by Vella Day
When Ronan entered the small interrogation room, his dad’s scent nearly blinded him. The brown was deep and pulsating, and the red and blue more intense than usual. His dad was scared—as well he should be.
“Son?”
“Dad.” It was difficult for Ronan to even look at the man. Gambling had caused him nothing but problems. Despite Ronan paying for a treatment center a few years ago, his father had slipped right back into the addiction.
“Sir, can you tell us what happened?” Dalton asked.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I was walking by some alley when I heard this altercation.”
“Which alley?” Dalton asked.
“I’m not sure. I only just arrived in town and don’t really know my way around.”
His father never did have the best memory, sober or not.
“Go on,” Dalton prodded.
“I heard a gunshot. When I looked in the direction of the sound, this woman was half dragging another woman down the alley. At first, I thought she might have been shot, but I didn’t see any blood. Not wanting anyone to spot me, I hid in a doorway. The second woman—a redhead—seemed really out of it, but I could see the first lady had two canvas bags with her. She set them down behind the car so she could help the girl into the driver’s side.” His dad looked off to the side. “I kind of needed some cash, so I snuck up behind the car, stuck my hand in the bag and grabbed two small packages and some cash. When the car door closed, I jammed the packages under the bumper and stuffed some of the money in my pockets.” His dad looked over at him. “You believe me, son, right?”
The brown scent was there, but the red and blue had shifted to maroon and black, implying some of his story was true and some was false. Only which part was which? “I haven’t decided yet.”
“It’s the truth, I swear.”
All imprisoned men claimed they were innocent. “Why are you in town?” Ronan asked.
“To see you and Lexi.”
“Do you really think she wants to see you after you tried to sell her to that scum?”
His father looked away, his colors changing to a deeper brown. From the increased level of fear the man was experiencing, he was trying to come up with another explanation.
“I thought it was worth a try.”
“How were you able to afford to come down here? And how did you know where she lived?”
The man’s colors turned almost black. Gotcha!
Dalton took over the interrogation from there, but his father kept insisting he was innocent. Finally, even Dalton must have realized that questioning him wasn’t getting them anywhere. “We caught you with the drugs, Mr. Laramie. You’ll be in here for a long time,” Dalton announced.
“I took drugs from a drug dealer. Is that so bad?”
Ronan pushed back his chair and stormed out, too disgusted to hear more.
*
Darinda was totally pissed. Bill Laramie was an idiot who couldn’t be trusted. It was partly her fault. She’d left the drugs and money for him to take, thinking if he was found with the goods, he’d be accused of the murder. And now he had been caught. The big question was whether he would try to implicate her?
Sure, Darinda could never be held captive. She’d nod and disappear, but her status in the dark realm would be far less if she were ever caught. Androf would not be pleased, especially when a manhunt—or more accurately a goddess hunt—ensued. The solution to this dilemma was easy enough though.
One second she was in her hotel room—because sleeping in a real bed was the one perk of this job—and the next she was in the interrogation room. She hovered in the corner for a second to make sure that Dalton or Ronan didn’t return. What a shame Ronan had a mate. She would have enjoyed dicking around with him. Shifter diversions were always so much fun. She wouldn’t be stupid like Vinea had been and let herself be caught by a goddess of the light. Shame on her. And Devon? Vinea had been so weak around that man. Darinda knew better than to let any man get to her.
Darinda materialized, and Bill Laramie practically fell out of his chair. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?” he stammered.
“Bill, Bill, Bill. Surely, you’ve figured out by now that I’m a goddess.”
He practically drooled on himself. “A goddess? I had no idea.” Something close to a smile appeared on his face. “So that was how you beat me at cards. I knew that no human woman could have done that.”
What an ass, but she did like his style. “I didn’t have to use any magic to beat you. You have more tells than the U.S. Mint has coins.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “What do you want? I told them all about you. They’ll find you, you know.”
Darinda laughed. “You only told your son—kind of—and I erased his memory. But if they do find me, I’ll just disappear.”
He visibly shook. “What do you want?”
“I want you to retract your statement.”
“Re-retract?”
“Yes, that means to take back.”
He shoved back his chair. “I know what it means, bitch.”
Darinda disappeared and pressed down on his shoulders, forcing him to sit again. She then appeared across from him. “Now listen, asshole. You are going to do exactly as I say, or you won’t live past tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?”
To prove that she was fully capable of providing a lot of pain, she focused her gaze on his chest and squeezed. His hand covered his heart and his eyes bugged out. “Yes, yes. Now stop it.”
“I’m going to tell you what to say. You never should have spilled the beans to your son. It was why I had no choice but to erase his memory.”
“If you’re so powerful, why didn’t you stop me from talking in the first place?”
Darinda looked off to the side. “I was busy. I can’t be two places at once. Otherwise, I would have made sure you didn’t talk. I don’t need anyone to know that I was even there.”
“So you want me to say I organized the drug sale and then shot Delahart?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head. “Lady, that’s way above my pay grade. I never could have pulled that off. You saw that I had no money. How could I have purchased the drugs in the first place?”
