Night of the Billionaire Wolf

by Terry Spear

  Or she thought if she went to prison, people would look up to her because she was Tremaine’s daughter? He already killed her mother in prison. Get a clue, lady!

  “But he won’t say I’m his daughter, so screw him. It’s not like he hasn’t killed a ton of other people. Whoever gets in his way is dead. He either orders the hit or does it himself.”

  Like most everyone, Lexi had figured that, but she couldn’t believe Silky had the inside track on any real information that could be used in a court of law to indict Tremaine. “How do you know this for sure?”

  “Mom used to be his lover. I mean, she actually lived with him for two years in his multimillion-dollar home, had the diamond rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, the Lamborghini, designer clothes, visits to the spas, vacation trips to numerous islands, and gobs of money to throw away. She even had bodyguards like you do. She wasn’t a mistress or a one-night stand, or a hooker back then. She shared pictures of the good times with me.”

  “But she knew how Tremaine made all that money.”

  “I told you she did,” Silky said, her tone snotty. “She saw him kill his own men when they didn’t get the job done right. Four different men at different times. Tremaine has a hot temper when things don’t go his way. He killed one man just because he smiled at my mother.”

  “And still, she stayed with him.” Lexi figured the money was too good. “How do you know for sure what happened? It’s just your word, which can’t be proven in court.”

  “No. She recorded a lot of it, and she gave the recordings to me before she went to prison. She wouldn’t turn it over to the police because she still loved Tremaine. Isn’t that ironic? Anyway, I have all of it.”

  “Why didn’t you turn it into the police already?” The calico cat jumped onto Lexi’s lap, startling her, and she smiled and started to scratch the cat’s head between her ears.

  “You know what happens when you try to testify against Tremaine.” Silky rolled her eyes. “You’re dead.”

  “You’ve got to do it, Silky. He’ll never get out of prison that way,” Lexi said. “Really, your mother should have, and not left this for you to deal with.”

  “I felt sorry for my mom. She didn’t get along with her stepdad, and he kicked her out of the house when she was sixteen. She met Tremaine at a local burger place where she was working as a waitress. He gave her a hundred-dollar tip and told her to come home with him, and that was it. Until she got pregnant with me. He wasn’t a family man. He saw himself as a hotshot drug lord with all adult fare. Having a crying baby—or even a pregnant lover who was beginning to show—wasn’t his style. He kicked her out, and she never got over it. At least she went back to waitressing until I was sixteen and wasn’t using until later.”

  “Okay, so if he did all that, why would you want to acknowledge he’s your dad?”

  Silky cast her a small smile. “Because he doesn’t want me to.”

  “And that could be dangerous.” But there was another possibility. What if Tremaine wasn’t her dad? What if one of the men in his employ was? The guy who smiled at her mother and consequently was murdered? Or someone else? And Tremaine knew it and murdered him and kicked Silky’s mother out of the house. Maybe Tremaine really had felt something for her and couldn’t make himself just outright kill her.

  Lexi hadn’t thought Tremaine would have a soft spot for anyone, but maybe he did.

  “You’re sure your mother didn’t love someone else and that man was your father instead?”

  Silky’s eyes filled with tears.

  Lexi thought Silky’s reaction was telling. “Does Tremaine know you shot the DA?”

  “He knows somebody did, and he wanted him dead. Which means me, but he’s clueless about who did it.”

  “I still don’t understand why you told me about it.”

  Silky didn’t say anything.

  “Are you sure the DA was even alive when you shot him?” If Silky wasn’t making up the whole story.

  “Yeah, I think so. I don’t know. I never shot anyone before. I just did it really quick.”

  “Whose gun did you use?”

  “I found one in Tremaine’s car. I was following the DA, wanting to tell him off for convicting my mom and then getting her killed, but then I saw Tremaine leave his car and I thought he was after the DA. So I checked Tremaine’s vehicle—it’s always a good idea to lock your doors, even if you’re a big-time mobster—and found a gun in his glove compartment and another in his console, but I just took the one.”

