by Roxy Wilson
How could he do this to her?
“Why?” she whispered.
It was only when Reece walked into the clearing she got some answers. She’d thought long and hard about the identity of the murderer, but Chief Sullivan’s name never popped into her head. He was her anchor in the office. She trusted him, and now seeing him grin at the man she loved made her realize how wrong she’d been.
“You killed Miles,” Reece said.
“He was too close to sniffing out my secret.”
“What secret?” She had the courage to ask.
Reece didn’t move as he kept staring at Chief Sullivan. He didn’t look as surprised as she was. “He was the one who embezzled money from my company. It was him. It took a while, but we figured it out.”
She dared not turn towards Reece. Her attention was focused on the gun. There was no doubt he would kill her without much provocation. “He? But how could he have done it?”
“From time to time, we hire independent contractors who give us advice and suggestions on different matters. He was hired for three months, so we could consult with him regarding environmental protection issues,” Reece explained. “He must have figured out a way to hack into the system and embezzle the money.”
“It’s not as if the money mattered all that much to you,” Chief Sullivan retorted. “You’re already earning millions,”
She couldn’t believe his logic. Did he actually believe what he said? For years, she looked up to this man and thought of him as her idol. He devoted his life to the protection of the forest and the animals, and now to know he was actually worse than even the lowest animal on the food chain, broke her heart. “There’s a difference between earning money and stealing it especially when you haven’t done anything to earn it,” she said.
He raised the gun pointing it directly between her eyes, but that wouldn’t stop her from having her say. If he was going to kill her, she at least wanted to tell him what she thought about him. Nya regretted the time she’d spent with him. If only she knew there was such darkness in his heart. This went to show that one never really knew another person. If Chief Sullivan could shock her like this, then anything could happen. She’d doubted Reece, but it turned out he was exact opposite to what she thought he was, while Chief Sullivan, who was a pillar in the community, was actually a thief…and a killer.
“Shut up,” he snarled. “If you had my problems, you’d understand. I’ve given a lifetime to the government, doing work that I was figured was important, that would make a difference, but still they allow these factories to come up on land which we’ve protected for so long. And these people are the ones who are earning money while we’re barely making above minimum wage.”
“Economic growth is just as important as protection of the environment. They have to go hand in hand,” Reece said. “That’s why we have all these compliance laws, which I’ve upheld at every point.”
The Chief waved his gun ever so slightly.
She was scared it might go off, but he knew what he was doing. If he killed them, it wouldn’t be an accident but intentional murder.
“You businessmen always find a way out of those compliance laws, so you can make more money.”
This conversation was useless. Chief Sullivan had his own point of view. He was making excuses to cover his unethical and immoral behavior. Perhaps he really believed what he said, but that didn’t make him right. It only proved his mind was warped.
How could she have worked with this man for so long and not realize he was teetering on the brink of insanity? He killed a man, and he didn’t appear to have any remorse about it. Yet, she couldn’t give up on him yet. Perhaps he would listen to her and understand that what he wanted wasn’t just illegal but also immoral. “There’s no justification for killing Miles. What did he do to you?” she demanded to know.
“He found out it was me. I told him I was willing to give him a cut from the money I stole, but he didn’t want to listen. His death was regrettable, but I didn’t have a choice.”
“You had a choice. We all have a choice,” she argued. “You could have surrendered. The punishment for white collar crimes isn’t that much. You could have been out of jail in a few years.”
He sneered as he stepped towards her.
Nya was scared, but she still clung to the hope that perhaps she would be able to convince him to not compound his mistakes. Maybe, just maybe, there was some semblance of redemption for this guy.
“You’re mad if you think I would ever go to jail willingly. I earned that money. If the government didn’t give us such pathetic salaries, I wouldn’t have had to resort to this.”
He just didn’t see it. Nya’s gaze met Reece’s. She was stupid to trust the Chief, and now her mistake was going to cost Reece his life. But perhaps he would be able to escape. After all, he was a werewolf. The Chief didn’t know that. Reece could easily run before the Chief shot him. He had a good chance of making his way out of his mess. “You go,” she hissed.
“I’m not leaving you,” he said in a voice that invited no argument.
“Niether of you are going anywhere.” The Chief sighed as he waved his gun. “Reece, come here and stand with her. I tried to warn you, Nya. I didn’t want to do this. He was the perfect scapegoat. If you’d let the police continue, they would have nabbed him for the crime. There was no evidence against me. He was the one who would have gone to jail.”
How could the man be so delusional? There wasn’t something quite right with the way his mind worked. Once more, it amazed her she could work so long with him and not discover this crazy aspect of his personality. “The police are not stupid. They didn’t have any evidence against Reece either.”
“I would have provided some, but no…you had to spoil everything by becoming involved with him. I told you time and time again to stay away from him.” Once again, his logic was faulty. He only saw what he wanted to see.
Her involvement with Reece had nothing to do with his crime, but he wanted to believe she defied him and in doing so, she earned her fate. He was psychotic. She could give it her all, but he still wouldn’t be able to see everything that led to this moment was because of a weakness in his character. He didn’t have the strength or morals to do what was right.
