Rage. Fury. Anger. Wrath. There is no word to describe the intensity of my feelings toward Harrison. His depravity knows no limits. The very fact that he calls himself a Dom is an insult to me. This is all the reason I need to track his ass down, beat him to a bloody pulp, and remind him what it’s like to tangle with someone his own size.
“How was she when you left her?” Part of me needs to know. I don’t know what I plan to do with the information.
Tucker sighs heavily and I hear his frustration in it. “She was sad, Dominic.Verysad. I went back this morning to tell her I had some things to do so I wouldn’t be around. There’s no doubt she saw right through me, though. You should know, she told me she loves you. Damn near completely lost her voice trying to tell me.”
“Thenwhythe fuck is she suing me for sexual harassment and why the fuck is she demanding so much money to hide everything that happened between us?” I shout.
“She looked surprised when I asked her about that, man. I don’t know what to tell you.”
Drawing my fingers and thumb across my jawline until they meet in the middle, I consider his words. “Stay on her, Tucker. I’ve felt like there’s something missing all along. I don’t know what it is, but make sure she stays safe.”
“Will do, boss.”
In my peripheral vision, I catch a glimpse of Shadow’s smug look. Narrowing my eyes angrily, I ask, “What’s the smirk for?”
“No reason at all,” he says casually.
“You already know what happened,” I state.
“I wouldn’t be a very good spy if I didn’t already know.”
“You would’ve been a better spy if you saw the sexual harassment lawsuit coming ahead of time,” I quip.
“You would have a good point there…if you weren’t wrong,” Shadow smirks again.
“You knew about it and didn’t tell me?” I roar.
“No, there was nothing theretoknow. That’s what’s odd. The information we’ve been given isn’t adding up. I have suspicions but I won’t say until I know for sure,” he answers in his typical vague way.
Two hours later, we land in Dallas and I think I’m home free when Fire Chief Greg Floyd calls.
“Mr. Powers, Chief Floyd here. Can you come by your house? I’m here finishing up my investigation and there are a few things I need to talk to you about.”
“Sure, Chief Floyd. We will be there as soon as we can,” I tell him and then we disconnect.Shit, this is not what I wanted to do tonight.
Forty-five minutes later, I’m walking with the Chief into the charred remains of my house. It has taken several weeks for their thorough investigation and all the test results to come back. I suspect that’s what Chief Floyd wants to talk about now.
“We’ve marked the area where it’s safe to walk. We had to reinforce some of the flooring, so don’t step outside the taped off area,” he says as we enter the house.
I follow in his footsteps and ask, “Why am I here?”
“For this,” he says as he points to an area of the floor that’s noticeably darker than the rest. “The fire started here, in the middle of the floor.”
“Arson then,” I state flatly. I already knew it but having it confirmed is somewhat eerie.
“Exactly. A fire doesn’t naturally start in the middle of the floor. There were also traces of gasoline as an accelerant. Whatever was used to start the fire completely burned up.”
“This is just down the hall from my office,” I say to Floyd. “He must have heard me in here when he was getting set up. He came prepared to knock me out.”
Shadow takes a couple of steps away from us and mumbles a few words into his phone. Seconds later, he rejoins us without saying a word. Chief Floyd and I both look at him expectantly, but he remains stoic and silent.
“Mr. Powers, have you thought of anyone who may have wanted to hurt you or anyone in your house?” Chief Floyd asks.
“No one we are prepared to name at this point,” Shadow answers before I can say anything.
“Why is that?” Floyd asks suspiciously.
“They’re part of an ongoing Federal investigation that takes precedence. FBI protocol supersedes an arson investigation. When he goes down, the arson charges will be added on,” Shadow explains as the Chief and I both openly gape at him.