  “So it had his fingerprints on it, unless you weren’t wearing gloves. And it would have still been traced back to him. How many times did you shoot the DA?” Lexi figured Ryder could learn how many rounds were fired from the other gun to confirm whether Silky was lying or not.

  “Yeah, I was wearing gloves. It was winter. I fired the gun three times. I’m not sure if any but the last bullet hit him. I was really scared, and I was shaking pretty hard. I know how to shoot a gun, but before that, I just shot at cans and not at real people.”

  “You know what I think? You shot the DA because he put your mother in prison. You might have even planned to shoot Tremaine, but he ran off to kill my father. Tremaine kicked your mother out of the house because he knew the baby she was carrying wasn’t his. I think he killed your father, and he was one of the men employed by Tremaine. Maybe even one of the men who guarded her. I think Tremaine loved your mother enough that he forced her out of the house, but that’s the only reason he didn’t kill her too.

  “She told people in prison you were his daughter, and she stuck to her story because she didn’t want Tremaine to kill you. But he knew you weren’t his child, and he was so eaten up by jealousy over her having an affair with someone he had employed, he finally had her murdered in prison. Then here you are, claiming the same thing. And he knows you’re not his kid. I think you’re perpetuating the lie because your mom told you to do so or he might terminate you too. Except it’s going to get you killed because he’s sick of hearing the lie.”

  Silky was glowering at Lexi, but finally turned her glower to the floor.

  “You didn’t tell the police you shot the DA because you wanted Tremaine to go to jail. He needed to be held accountable for his actions. You said yourself that he’d killed a number of people. But Tremaine killing your mother was the living end for you. She might have been charged with murder, but she would have gotten out of prison eventually. You visited your mother in prison, didn’t you?” Lexi had a sneaking suspicion Silky had.

  Silky got a tissue and wiped her eyes and nodded.

  “You could have had a lot more years visiting her. Cheering her on.”

  “He took that from me. He took her from me.”

  “Correct. And Tremaine ordered the hit on your mom only days before he shot the DA. I believe you confessed to me because you were afraid you’d killed the DA, and it’s been weighing on your conscious.”

  Silky sobbed.

  “Okay, so you wanted to make sure the DA was dead, and that Tremaine went to prison for it because he’d killed your mother and your father, right?”

  Silky nodded, tears streaking down her face.

  “You’re not a cold-blooded killer like Tremaine is. He seems to have no empathy for anyone. Did your mom ever talk to you about anyone she liked while she was living with Tremaine?”

  “Murphy Townsend. He went everywhere with her. He was her personal bodyguard.”

  Very personal, Lexi bet.

  Silky let out her breath. “Okay, yeah, he could have been my dad. As much as I hate to admit it.”

  “Why? Tremaine is no bargain.”

  “Because he could have taken her away. Okay? If he really loved her, and he wasn’t just trying to get even with Tremaine or just proving he could get one over on his boss without getting caught, he would have left with her.”

 
“Unless he was afraid they’d never get away without Tremaine coming after them or sending his men to track them down. When it was Tremaine’s idea that she should go, then it was fine. But I doubt your mom and Murphy could have left together without getting themselves killed. If they had been lovers.”

  Silky begrudgingly agreed.

  “Okay, listen, Tremaine’s in prison. Quit telling everyone he’s your dad and you’ll live longer. Don’t tell anyone you’re Murphy’s daughter either. Tremaine could still want you dead for that. But why tell me you shot the DA?”

  “I had to tell someone. I…I thought you would understand because your dad was on the side of the law and had witnessed the shooting and then stuck to his guns and testified against Tremaine.”

  “Okay, Tremaine killed the DA as far as we know.” Lexi would have someone verify which bullets from which gun killed the DA. Though both guns were Tremaine’s so it still would be on him. She felt sorry for the woman and thought she needed a second chance. “As to your cosmetics business, how are sales?”

