I nodded, unable to form any words.
“Come with me.” He opened the gate then stepped out of his booth, guiding me into the building. When we reached the elevator, we headed down instead of up. “The morgue is down this way.”
Unlike the main floor of the prison, the hallway I walked down was cold and sterile, everything painted white or made of some form of steel. Our footfalls echoed throughout the floor.
“He was found late Christmas Eve,” the guard said. “The coroner determined it was a stroke. Poor guy’s been pretty much holed up in his room lately because of a sore knee. I guess his inactivity could have caused a blood clot.”
Yeah, the “poor guy” came from money but still defrauded hundreds of people and used those who were desperate to run drugs. Not to mention all the ways he used my mother. “Sure.” I couldn’t feel sorry for him in any way.
When we reached the steel door at the end of the hall, the guard pulled it open but didn’t go inside. “Dr. Lim is waiting for you. I’ll be out here when you’re done.”
I nodded, still unsure why they’d even called me. I couldn’t do anything for Conn now.
Walking in, I spotted the doctor wearing a white lab coat, black-rimmed glasses, a plastic face shield, and a surgical headlight. He had his palm over the bare chest of a naked male and held a scalpel to his skin.
“Um, hello?” I didn’t want to interrupt his procedure, but didn’t want to be present for it, either.
He glanced up, squinting at me. “And you are?”
“Desmond Banks.” I stared at the floor, not wanting to acknowledge the dead body. “I’m here about Conn Adan.”
“Oh, yes. The son.”
I heard the ting as he set his instruments onto a steel tray, and the click as he turned off the headlight.
“Over here,” he called, leading me over to a wall of smaller steel doors. He pulled open one, the cool air condensing into the warmer air. Then he tugged on the tray inside. It contained another body. One I recognized.
Sure, I’d never met the man in person, but I’d seen him all over the television screen when he was arrested. Plus, my grandparents still had the occasional family picture hung in their house with him in it.
Dr. Lim held a clipboard and a pen in front of me. “I need you to confirm and sign that this is your father before we can send him to the crematorium before his memorial service.”
My stomach twisted and my hand shook as I took the pen. I hoped everything had already been arranged for that service because I wanted nothing to do with any of it. I could sign a piece of paper to identify him but refused to be part of anything else regarding his death. The man meant absolutely nothing to me.
After writing my signature, I went to leave, not wanting to be around anymore dead bodies.
“Wait a minute,” Dr. Lim called. “I have a bag of his belongings for you. I’ll need another signature for them.”
I nodded again, signing where I needed to, and taking the bag. I didn’t look at it on my way out, tossing it in my trunk as soon as I got to my car. I planned to drop it off at my grandparents’ house right away. I didn’t want it. I didn’t want anything to do with that man.
Chapter Fifteen
Kane
It was New Year’s Eve. Instead of going out to the bar with my co-workers to ring in the new year, I stayed at home, staring at my phone. I was pathetic in believing Desmond would contact me after five days had passed.
I saw on television that his father had died in prison. The entertainment show talked about it nonstop. They mentioned all the celebrities he’d managed and those he’d swindled out of money. One media report claimed there was going to be a private memorial service for the family. I thought about going, to support Desmond. But no other details were shared, and I didn’t even know if he would be in attendance.
So, I waited, like a desperate and gullible omega. I really thought we had something special, that he was different from all other alphas I’d met. Yet, all my texts of support and concern went unanswered. Not even read. He’d ghosted me. Somehow, I felt bad about being upset over it because his father had died.
I glanced at the television, unsure what was happening on the countdown. A pop group performed, probably one signed with Adan Records, singing about first loves and fated mates. I considered turning off the television or switching the station. Instead, I checked my phone again. Nothing.
I don’t remember falling asleep or even feeling tired. When I woke, the countdown was over and an infomercial for a foot massager was on. Grabbing the controller, I turned off the television and heaved myself off the couch, ready for bed.
A scratching noise startled me, suddenly making me much more alert. I didn’t know where it had come from and listened for it again.
The next time I heard it, the sound was followed by an animal’s whine. It came from the other side of my door.
I peeked out the peephole to find a wolf pacing back and forth in the hallway. Was it Desmond? How did he get into the building if he was in his shifted form?
