< 254 The Search for Denis
254 The Search for Denis
Lucian
“Where are you going?” Mara’s voice caught me mid-stride as I headed for the door. She fell into step beside me without hesitation, her presence both grounding and pressing for answers.
Ahead of us, Darian passed with Lacy and Martha in tow. At the fork, Martha veered off, while Darian continued toward the building’s exit, leading Lacy toward her fate, prison. I expected Martha to follow, but she didn’t. She wasn’t going to my father’s room either, which was… considerate, I suppose. I wouldn’t want to be in the same room as him right now.
He needed an outlet to burn through his fury, but I doubted he’d ever lay a hand on Martha again. Not with her being Alaric’s wife.
“Where are you going?” Mara asked again, softer this time, but more insistent. I met her eyes and knew I
couldn’t lie.
“Walk with me to our wing,” I said, steering us away from prying ears.
Once we were clear, I let it out. “Denis backed out of Rockville, said Keisha was sick, so I demoted him to Delta. But when I got back from Rockville, I found out he wasn’t here protecting the estate. Now Rowan tells me he hasn’t shown up at headquarters either. I’m going to his house to make sure nothing’s wrong. I find out he’s been lying, I’ll dismiss him and have him punished for deserting his duties.”
Mara stayed quiet for a moment, then asked, “And Tina? She’s obviously working against us.”
A grim smile tugged at my lips. “It’s time she went to jail, too. I’ll have someone arrest her. I won’t deal with her directly. If Lacy’s claims check out, Tina will be gone for a long time.”
I still couldn’t wrap my head around her. What kind of mother helps Alaric kidnap her own son, a boy already under care? What did she hope to gain? She was an enigma, but not the good kind.
“I want to come with you to Denis’s house,” Mara said.
I knew saying no would only spark a fight, so I agreed. Truth was, I wanted answers from Denis, answers that might keep me from tearing into him.
We changed into casual clothes and headed out. I took the Jeep, partly because I planned to take Mara to the cliff afterward, once Denis was dealt with. She didn’t know that yet. I also intended to stop at a restaurant along the way to grab food and drinks, my quiet way of salvaging the day.
In the passenger seat, Mara broke the silence. “You need to stay calm with Denis, Lucian. You have every right to be angry, but don’t let that control you. Promise me you’ll keep your cool. Today’s already been enough to push anyone over the edge, but we can’t lose focus. We’ll fix this, and your mother will get the justice she deserves.”
She didn’t just hit the nail on the head, she drove it clean through.
If
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< 254 The Search for Denis
**Pos
The anger was still raw, sitting in my chest like a live wire. I’d been carrying it since I learned the truth about my mother, and I knew I was about to let it spill all over Denis. It wasn’t fair to him, but fairness had nothing to do with the storm in my head.
I still couldn’t wrap my mind around Alaric’s choice. I knew the reason, but that didn’t mean I understood it. So what if she told him no? Did that justify taking her life? There had to be more, something uglier, something he hadn’t shown anyone. Anger and jealousy alone didn’t cut it.
Alaric was the only one who could tell me the truth, the only one who could explain what drove him past the point of no return. And when I got my hands on him, I’d make him talk, at least, I wanted to believe I could. But it was just as likely he’d take that secret to the grave. I couldn’t let that possibility eat me alive.
At the end of the day, reasons didn’t change the truth: he killed her. That was the fact. That was the
weight.
“I’m calm, darling,” I told Mara, forcing the words into something steady. “I promise to handle it calmly.”
It was half-true. I needed a release to strip the tension from my body, but we were already halfway to Denis’s place. Making love to my wife wasn’t on the table, not yet. I’d just have to hold myself together
until we reached the cliff.
When we pulled up to Denis’s home, the place was silent. The door was locked. No car in the driveway. It
looked abandoned.
Had they simply gone out, or had he run off with his wife?
I pulled out my phone and dialed his number. Deadline. Switched off.
Scanning the property, I tried to read the quiet for answers, some trace of where he’d gone.
“Maybe we should ask his neighbours,” Mara suggested. “At least they could tell us if he drove out. Maybe
even when.”
She was right, it was the best lead we had.
I turned toward the house across the street. It was newly renovated, still smelling of fresh paint even from
here. Last time I’d passed, it had been empty. Whoever lived there now must have moved in recently. Newcomers usually kept a sharp eye on the people around them, if only to learn who was safe and who
wasn’t.
