preparing herself for the performance we’re about to give.
The sheriff’s cruiser pulls into the driveway, headlights sweeping across the front of the house. As she climbs out of her car, I catch Luna’s eye one last time.
She gives me the slightest nod, and I know we’re committed now. Partners in this deception, bound together by shared secrets and mutual protection.
Sheriff Mills approaches with her hand resting on her gun, taking in the scene with sharp, intelligent eyes.
“Luna, we got a call about an armed intruder.”
And so, the lies begin.