The pain of his betrayal echoed in her heart.
“Killing us won’t serve you,” she said.
He smiled and the coldness in his heart was reflected in the way his lips curved upwards. Their lives were meaningless to him. He didn’t care about anyone but himself. “Your death will free me. You’ll die, and then Reece will jump off this cliff. It will look as if he killed you after you tried to convince him to surrender to the police. Murder and a suicide. The police will get their answers. I’ll keep the money, and life will be good again.”
“Reece would never commit suicide,” she replied.
“In that case, I’ll shoot him. When the police find your bodies, broken and battered from the fall, they won’t be able to tell what happened. Since there’s no one who can point a finger at me, I’ll go scot free.” He laughed. “I’ve thought this through, and trust me, if there was another way, I would have taken it. But you have to die, and so does he.”
“The police know about you,” Reece said. “I’ve already told them you’re the one who embezzled money from me.”
The Chief gripped the gun with both hands as he followed Reece’s progress while he walked over to Nya. “You’re lying.”
What the hell was Reece doing? He was pissing the man off. That wasn’t a good plan. She didn’t know if he actually planned to do something here, but she sensed he was getting ready to attack.
It wasn’t a good idea.
Not at all.
He could get shot.
He might die.
She didn’t want that to happen.
“I’m not. When you texted me from Nya’s phone, I’d just come out from the police station. They know you were the one who had access to my computers. They’ll put
two and two together, and it won’t be long before they come after you.”
“You bastard. You couldn’t have found any evidence against me.”
Reece stood next to Nya. Now, she was really scared. The Chief had them exactly where he wanted them. If he shot them, they would fall off the cliff, and he would get what he wanted. She didn’t think he was capable of any rational thought. Even though she did her best to make him see what he did was wrong, he was hell bent on believing the version of truth that was alive in his mind.
“If you believe you’ve gotten away with murder, you’re sadly mistaken. The police are on to you. They’ll come looking for you, so don’t compound your mistakes by adding another two murders to the mix.”
“They wouldn’t suspect me,” the Chief whispered desperately.
Maybe this would dissuade him from killing them. Nya was confident Reece could escape unscathed from this trouble, but she had the distinct feeling he wouldn’t leave her in danger. He would risk his life to save hers, and she didn’t want that to happen. More than herself, she was worried about him. If anything happened to him, she wouldn’t be able to survive the blow. Only recently, they’d found and fallen in love with each other. She finally had the guts to tell him how she felt. They didn’t even get the time to enjoy their life together and now, suddenly, they were faced with death.
If he was hurt, injured, or worse, she wouldn’t be able to take the trauma. Of course, there was a good chance they would both perish. Chief Sullivan looked determined to kill them.
“They already suspect you,” Reece said.
Why the hell was he goading the man?
Didn’t he realize it was making this man angry? His finger almost twitched on the trigger and she held her breath, but luckily he didn’t press it. Nya gripped Reece’s arm. She wanted to tell him to back down. They couldn’t afford to antagonize the man, but he merely patted her hand as if he was reassuring a child.
What the hell he was up to?
She didn’t see a way out of this mess. Yes, he could escape if he didn’t think about her, but telling him anything regarding that was useless. He wouldn’t desert her. While it gladdened her heart to have the confidence that he loved her, it also saddened her to realize he might die because of her. The easiest thing for her would be to jump off the cliff. Once she was dead, Reece would attack the Chief, and of course, he would win.
Right now, he was holding back because he didn’t want her to get hurt in the battle.
She would have to remove herself from this equation in order to make him win. Nya never considered suicide in her life. She never had the misfortunate to experience such tumultuous events that would force her to think about taking her own life, but right now, in order to save Reece, she was willing to do that. He held her hand almost as if he sensed the direction of her thoughts. Still, she wasn’t willing to wait forever to see if the Chief would have a change of heart. If there was no other option, if a battle was inevitable, then she would have to do whatever she could to save Reece.
“You’re dead. I can’t afford to let you go,” the Chief replied. “You know too much.”
“Killing us is going to make it worse,” Reece stated quietly. “Right now, you have a chance. If you leave town immediately, you may be able to escape the police. You have the money, and you can keep it.”
The Chief laughed. “That’s very generous of you, but I bet you would do anything at this point to save your life.”
“You’re right. I would do anything, offer anything, to save our lives. How about more money? Is that what you want? I can make it possible for you. Name the bank, the account number, and I can have a lot of money deposited in it. Whatever you want. A million dollars? Two million dollars?”
“Reece,” she hissed. His audacity shocked her. He was actually bargaining with a killer in exchange for their lives. Only he would have the guts to make the offer as if they were sitting across a conference table. “Stop it.”
Chief Sullivan heard her. He smiled. The greed in his eyes was all too evident. The man would do anything for money, anything at all. “No, let him have his say. I’m kind of intrigued. So you’re willing to pay me?”
“Whatever you want, but I want a guarantee you’ll let us go. Let Nya leave. Once she’s out of here, I’ll transfer the money.”
