Doing my best to move slowly, I stand and walk to the couch.Crouching, I sit by her feet.“Luna, is there any way you can find out what happened to Tempest?I have to know.She is—was—important to me.”
“Were you a couple?”
Shaking my head, I remind her.“I told you.I’ve been single for a long time.Tempest was my friend.A fierce ally of the MC.Can you at least tell me where her body was found?Was it an accident?A sudden death after an illness… a murder?”
Rubbing her eyes with her knuckles, Luna spreads specks of mascara over her cheeks.
“Damn it, Dante.You’re making me feel like a heel for not knowing.Mr.Bryant didn’t tell me.But he must have been instructed to act as Tempest’s executor bysomeone.And he wouldn’t have done that if they couldn’t produce a death certificate.”
She’s tired.Patting her shoulder, I pick up the pan and go put it in the kitchen sink.Flicking the faucet on, I fill the small saucepan with water to rinse off the thick, red tomato sludge.
Muohta looks up as I step over him, giving me a doggy smile before going back to sleep.
Glancing at the woman on the couch, I decide to take a big risk.Opening the kitchen side door that leads to the mud room where Tempest used to keep the lumber, I dash to Luna’s car.Finding the first aid box, I flit back in.
That must have taken me all of two seconds.
I close the side door noisily, making Luna look up.
“You must have brought the first aid box inside when you were unpacking.”Waving the box in the air, I go and sit on the floor next to her.“Do you have bandages in here?A good bandage for support and some arnica on that bruise, and you’ll be feeling like your old self in no time.”
Luna isn’t looking at the first aid kit.She is delicately sniffing the air with her eyes half-closed.
“Did you go outside?I can smell pine needles and fresh air on you.”
I am impressed.This woman is sharp.Like some beautiful animal, she uses all of her senses to funnel information to her brain.
“Side room, where the lumber is kept.That’s where I found the first aid kit.”Placing the box down, I click the snap open.Finding a soothing cream and a bandage, I hold the cream for Luna to apply.
Her calico eyes fix on me as she massages the cream gingerly onto her skin with light strokes.“Ialwaysleave the kit in the car.”
Time for me to use my powers of persuasion.
“No, you left the first aid kit in the mudroom.You must have taken it from the car to the house without thinking.”
My gaze is locked on her as I pronounce each syllable clearly.
Luna seems to be immune to my charms, however.I can tell from the stubborn way she folds her arms that I might as well be banging my head against a brick wall instead of trying to make her change her mind.
“No… I left it in the car.”
We glare at one another, neither one of us willing to back down.Pressing the bandage end down with one finger to keep it in place, I start to wrap the gauze around her ankle while making sure the binding is firm, but not too tight.
When the bandage is on, I break away.“Someone must have come here while you were stuck in the forest and taken it out of your car.”
This is enough to distract her.“Ben Magoo?I suppose that’s possible.So long as he was here doing that and not busy looking for trespassers on his land.”
Giving herself a small shake, Luna finally allows her exhaustion to show.
“Dante, I hope we can be friends.And… I would love for the club to stay on at the inn until I sell everything.”
Now that’s something worth knowing.“You’re selling the inheritance that Tempest left you?”
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Luna sighs and nods.“I have another life waiting for me in the Twin Cities, Dante.A life with wi-fi and laptops and working cell phones.I could never stay here.”
Moving to the door, I stand with my hand on the handle.
“Do you need help getting upstairs—to the bedroom?”