Damn. She was slipping. Darinda had thought she’d figured everything out. “Tell them most of the truth—that you had an accomplice—but say you killed Delahart.”
“What do you care if you’re charged with murder or not?” he asked. “You said they can’t catch you.”
“I don’t need my boss learning I had anything to do with that man’s death.” She released her hold on him. “Now here is what you’re going to say.”
Chapter Ten
‡
Ronan needed to get his head on straight before he faced Blair. It hadn’t helped that his memory had either been stolen or blocked, shaking him to the core, or that he had to sit through an interview with his dad and watch the man lie through his teeth. Too many times he found himself wanting to strangle his father, but his pity for the shell-of-a-man had surfaced in time. Dad was sick, and mentally ill people often made poor choices.
Needing to see, touch, and smell his mate in order to center himself again, Ronan headed on back to the Wellness Center. When he rushed in, Jackson was on his phone. He nodded then held up a finger. “Sure thing, thanks.” He disconnected. “How did it go?” he asked.
“I’m not sure where to begin.” No one was in the waiting room, so Ronan sat next to him. He explained about finding another bullet, but that it might not even belong to the gun that shot Delahart. “After I turned in the bullet to Kalan, I headed on over to Blair’s.” He then explained why he wanted to check out her place. “When I arrived, I found my dad crouched down behind Blair’s car.”
“Your dad?”
“Yup. Can you believe it? After that, it’s just blank.”
“What do you mean it’s a blank?” Jackson asked.
“I believe the same thing that happened to Blair, happ
ened to me.”
Jackson leaned back in his seat and glanced to the ceiling. He then sat up straighter. “I think we need to call Vinea.”
“What do you think the former goddess can tell us?”
“I’m not sure, but she might know of someone who has the talent to erase minds.”
“I agree it has to be a god or goddess, but hasn’t Vinea been out of the biz, so to speak, for some time?”
“Yes, for ten months, but that is a drop in the bucket when you consider she lived in the dark realm for centuries. All I’m saying is that she might know who has this talent of erasing memories.”
“It can’t hurt to call her.”
As soon as Jackson connected with Vinea, he stood and paced the length of the small waiting room, while he explained the situation. Much of the time Jackson nodded and said he understood.
He finally disconnected and returned to his seat. “Vinea was very helpful. She said that each of the goddesses and gods have different talents. One goddess, by the name of Darinda, has been to Silver Lake before. Her specialty is erasing memories. Vinea wouldn’t be surprised if Darinda targeted Silver Lake to get back at her. In fact, they had a little competition going for a few hundred years. Apparently, Vinea was the boss’ pet, at least for a while, and Darinda always hated her for it.”
He could follow the thinking. “Since we’re associated with McKinnon and Associates, this would be a good way to get back at Vinea, to show how much power this dark goddess now has.”
“Exactly.”
His mind whirled, the pieces fitting together nicely. “When Blair underwent hypnosis, she remembered hearing a male and female argue. It’s possible this goddess, Darinda, argued with my dad or Delahart, and that’s what Blair remembered.” For the first time in days, a rush of endorphins recharged him. “Do you have any idea how we can contact this dark goddess?”
“Are you kidding? We don’t contact her. She has to come to us.”
Ronan didn’t want to think what damage an immortal could inflict on them. “How do we combat her if she does show up?”
“You can’t. They’re freaking immortal. Let’s hope she’s had her fun, aka revenge, and is on her way down under,” Jackson said.
Ronan didn’t like the odds. “But what if she wants to make sure Blair and I never remember?”
Jackson lifted his shoulders. “If a goddess is responsible, I doubt your memory will ever return, so you might not have to worry.”
“Probably true, which means we can’t hurt her.” Damn. Humans and shifters didn’t stand a chance against a goddess. His cell rang. “It’s Kalan,” he told Jackson. “Yes?”
“Your father just confessed to killing Delahart and to setting up Blair.”
It was as if someone punched him in the stomach. “What? I just left the interview. He said he was innocent—more or less.”
“I read the transcript when I returned in order to learn what he’d told you and Dalton. A few minutes ago, he called us in and said he’d made it all up.”
“I see. I think there may be more to this than meets the eye, but we need to discuss it in private.”
“Fine by me. In the meantime, I’m going to get the charges dropped against my sister.”
That was the only good news he’d had all day. “That’s great. Would you mind if I meet with my dad? I think he might tell me why he changed his story so fast.”
“Be my guest.”
“Thanks.” He turned to Jackson. “Can you give me another hour?”
“For Blair, you can have all day.”
Ronan told him what Kalan said and how the charges would be dropped. “Do you want to give Blair the good news?”
“I can, but if that goddess is out there, Blair might be in more danger than ever before.”
“Well, fuck. Darinda might want to tie up loose ends for various reasons—revenge, pride, her hatred for Vinea, to name a few—and we’re caught in the crosshairs. Did Vinea say if Darinda is vying for her old job?” Ronan asked. “She has to know Vinea isn’t returning, right?”
