Chapter 94
“You said what?!” I shouted frantically.
Lorenzo had been gradually pacing the length of the study for the last several minutes. He barely spared me a single glance as he told me of his late-night call with Cruz.
In the beginning, I felt rather smug about the fact that Sterling was feeling horribly desperate being the predicament that he was in. However, what I hadn’t expected to feel was complete and utter shock.
“I told that asshole, ‘no’,” Lorenzo muttered under his breath.
My tone filled with venomous disbelief. “Cruz actually offered to hand over Kara Newman and Jane Auldin...And you refused? Lorenzo—”
“Eleanor, he wants the flash drive,” he said briskly. “That USB is the only thing we have that ties this entire case together. Believe me, I was so tempted to take the offer. I really was. All I thought about was you and what your reaction would be once I’d made my decision.”
He moved closer, taking long meaningful strides to get to me.
“I want to save Kara and Jane. But what about everyone else? What about all the other poor girls that had been taken just like them?” he asked. “There’s no way I was giving him the drive.”
I wrapped my arms around myself and lowered my head. Of course, he was right. That flash drive was our only solid chance to bring Sterling and Blue Moon down for good.
No matter which way I looked at it, it couldn’t have been an easy decision to make.
“What if he ends up hurting those girls, or worse?” I asked quietly.
Regardless of how this chaotic mess would come to an end, I’d always feel like a failure for the loss of Agatha and Lucy. Their deaths will forever be pressing on my conscience.
Because Lorenzo had basically told Cruz to go screw himself, there was no telling what the man would do now. And now my newest fear was the authorities possibly discovering new bodies...
Lorenzo reached out to grab my arms, pulling me close to his chest. He tucked my head under his chin and held me tight.
“I know that what I did was a huge risk,” he said. “Believe me, I have thought about the possibility. It was not an easy decision to make given the circumstances. The thing is, now we’re dealing with a very desperate Cruz Sterling. If he knows what’s good for him, then he won’t be making any rash decisions at the moment.”
I shook my head in disagreement. “You don’t know that,” I hissed. “For Christ’s sake, we’re talking about the same guy that once kidnapped me because he thought that I originally knew something about this friggin list. If we’ve learned anything from dealing with him, it’s that he’s a total psychopath who is completely unpredictable. So, now what?”
[Lorenzo’s POV]
A short pause went by before either of them spoke. Most of Lorenzo’s mind was still occupied by the disturbing discovery of his mother and the Lycan King. That was the part of his night that he hadn’t told Eleanor about.
He didn’t want to burden her further with the gruesome details about what he’d found. He knew he should have. But, in truth, the only person the alpha needed to speak to was Lycan Luna.
He’d become fed up with the lies and was determined to finally get the truth.
“I may need to step out for a little while and deal with some business,” he told her.
Eleanor slightly pulled back to glance up at him in question. “Where?”
“I need to speak with the Lycan Luna,” he stated.
Her eyes grew wide. “About what?”
Again, Lorenzo wasn’t in the position to speak of what was actually eating away at his thoughts. But thankfully, the space around them was taken up by the sudden sound of Eleanor’s phone buzzing in her pocket. She let out a clipped breath and reached to check it.
“It’s a message from Adeline,” she said. Lorenzo noticed her brows furrowed. “That’s strange. She wants me to meet with her at the cafe later, but I thought she was working the night shift today.”
“Perhaps there was a change in the scheduling,” he suggested.
Eleanor messaged her friend back before returning her attention to him. He could tell from the crease between her eyebrows that she was not pleased with his lack of explanation. Lorenzo simply leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her head before heading toward the door.
...
He arrived at the palace in record time and practically barreled up the main steps before storming through the large doors. Lorenzo spotted the Luna, herself, speaking to a few of the staff members and waited patiently for her to finish speaking.
He sensed the elder woman grow tense from just his mere presence. Soon the maids were off and the Lycan Luna made her way over to him.
“Mr. Sinclair, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit,” she spoke timidly.
“With all due respect, don't you think you and I are beyond the lies and deception?” he questioned.
The Luna’s expression shifted from defensive to appearing regrettably distraught. She kept her voice low. “Perhaps, we ought to carry on this conversation somewhere more private.”
Lorenzo followed the Luna into one of the nearest side rooms. As soon as the two knew they were free to speak, Lorenzo unleashed all the harrowing thoughts that had been dissolving his mind.
“You knew about the illegal things Blue Moon was doing this whole time,” he said tensely. “All this time you knew about those poor girls and yet you never did anything to stop it.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes.”
“Why did you lie to me? Why act as though you were surprised about everything Eleanor and I came to you about? All that evidence—those pictures and even that godforsaken list!”
The Luna hastily shook her head. “No, I never knew about that list.” She let out a long breath and sat down in the nearest chair. “Lorenzo, I knew somewhat about the businesses that Blue Moon dealt with. But, make no mistake, I never knew anything about what my son was involved in. Those girls...I never had a hand in the awful atrocities that have happened to them.”
“Well, you sure as hell didn’t do much to try and stop any of it either.”
“What could I possibly have done?!” she snarled. “I am merely the Luna. The only power I have is to potentially remove someone from their current title. It’s my husband, the king, who has the authority to bring an operation of that caliber.”
Hearing this piece of news sent another unexplainable wave of anger through him.
“Well then just what the fuck is his excuse then?” he growled. The Luna’s eyes grew wide. “Your husband is far from innocent in this matter too. So, what excuse does he have for his actions?”
A deep voice spoke out from the doorway. “I have none.”
