Page 53 of Silent Vendetta (Vendetta Duet)

The murder room. Where Franco was probably decomposing.

Hunter was going to hold me against my will, no matter what I did. The only thing up for debate was what kind of amenities I had.

But most importantly, if I’d be able to help my dad.

I chewed the inside of my cheek, trying to rush through possible scenarios.

“Fine,” I said. “But if you screw me on this, I’ll pushyouout a window, Hunter Lockwood.”

A small smile crept across his face.

In that suspended moment, our eyes locked. It felt like the world had shifted on its axis, bringing us to a crossroads neither of us could have anticipated.

Before I could digest the unexpected intimacy, a cell phone buzzed—my cell phone, I realized, once he pulled it out of his pocket.

Whatever its contents, his lips thinned, and his teeth clenched.

“What?” I asked.

He snapped his eyes to me. “Whoever sent you that letter must have heard your court date was moved up.”

He handed me the phone.

Unknown: I warned you to drop the case. Guess you need proof I’ll follow through with my threat. Ticktock, Luna. The time is ticking.

CHAPTER25

Luna

“It was a burner phone.” Barry’s voice crackled through the line. Hunter, restless, traced a path around the room, each step mirroring the drumbeat of tension while Grayson, in contrast, slouched against the wall.

I was impressed that it had only taken Barry a couple of hours to come back to us with this.

“I’m having my team trace it now, but if it’s the same guy that sent that threatening letter to Luna, I’m not optimistic we’ll find anything.”

“Get optimistic,” Hunter snapped.

Gone was the vulnerable man I’d caught a glimpse of in the bathroom, replaced by the fiercely protective alpha I both feared and admired.

“He hid all traces of himself with that letter, and I suspect he did the same thing here,” Barry said.

Hunter’s eyes darkened, voice firm. “Then find out who’s slipping him info from the courthouse. Someone there knows more than they should. Check with the clerks, their significant others, and family members. Work your way outward from the judge. Someone who has access to his calendar.”

“Leaving the evidence locker now,” Barry said.

Hunter paused. “Have you found anything else with Mr. Payne’s case that might help us?”

Barry let a long silence pass. “I may have found something, but it’s premature.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“Sir, it might not—”

Hunter’s impatience was palpable. “Minutes matter, Barry. Spill it.”

Barry took a measured breath. “There was one piece of evidence that caught my eye,” he explained. “The pants the victim was wearing the night he was killed.”

“What about them?” I asked.

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