Chapter 4

Less than ten minutes later, two patrol cars with flashing lights pulled up outside.

Several uniformed Enforcers hurried up to the terrace. The one in charge was a middle-aged gray wolf, Captain Mercer. One look at him told you everything. Twenty years on the job, and he'd learned exactly how to do as little of it as possible.

"What's going on here? Who called it in?" Captain Mercer frowned, scanning the terrace.

Before I could say a word, Bertha dropped straight onto the floor and launched into a performance she had clearly spent a lifetime perfecting.

"Oh, Officers, thank god you're here! You have to help us! This vicious woman saw how cute our pup is and tried to take him! When we said no, she started throwing rocks at us! My poor grandson, she almost killed him!"

Krystal did her part right on cue. She pinched the pup in her arms, and he burst into ragged screaming. Eyes red, she put on her best victim face. "Officer, we just dropped by as neighbors. She threw us out for no reason and said she'd kill us. Vernon was only protecting us. That's how her rock got chipped. It was an accident."

Vernon had pulled his shift back in. The claws and fangs were gone, replaced by the polished face of a corporate professional. He stepped forward and offered Captain Mercer a business card. "Captain, this is a misunderstanding. All of it. Vernon Boggs, project manager at the Calloway Group. This woman is an intern on my team. She took some criticism at work today and decided to make trouble over it. Just a little family squabble. Sorry they dragged you out here."

At the words "Calloway Group," Captain Mercer's face relaxed. In this city, the Calloway Group paid a lot of taxes. Nobody wanted trouble with its management, not even the middle layer.

He waved off the card and turned to me, and he wasn't even trying to hide the brush-off. "Young lady, you're coworkers and neighbors. Whatever this is, settle it in private. Filing a false report is a serious matter, you know. It's one rock. Have him pay you a few hundred dollars and let's not waste police time."

I watched their little show and let out a cold laugh.

"A false report? Captain Mercer, you haven't examined the scene. You've heard one side of the story, and you've already closed the case?"

I walked to the shattered frost stone, pulled up a certified appraisal and an international trade invoice on my phone, both stamped and verified, and held the screen right up to Captain Mercer's face.

"This is an Arctic frost stone. I won it at an overseas auction last month. Purchase price plus air freight, five hundred and twenty thousand dollars." I hit every word. "And here's the funny part. This stone gathers moonlight. It was the single best spot in this entire building for a pup to moonbathe. They just smashed it with their own hands."

I paused, then went on. "Also, they forced their way in. My home cameras caught all of it, start to finish. That's breaking and entering plus destruction of property. Half a million dollars' worth."

Captain Mercer stared at the row of zeros and the red official stamp on the screen. He sucked in a breath. Sweat popped out on his forehead.

Half a million dollars in damages. This wasn't some neighbor dispute anymore. This was a felony case. Ten years minimum.

Vernon leaned in for a look. His face changed, but he forced out a laugh anyway. "Wren, have you lost your mind? You photoshop a picture and think you can scam me? You're a bottom-rung employee who can barely pass probation. You make three grand a month. You bought a half-million-dollar rock with what? Your body?"

Krystal jumped in. "Exactly! Officer, she's gone crazy over money! Arrest her! Charge her with extortion!"

Captain Mercer wiped his forehead and looked at me, uncertain now. Clearly, he couldn't square it either. An ordinary intern, and half a million dollars.

"Young lady, if this invoice turns out to be fake, that's a serious crime..." One last attempt to smooth it all over.

"The invoice is real. So is the money. I gave it to her."

A woman's voice came up from downstairs. Cold, and used to being obeyed.

Then came footsteps. Perfectly in step.

Four pureblood bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses came up first, carving a path through the narrow stairwell.

Behind them, a middle-aged woman in a tailored suit walked slowly onto the terrace, heels clicking. The pressure coming off her made it hard to breathe.

Behind her followed the Calloway Group's chief counsel.

The moment she set foot on the terrace, the full dominance of a pureblood silver wolf rolled over everyone on it.

Every gray wolf present, Vernon and Captain Mercer included, started shaking. Their legs simply gave out on them. That fear lived in the blood. It didn't ask permission.

Vernon got a clear look at her face. His eyes nearly came out of his head, and his voice shook.

"Ch... Chairwoman? What... what are you doing here?"