Page 18 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

Closing out of the windows he had pulled open, Mikko pushed away from his desk and grabbed his helmet.

While the unnamed woman was too busy taunting him, she’d failed to realize what kind of person he was—what kind of man he could be behind all the stuffy business schemes. Where he lacked, he made up for it in other areas—other fixations. The empire his father builtmay be a terrible weight Mikko had to carry, but it’d shaped him into the man he was now.

For better or worse.

Mikko was going to find her and question her motives. In his world, trust didn’t come easily, so until then, he’d expect the worst.

Unless his possessive nature consumed him first.

Work could wait. Slipping from his office and cloaked in the fading sunset, he patted his jacket pocket to make sure the small bag with the piece of gum was still there. He had a favor to call in, even if it did make him a bit crazy.

Or rather, apredatoron the hunt.

6

Signatures

Mikko

Mikko’s R6 roared beneath him as he sped across the expanse of highways looping through the city. After leaving his office, Mikko was halfway to his destination when he called in his favor.

The phone rang a couple times before Dr. Layla Žofia finally picked up. “I’m almost scared to ask what you need, Mikko.” Her greeting was blunt yet warm.

“Who says I need anything,” he responded, the Bluetooth device in his helmet making it easier to talk and ride.

“Anytime I see your name on the caller ID, I know.”

“Ouch, I thought we were friends.”

Her laugh rent through the small space inside his helmet. “Oh, Mikko, we both know our professions don’t allow us to have those. But all jokes aside, I do believe I told you I owed you one after taking care of my ex.”

“He was a big guy…” Mikko said.

“Iknow, I know, and he took a lot of your men to lift his dead weight,” she joked. “Hurry up and ask your favor though, I’m between appointments right now.”

Downshifting, Mikko carefully formulated his question. “How soon would you be able to get DNA results back on a piece of gum?”

“Hmm, how old is it?”

“A couple days.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard, bring it in and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Are you available in”—Mikko checked the clock on his bike’s dash—“seventeen minutes?”

“Only for you.”

“Good, I’ll be there in fifteen.”

With a friendly scoff, Dr. Žofia hung up, not one to question his demands.

GRIPPING HIS HELMET, balaclava, and the bag containing the chewed gum, Mikko waited in the too small seats at Dr. Žofia’s office. She primarily worked for the police department, running tests and analyses for them, but occasionally Mikko could sway her to work for him. Tonight was one of those nights.

Like she’d mentioned, her ex-boyfriend had been a dipshit, giving her trouble when all she’d wanted was for him to leave her alone, so Mikko and his men took care of it. He was also notorious for cheating at a couple of Mikko’s establishments, so it benefited both parties.

“Just taking the trash out,”he’d told her once it was done. That was the only time he’d seen the doctor get emotional.

The hour was growing late, but Dr. Žofia liked to stay after hours, catching up on work and letting her mind relax as she lost herself in her tasks.Mikko could relate in some ways.