Martha lay still on the driveway in front of the mansion. Her breathing was slow, and her skin pale.Victor ran inside and returned with a linen cloth from one of the foyer tables. He covered Martha with the cloth while I called for help.Benson, Alex, and Cassidy came outside to see what was happening. They were speechless when they saw the old Luna lying on the ground.“We should move her inside,” I said. “The driveway asphalt is hot, and she’s probably dehydrated from running all the way from the city on such a warm day.”“I’ll get her some water,” Cassidy said and ran into the house.“Daisy is right,” Victor said. “We should carry her inside where it’s cooler.”The men gently carried Martha inside and laid her on a foyer sofa, ensuring she was covered.Cassidy hurried to Martha’s side. I helped raise her head while Cassidy got Martha to swallow some water.After a few sips, Martha’s eyes fluttered open. I cringed when her stern gaze settled on me.“You don’t realize what you’ve st
Martha was right. The police told us members of her family claimed she had drugged her nurse and ran away from her home after saying she had done ‘something’ to Deirdre Brady and attacked Elliot Gray.They were also convinced she attacked an association bodyguard.“I don’t believe any of that is true,” I told the police. “At least, I’m sure she didn’t commit these crimes by herself. Two wolves attacked Elliot Gray and his daughter. And one of them is a talented hacker.”The police seemed skeptical, so Victor gave them a timeline of events from my investigation.“Why didn’t you report all this instead of getting involved yourself?” one officer said.“We did call the police,” I snapped. “That officer, Sergeant Cozzi, told us there was no evidence of a crime, and he could do nothing. Well, I found that evidence for him.”I forced myself to calm down. Antagonizing the police wouldn’t help. “Before she was taken to the hospital, Martha told us she would be blamed for everything, and she wa
“There is no time to waste,” I told Victor as we drove to his apartment for the evening. He had arranged for twenty-four-hour security for us there.“I want to be sure of the plan,” Victor argued.“The killer or killers will strike again soon. They are escalating,” I insisted. “Their next intended victim could be me. I’ll be much safer after the red wolves are caught.”Victor drove into his garage. “You don’t believe one of the wolves was Martha? Without her, her accomplice may stop.”“No,” Martha didn’t have enough of a grasp on reality to be the leader. “Her family kept her locked in that house with a nurse because they couldn’t keep her under control any other way.”“And they wouldn’t let her out to wander the streets and risk her telling anyone the family secrets,” I added.We climbed out of the Lamborghini and followed Moose upstairs. Bert and Jayden guarded our flank.The apartment was free of intruders, and we relaxed in the living room while we planned our capture of the kille
After we left Lycan Square, Jayden drove me to Alex’s instead of the apartment. I didn’t want to interrupt Moose and Bert while they were having a few hours off, and the mansion was safer for me to be by myself.I planned to spend the afternoon relaxing and preparing for a fun evening out before the challenging day ahead of me tomorrow.Victor was meeting me at Gilded for dinner at seven, and I was looking forward to enjoying a plate of their delicious steak tartare and spending time with my handsome fiancé.But I couldn’t get the image of that hacker magazine out of my mind. Andrew had Amy convinced he was a good guy who wanted to be a devoted father.He swore to us both that he loved Deirdre and that they were fated mates. Now I had evidence that it was all a lie.Had he used Deirdre and made her disappear after she had his child?Leaving the baby at his own backdoor and pretending he was trying to care for his child until he had to give her up for her ‘own good’ made him a sympathe
I leaped backward and dodged the wolf’s teeth. Fear and anger flared through my brain. I badly wanted to kick these wolves butts and make them wish they would have stayed away from me.The new moves I’d learned that morning came to mind. I learned two kicks in my new self-defense class, and the instructor said I did them well. Would they help me?It was worth a try. When the wolf lunged again, I turned and kicked it in the head.It yipped and backed away. But it didn’t deter it for long. The pair began circling me again, trying to attack me from behind.When one wolf was behind me and the other in front, maybe I could dash to the side and get into my car. The fob had been in my hand since I got out of my car.But the wolves must have seen me eyeing my Mercedes. Any hope for that plan working was dashed when the wolves began pushing me into the alley again.Keeping my eye on my attackers, I felt the buttons on the key fob. One button would produce an ear-splitting alarm and flashing li
“We’re not making a deal with a murderer,” the older policeman said.“If you want to know about Deirdre Brady, you will,” Amelia snapped. “I’m sure her family and my pathetic brother want to know where she is. Maybe she’s still alive.”“We would need to speak to a DA before making any deals,” the officer told Amelia.“Then call your DA, or I’ll say nothing more.” Amelia glared at them and refused to speak.“Call him,” one cop said to the other. “Let’s get this nasty business over with.”“No,” Andrew mumbled. He stood next to Victor and shook his head. “No,” he repeated before running from the observation room.He burst into the interrogation room. “Don’t make any deals with this murderer. I know she killed my Deirdre along with our grandmother, and she tried to kill my daughter and her adoptive father, too.”The older policeman looked at Andrew with pity. “Mr. Archer, are you saying you don’t want to know what happened to Deirdre Brady?”“I know what happened to her,” Andrew said. “E
The police dug up Deirdre’s remains the next day. They found her exactly where Pat said she would be. After the autopsy, Victor arranged for the police to expedite the release of the remains to Andrew for a proper burial.The services for Deirdre were scheduled for the morning of Victor’s ascension ceremony rehearsal and the dinner afterward.Amy, Mr. Gray, and Justin returned from the beach immediately after Amelia and Pat were arrested. Amy was at Archer Manor holding Andrew’s hand when the police told him they had found Deirdre under the garage floor.Victor and I attended the private memorial at Andrew’s church and the graveside service at a little cemetery on a hill that faced east.“Deirdre loved to watch the sunrise,” Andrew told Amy after the last prayers were said over the coffin.“Then I think she would like this place,” Amy said. “It’s pretty and peaceful.” She hugged Andrew tightly. “She is finally at peace. It’s time for you to move forward with your life.”Andrew put his
I left Victor asleep in my bed at the mansion. He had a tough time sleeping the previous night, and he would get through the day better with a little more rest.I dressed in jeans and drank a cup of coffee on the balcony while I waited for him to wake up. When he didn’t, I went downstairs to the morning room without him.I took my place at the table across from Alex. Benson placed a glass of juice in front of me, and I wished them both good morning.“Good morning, dearest,” Alex said. “Where’s Victor?”“He had a restless night, so I let him sleep in,” I replied. “Where’s Cassidy?”“She had some personal business to attend to,” Alex replied. “She’ll be back in plenty of time to accompany us to the ceremony.”“It’s too bad she couldn’t make it to the rehearsal or dinner yesterday,” I said. “She would have enjoyed the art and history of the Association Complex.”Alex smiled and sipped his coffee. “She’s seen it. I’ve taken her there several times for the full tour. She promised to resear