“Vinea didn’t mention it, but how can Darinda not know? She is a goddess after all.”
Jackson made sense. “It’s possible that this Darinda person has nothing to do with all of this killing and memory loss. We just don’t know.” The frustration bit at him.
“True, but if I recall correctly, Vinea once told me the dark realm has some level of status associated with not getting caught. If Darinda’s name is bandied about, it will cause a stir both here and in her realm. She’ll want to avoid that. I’ve heard their boss, Androf, is not exactly the forgiving type.”
That almost boosted his mood. “Maybe I should take an ad out in the paper then and address it to Androf.”
Jackson flashed him a smile. “Be careful. If she isn’t involved, she may decide to become so, and you guys would be as good as dead.”
“I can’t let that stop me from trying to learn the truth. Hopefully, I won’t be gone too long. I know you want your life back.”
“Be careful.”
“Will do.” Needing to clear his head, Ronan decided to walk to the sheriff’s department. The ten-minute stroll would give him time to calm down. It probably didn’t matter what his dad claimed was the actual truth; he’d still be spending many years in jail. Still, Ronan wanted to understand why he’d changed his mind. Ronan needed confirmation whether or not Darinda was behind all of this—or some other unnamed person.
When Ronan entered the sheriff’s department, Kalan was at his desk. He glanced up and then stood. “Ready to see your dad?”
“Yes.”
“I had him escorted to a private room so the two of you can talk. There will be a guard outside the door in case he tries something.”
That wasn’t necessary—or so he hoped. “Thanks.”
“We’ll talk when you’re done.”
Kalan escorted him to a room where his dad was sitting at a table, cuffed. He looked worse than an hour ago, if that was possible. As soon as Kalan closed the door, Ronan studied the man. “Why did you lie?”
“When?”
“When Dalton and I interrogated you about where you got the drugs?” Ronan asked.
His dad looked off to the side. “No use copping to something I didn’t do.”
“If that’s the case, why change your story?”
“Had to.”
“Did Darinda threaten you?” Ronan asked.
His father jerked so hard, Ronan thought Darinda might have hit him. “Darinda? So you do remember what I told you at that woman’s house. You sure as hell didn’t say anything when that other fellow was in here.”
“It was your story to tell.” Ronan was pleased with that comeback. His father must not be aware that Ronan’s memory had been erased and hadn’t returned. “To be honest, I was in such shock to find you at Blair’s house that I might have forgotten a few of the details. Would you do me the courtesy of going over it again?”
“I don’t see the point. You can’t tell anyone about a goddess. They’ll think you’re crazy.” He looked to the ceiling. “Though, death is preferable to a life in prison.”
“Dad, come on.”
“Don’t got that long to live anyway. I found out about two months ago that I have liver cancer.”
“Cancer? How long do you have?” Something small twitched in his chest. Ronan might not have any love left for this man, but as a human being, he did have compassion and wouldn’t wish that disgusting disease on anyone.
“A few months. I kept hoping my wolf would heal me, but it’s no good. I drank too much.”
“I’m sorry. Can you tell me again what happened? The least you can do is make this right in your life.”
Ronan tried to hide his emotions as his dad told him about Blair witnessing Darinda shooting Delahart. When his dad mentioned how he’d put the gun in Blair’s hand and shot the weapon, it took all of Ronan’s control not to jump across the table and punch him.
The story
filled in all the blanks that had been plaguing him. Ronan hoped that by detailing what went down to Blair, she might recall some of it too. At least now he didn’t need to remember what his dad said at Blair’s house. “This goddess will figure out you took some of the drugs. Do you think she’ll try to contact you?”
“She already did,” his father said as he looked away.
Ronan’s fists tightened. “When?”
“About half hour ago. She just appeared in the room and said if I told anyone about her, she’d kill me. Then the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.”
Ronan glanced around the room, wishing Vinea still lived in Silver Lake. She would be able to tell where Darinda was right now. Though, if she were in this room, she could erase even more of his memory. Thankfully, this conversation was being recorded. Ronan stood. “I’m sorry this happened.”
His dad’s eyes were watery. “Do you think I could see Lexi one more time?”
He’d been about to say when hell froze over, but it was his sister’s decision. She might have something to say to him so that she would have closure on everything. “I’ll ask her.”
When Ronan stepped from the room, he couldn’t decide if he was better off knowing the truth or not. Having confirmation that a goddess was responsible for what happened really pissed him off and scared him to death at the same time.
Kalan was on the phone when Ronan returned. He scribbled something down and then hung up. “Well?”
“We need privacy,” Ronan said. He couldn’t talk about the goddesses with the whole precinct nearby.
“How about joining me and Dalton in the interrogation room?”
Once the three of them were seated in the stuffy, incredibly offensive smelling room where colors were everywhere, Ronan clasped his hands together and gripped hard.
“Tell me what you found out,” Dalton said.
Ronan explained about Jackson’s call to Vinea, and then about his conversation with his dad.
“You’re saying that goddess from the dark realm lured your dad down to Silver Lake, killed Delahart, framed Blair, and erased both of your memories?”