Page 12 of Beautiful Vengeance

He frowned as he started the engine. “Why, what else is there?”

“They won’t say. I’ve stalled them here at the gatehouse and alerted everyone at the main house to give them time to get out of sight.”

“All right. Tell them I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Got it.”

Karas being injured aside, what was so important that the police were here at daybreak to see him? He drove the ATV back to the shed and arrived at the main house in eight minutes. The house was quiet and still, everyone having scattered after Megan’s warning. He was waiting out on the front steps when the police car parked at the top of the driveway. He recognized both constables.

“Good morning,” he said, shaking hands with them, then stepped back. “Please come in.”

He brought them into his study and shut the door. Karas lifted her head when they entered but otherwise didn’t budge from her bed in front of the fire. Marcus had stoked it three times overnight to make sure it stayed lit for her, because even with the heat on, this time of year the house was chilly. He’d slept on the sofa beside it rather than in his room, not wanting to move Karas.

“I assume you’re here about my complaint about what happened to my dog last night,” Marcus began.

“Yes.” The first constable, a man in his early thirties or thereabouts crouched down to let Karas sniff at his hand. “Hey, sweet girl. I’m sorry this happened to you.”

“We’re also here about an incident that occurred late last night near your property,” the older constable said.

“What incident?” Marcus asked, setting his cane aside as he lowered himself into the chair behind his desk.

The older cop remained standing as he spoke. “It seems three teenage boys were attacked not far from your front gate.”

He already didn’t like where this was going. “Attacked how?”

“They claim someone jumped out of a tree and ambushed them, cuffed them with plastic zip ties, then stripped them down to their undershorts and left them tied to the trunk of the tree where they were found later.”

Marcus’s eyebrows drew together. “What?”

The younger cop pushed to his feet. “Someone called in about it just after midnight and we were sent to pick them up.”

“Were they harmed?” Marcus asked.

“Just their egos,” the younger said.

“One of them had a sign taped to his chest that readI’m an animal abuser. And, ah…Because I’m a coward with a small dick.” The older cop cleared his throat, his gaze never wavering from Marcus. “They’re claiming it was you who attacked them.”

Anger punched through him, but he kept his expression and tone neutral. Dammit. One of the Valkyries had done this. And he had a fair idea of which one. “They claim I jumped out of a tree and attacked them,” he repeated.

“Uh, yes,” the younger cop said, his eyes darting to Marcus’s cane.

Marcus leaned back in his chair, stretching his left leg out onto the ottoman. He didn’t want pity or to draw attention to his disability, but there was no help for it here. “Does it look like I’m capable of climbing a tree, let alone jumping out of one to ambush three lads?”

“You’re former military,” the older one said. “Possibly former special forces, from what I’ve heard.”

One of the few things Marcus disliked about living in a rural area like this was that the locals all knew each other and they talked too damn much. “I haven’t been able to climb a tree in over two years now,” Marcus replied, a cold edge to his voice. And being selected for The Regiment meant he had better control and discipline than most people walking this earth. “So it wasn’t me.”

The man acknowledged his statement with a nod. “Then who?”

“I have no idea.”

“Someone who knew about what happened to your dog.”

“The lads might have hurt another animal last night too. They’ve been setting off bangers three nights in a row now, and deliberately throwing them onto people’s property to spook the animals. It could have been someone else’s dog, or even a sheep the person who left the note was talking about.”

The two constables shared a look, then the older one turned his attention back to Marcus. “I understand you have security cameras set up near the front gate. Mind if we look over the footage from last night?”

“Not at all.” Though he already knew what they’d find. He would bet this house that as soon as Megan had informed Amber of what was going on, Amber had wiped the video feed clean.

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