  “They’re okay. I won’t make a billion dollars on it like you.”

  “It takes time, commitment, and passion. I didn’t make a mint on my business overnight. I’ve been planning this for years. But Kate and I can give you some tips on marketing.”

  Silky’s eyes widened. “You would do that for me, even after all that I did?”

  “Yeah. I’ve helped others before with their businesses. It’s payback for all the assistance I’ve had when I was starting out.”

  Ryder warned, “We’ve got company!”

  Lexi knew he didn’t mean the good kind. She glanced back at Silky and thought she looked guilty, her head hanging down. Lexi should have trusted her instincts more, but she’d wanted to see the good in the woman. “It’s a setup! You set us up!”

  Both cats scattered; one tore off down the hall and the other dove under the sofa.

  “No, I didn’t. You’ve got to believe me.” Silky’s eyes were wide with terror. “Except I posted a video on YouTube saying Tremaine was my dad. I’ve never said anything about it on social networks before.” She pulled out her phone. “Here… Ohmigod, it’s had a few thousand views already.”

  “Get down on the floor now,” Lexi ordered her.

  Silky hurried to hug the floor.

  Gunshots rang out, and Lexi got on her cell phone and called the police. They had to turn the men in to the police if they could. They heard a man cry out, but Ryder stayed inside to protect her and Silky. Lexi prayed Kate and Mike didn’t get hit.

  “So who is Tremaine after this time? You or me?” Lexi asked Silky, her own gun out.

  “Me. I didn’t tell anyone you were coming to see me. And I just posted the video about an hour ago.”

  “Why? If you think your dad could be the man Tremaine had eliminated?” Lexi crouched near the couch, ready to shoot anyone who came through the door, though she hoped she didn’t shoot a cop or Kate or Mike by accident.

  “I told you. My mother told me to do it. She insisted he was my father. And I did it out of spite since he didn’t want to hear me say it. Despite what Don said, I didn’t believe Tremaine would really put a hit out on me.”

  “Well, if they are after you, Don was right.”

  More gunshots rang out, and then someone barged through the door. The man saw Lexi first and aimed to shoot her, but Ryder came across the floor so fast, the guy didn’t know what hit him. Ryder punched him in the side of the head so hard, he knocked him out. The man fell to the floor, out cold, but Lexi could see he was still breathing.

  Another man barged in, and Ryder took him down just as quickly. Lexi was impressed. Benjamin would have really had a fight on his hands if Ryder had pummeled him.

  “Wow,” Silky whispered. “And he didn’t even have to shoot anyone.”

  Kate rushed into the house and saw the two men knocked out on the floor. “I’m glad to see you are both all right.”

  “How many more were there?” Ryder asked.

  “Two. Mike and I nailed them. Nothing fatal. Police sirens are getting closer.”

  “You won’t tell them I shot the DA, will you?” Silky sounded worried she might actually go to prison too.

  “I’ll check into the ballistics on it,” Ryder said. “We have friends everywhere.”

  “So you set us up?” Kate asked Silky.

  “No, I didn’t. I didn’t tell anyone you were coming. I thought you weren’t coming for another two hours,” Silky said, tears brimming in her eyes.

  “I think Tremaine put out a hit on Silky. Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Men tried to kill you. We were here to protect you. You go into the Witness Protection Program and testify about Tremaine sending these goons to kill you. But I think it would be prudent to get a blood test and verify that you are or are not Tremaine’s daughter. And if not, we can try to get some DNA from Murphy Townsend’s family and see if you could be Murphy’s daughter. And you need to turn over all the evidence your mother gave to you. She didn’t destroy it. She probably hoped you’d hand it over to the police eventually,” Lexi said. “In the meantime, you’ll have to give up what you do, change your name, and just vanish.”

  “Fine. I’ll do it. I’m not really doing great at this business anyway. It’s a lot of work and a lot of stress. I think I’d like to do what she does,” Silky said to Lexi, motioning to Kate.

