Page 82 of Blue Moon

But I was Luna Maara. I should have known that I wouldn’t be able to vanish in the way I wanted.

22

RYDER

“It’s good to finally talk to you. Tell you the truth, I thought you were a little too good to be true, and there are so many dating scams out there.”

On-screen, Elene didn’t flinch at the s-word. Oh, she was good. Damn beautiful too—a shame the inside didn’t match the outside. But it was easy to see how a man like Ron Hill had been suckered in.

She tucked a lock of long blonde hair behind her ear. “I’ve also been disappointed. Men have lied about their age, their height, their marital status…” She didn’t mention money. Smooth. “But you are definitely not a disappointment.”

Ryder didn’t know how much the Prince of Porn’s former home was worth, but it had to be eight figures. Marcel called it a house, but it was more of an estate, a compound set in thirty acres on the edge of the city with views of the wilderness beyond. The pool Ryder was sitting beside looked like an oasis, with rocks and palm trees and the all-important waterfall. The lap pool was on the other side of the house.

“Why lie? The truth only comes back to bite you on the ass.”

Elene laughed, her voice husky. “That can be pleasurable.”

“Lying?” Ryder put on a puzzled expression, playing up Tripp’s “dumb rich boy” persona.

“No, being bitten on the ass.” Another laugh. “Gently, of course.”

“Good to know.”

“Is that Snuffles?”

Ryder turned to see a small white fluffy dog walk past.

“Yeah. Hey, Snuffles, c’mere.” The dog ignored him and carried on sniffing a patch of grass, probably because his name was Trooper and Ryder was a complete stranger. He was apparently one of Sin’s three dogs, although she hadn’t shown her face yet. “One word from me, and he does as he pleases. My sister sent him to a trainer, and he behaved for a few weeks, then started acting up again.”

“If you train him yourself, you’ll build up a better bond.”

How did she know that? Elene claimed she didn’t have any pets.

“I always figured it would be better to send him to a professional. You’re a dog person?”

“When I was young, we had a dog. Maybe someday I’ll get another, but my landlord doesn’t allow this.”

Her apartment looked pretty good, but she’d angled the camera to face away from any windows, much to Mack’s irritation. She was monitoring the conversation from Richmond, as was Khatia from Tbilisi. Khatia had already noted that the background was different than any Hill had seen, so presumably Elene had changed her location as well as her name. No doubt she’d paid for the swanky new pad with Luna’s money. Ryder wanted to reach through the screen and shake the bitch, but he forced himself to keep the smile.

“Landlords suck, huh?”

“You own your home?”

“This place? Yeah.” Thankfully, Casa del Gato had been remodelled extensively after the Prince of Porn left the building. If Elene did happen to be a fan of Star Whores or Charlie’s Anals, she wouldn’t recognise the property based on its previous life. “Bought it a few years ago, although on days like this, I wish I’d moved to Alaska.”

“It’s hot there?”

“Heading for a hundred degrees, and it won’t cool off till September.”

“That’s in Fahrenheit, yes?”

“Mid-thirties in Celsius. How’s the weather in Georgia?”

She glanced left. “Raining now, but it was hot earlier. Almost thirty degrees.”

Mack would be checking the weather forecast. Sure, it was possible Elene could be lying, but why bother over something so trivial?

“Last year, I went to Chile in June. Split the month between Santiago and Patagonia. Patagonia’s a great place for taking pictures.” According to Mack’s file, Tripp was a keen photographer, and he’d even sold a few pictures in an exhibition last year. “Do you travel much?”

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