“What’s to stop her from going straight to the police?” he asked.
“I won’t do it because I don’t want you to kill Reece,” Nya assured him. Hope brightened in her heart. If the Chief believed them, if he was swayed by the lure of so much money, and he let her go, Reece would be free to attack him. There was no way Chief Sullivan could wrestle with a werewolf and win. Of course, the danger of the gun was still there, but she could only hope Reece would be able to get to the Chief before he fired that weapon.
It was a dicey, dangerous risk—but it was all they had.
“It’s an interesting offer,” the Chief said. “I like it.”
Yes. They had him. She could tell he was really thinking about it. Good. The more he thought about it, the more he was willing to believe he could get away with getting some extra cash. A million dollar was a large amount. If he got it, he would be able to live in any part of the world, without the threat of the police looming over him. She could only hope he would take the bait.
This was their only chance.
Chapter Twenty Six
He’d always tried to understand what motivated men. In Sullivan’s case, money was a big lure. He wanted more of it, and he wanted to get it in the easiest way possible. Reece could make it happen for him. Of course, he didn’t have any intention of awarding the man with so much cash. But he did want him to believe that the acquisition of it was possible. All Reece wanted was for Nya to walk away. As long as she remained here, he couldn’t take any risks. Once she was out of harm’s way, he would be able to deal with Sullivan.
Revealing his secret wasn’t really an option, but he would have to do it if he wanted to walk away alive. Reece was caught between a rock and a hard place; if he shifted, it would be tantamount to him violating the rules of his pack and if he didn’t, he and Nya would die.
His first priority was to get her away.
Later, he would think of what to do with regards to the Chief.
As Sullivan contemplated his next action, Reece’s nostrils flared. He’d caught a familiar scent. While he didn’t know if the newcomer presented a danger or would bring relief, he didn’t want to reveal that he knew about the person’s whereabouts yet. “What do you think?” he asked in a gruff voice. “It’s a good offer, Chief. You won’t be able to make so much money so quickly. All you have to do is let Nya walk away, unharmed, and it can all be yours. Wealth beyond your wildest imagination. Isn’t that what you want?”
“I’m not leaving you here,” Nya said.
“It’s the only way,” he told her.
“But—”
“Shut up, both of you!” Sullivan interjected. “Let me think.” He stepped forward a little.
Reece felt scared. Not for himself but for Nya. She was in real danger here. He was a werewolf, and even if he was shot, there was a good chance he might make it, but she wouldn’t be able to take the assault. He had to save her at all costs.
“What’s the guarantee you’ll transfer the money if I let her walk away?”
“You’ve got to trust me a little. In any case, I would be here, as a hostage, and when you get your money, you can let me go.”
“I don’t like you.” Sullivan glared at him. “Since you’ve come here, you’ve brought nothing but trouble. Our town was good before you waltzed in here with your fancy ideas and your hoard of money.”
He couldn’t afford to lose his cool. Money was the only weapon he had, and he wanted to use it judiciously. “I brought jobs here. There are a lot of families in this town who have a new lease on life, because I offered them employment. People were moving out of this village and it’s only because of the factory that they’ve st
ayed on.”
“I had good marriage,” Sullivan argued. It seemed as if he was talking to himself. “Then my wife got a job with one of your suppliers, and then she got fancy ideas. Now, she wants to move out of this town and into a bigger city where she can get a better job.”
Was his marriage in trouble?
If so, Reece had nothing to do with it, but it looked as if the man wanted to blame him for all the troubles that erupted in his life.
“Then you should move away.”
“It’s too late for that. This is where I grew up. I never wanted to go anywhere else. As I said, you brought along a lot of trouble for a lot of people.”
“If your wife isn’t happy here anymore, it has nothing to do with Reece,” Nya countered. “Maybe she was always unhappy here and now wants a change. But you’re the one who’s making it worse for your family. Think of what will happen when she finds out you’re the killer. She’d never be able to live down the humiliation. You’ve got daughters who are in college. What will they think about their father?”
Sullivan fired a shot. Nya screamed. Reece pulled her behind him, knowing full well they were already teetering on the edge of the cliff. Once false move, and they would both plummet to their deaths, and he would win.
“Shut up. I told you to shut up! They’ll never find out anything. I won’t let it happen.”
“And I want you to have a happy, married life. Just let us walk away, and you’ll have enough money to do whatever your wife wants. You can give your family a life they’ve been dreaming of. It’s a lot of money, Chief. It can all be yours.”
“My wife is going to leave me anyway,” he stated in a voice that was devoid of emotion. “I’ve lost.”
Did he steal the money because he thought it would make his wife happy? People often did things they thought would make their partners happier, but the truth was, it was often their own desires which manifested in strange ways.
Now what?
Sullivan now appeared undecided.
Reece wanted him to think about all the money he offered. Now this was all he could do. Once Nya walked away from this clearing unscathed, he would be able to do a lot more. Until then, he was helpless. As he stared into the Sullivan’s eyes, he saw the greed that made the man mad.