  “No stress in my work,” Kate said.

  Not unless she was having a shoot-out with gunmen or rescuing bear cubs while their mother watched.

  The police arrived while Ryder was texting someone on his phone. While Kate and Mike were giving their statements about shooting the two men outside the house, Ryder said to Silky inside the house, “The ballistics report said the first shots fired from the gun Tremaine had on him were the ones that had killed the DA. One shot from the other gun that was found in an alley nearby—also belonging to Tremaine and with his fingerprints on them—grazed the dead DA’s arm. Both guns only had Tremaine’s prints on them. So you’re in the clear.”

  Then Ryder made another call. “Hi, I’m Ryder Gallagher, and I’m at Silky Spring’s home where Joe Tremaine’s men tried to murder her. She’s looking to go into the Witness Protection Program for her testimony against Joe Tremaine.”

  “Only if I can take my cats with me,” Silky said.

  Lexi didn’t blame her. She’d feel the same way if she had pets. Which she planned to, once the rehoming pet party got underway in a couple of days. She wanted them mostly for companionship, and partly for guard duty, alerting them if trouble was on its way. She realized she hadn’t asked how Mike or Ryder felt about having dogs in the house. She suspected Ryder would go along with it, just because he’d want to make her happy. She hoped Mike would be fine with it.

  After the U.S. Marshals arrived and took over with the situation with Silky, Lexi and her party headed out to the vehicle. When they were on their way, Lexi said, “I’m glad Silky didn’t kill the DA after all. On another topic I wanted to discuss with you all, Kate and I want to get a couple of dogs. How do you guys feel about that?”

  “Sounds like a great idea,” Mike said. “I grew up with a Lab.”

  Ryder smiled at Lexi. “I haven’t had a pet in years. When do you want to get one?”

  “In a couple of days, I’m sponsoring a rehoming pet party. I always donate to the Fur Babies Rescue Center’s cause, and I’d love to take a couple of their dogs in.” Lexi thought back to when she had told Kate that taking Ryder in sounded like rehoming a pet. She smiled.

  Chapter 27

  When they returned to Lexi’s home, Kate said, “We’re on guard duty, if the two of you want to do some martial arts practice. Then after dinner, Mike and I can get some practice in while Ryder guards you.”

  Lexi smiled at Ryder. He was all for it. “I’m game, if you are.”

>   “Yeah, sure.” But she sounded like she didn’t believe she could do well against him.

  He had every intention of showing her the ropes and, in time, making her an expert, for her own protection if he couldn’t be there for her.

  He dressed in a black, skintight compression Lycra shorts and a tank top. She was wearing a bright-pink crop top and black shorts for training. When he saw the way she was dressed, he said, “Hot damn, Lexi.”

  She laughed. “It’s cool and comfortable and made for doing this.”

  He was thinking he’d rather do some other kind of exercise. Back in bed. Though the workout could be exhilarating, a shower afterward, and yeah, this was just what they needed to finish off the day. The night was another story.

  They went downstairs into the basement, the light filtering through several windows that opened out onto the back patio and pool. Part of the floor was covered in gym mats, and two stationary bicycles and a treadmill sat in one corner of the room, a big-screen TV on the wall. Great for getting in shape if the weather was bad. Beach scenes, the ocean, seagulls, and mermaid pictures covered the walls, making him feel as though he was at a tropical resort.

  He took Lexi’s hand and encouraged her to sit down with him. “First, we meditate for five minutes.”

  “Oh, this is nice. Usually, Kate and I just stretch and get right to it.”

  Ryder leaned over and kissed Lexi. “This helps center you.” Though he found he couldn’t center himself at all, not while he was thinking about what was coming up after the workout. Well, after dinner.

  When the five minutes were up, he took her hand and helped her up and pulled her in for a kiss and a hug. He couldn’t help it. She was sexy and so appealing. “Hmm, you know after this, we can take a shower, have dinner, and then go straight to bed.”