A man in a white lab coat met me at the reception desk. “Mr. Valcourt?”
“That's me.”
“Right this way, please.”
He led me through a security door into a pristine laboratory space. Stainless steel counters, state-of-the-art equipment, everything spotlessly clean.
“I'll need you to fill out a chain of custody form,” he said, pulling out a tablet. “Standard procedure. Where did you obtain the sample?”
“Carpet from a residential location. Potential blood evidence.”
He nodded, making notes. “And what exactly are you looking for?”
“I need to know what sort of animal the blood comes from, and if possible, the source.”
“Right.” He took the evidence bag from me, holding it up to examine the carpet square in the light. “Definitely looks like there’s some kind of biological material here.”
“How long will results take?” I asked.
He pursed his lips, considering. “We should have preliminary results within three hours. Maybe a little more. But full sourcing analysis will take longer.”
“Three hours?” My brows shot up. “Are you serious?”
He shrugged. “That’s how long it takes.”
My jaw clenched. This guy’s dismissive tone was pissing me the fuck off.
“How about I pay you double?” I asked through gritted teeth. “To get it done faster.”
“You’d be wasting your money. Three hours is the minimum length of time it takes for the lab equipment to process everything,” he said, giving me a look that suggested I was a complete idiot. “It’s not like you see on TV where someone slides in a sample and results instantly pop up. These things take time, and there’s no possible way to speed it up.”
I was struck by a sudden urge to knock the smarmy prick right out. But even as the anger simmered, I knew it wasn't really about him. He was just doing his job, and the lab equipment took as long as it took. No amount of money or threats could change physics.
No, I wasn't angry at him.
I was angry at whoever had done this to Violet. Whoever had crept into her room in the middle of the night with a bucket of blood. Whoever had sent her those messages, trying to scare her into silence. Whoever had made her feel unsafe in her own fucking bed.
If I found out who it was—whenI found out who it was—they were going to wish they'd never been born. Club member or not, consequences be damned. Nobody threatened what was mine and got away with it.
“Fine,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. “I’ll wait.”
“You can wait here if you'd like, or I can call you to come back in when the results are ready,” the scientist said.
I glanced at my watch. Violet was probably going out of her mind with worry and boredom already, so I was tempted to return to the estate. But waiting right here meant I'd get the results as soon as they were done.
“I'll stay,” I said.
He nodded. “There's a waiting area through that door. Coffee and water are available. I'll come find you as soon as I have something.”
I settled into an uncomfortable chair, my leg bouncing with restless energy. Three fucking hours before I'd know anything useful. Three hours away from Violet when we'd just started to figure out what we were to each other.
I pulled out my phone and stared at the blank screen. No way to text Violet, no way to let her know what was happening. She'd just have to wait and wonder.
Fuck.I really should’ve given her phone back to her.
I forced myself to take a slow, deep breath. Getting worked up wasn't going to make the time pass faster. I needed to stay calm. Think clearly. Figure out my next steps.
I pulled up the notes app on my phone and started making a list. Things to follow up on once I had the results. People to talk to. Angles to investigate. Anything to keep my mind occupied while I waited, because sitting here doing nothing while Violet was alone at the estate was making me want to put my fist through a wall.
