Page 21 of Claim Me

She didn’t say anything or acknowledge I had. I had to remind myself she was no longer looking in my direction.

Communicating with her could be difficult. I’d need to be able to grab her attention when there was any sign of danger. I headed outside the room, immediately tossing the cup before he approached.

“I was told someone visiting Mr. Valentine demanded to see the officer in charge. Was that you?”

I studied the aging officer of the law, immediately detecting he had no interest in working the case. I’d been around law enforcement officers long enough to see through their shields when they were pretending to protect and serve the innocent. This man was on the take and certainly not within our jurisdiction.

“What can you tell me about Mr. Valentine’s shooter?”

“And you are?” He seemed amused I’d dare ask. I also detected a slight look of surprise. What, that Charlie was still alive?

“A friend. And who are you?”

He eyed me suspiciously while quickly glancing into the hospital room. I noticed his eyes lingered on Marissa.

Too long in my world.

“Detective Torres.”

I nodded. “Go on, Detective. Who shot him?”

“Yet to be determined, but I’m working the case.”

“Mmm… I’m sure you are. What are the circumstances surrounding the attempted murder?”

His face was pinched, his frustration evident by the single hard tic in the corner of his mouth. “He was in his office.”

“At the resort?”

“Yes.” He eyed me warily.

“And let me guess. There were no witnesses.”

“No, there were not. I’m going to need to insist I get your name.” The detective lifted his eyebrow, the smirk on his face as if he’d caught me committing a heinous crime. Why not toss out a crumb and see where it led me?

I pulled out my wallet, grabbing a business card. My stare was hard and cold, unrelenting as my brother would say.

He continued eyeing me, perhaps a hint of venom soaking through while he grabbed the card. His gaze fell quickly then a second time, now processing my name and who I was. There were few people within active law enforcement or on this side of the Mississippi who didn’t know of the Dmitriyev name or our reputation.

Maybe we were mostly on the right side of the law, but we were still a powerful Russian family with all the weaponry and connections required. There were also stories from the past that lingered like the brutal and bloody ghost stories told around a campfire.

“Well, Mr. Dmitriyev, you’re far from home,” he said as he pocketed the card. How quickly would he make a few phone calls?

“Never too far when coming to the aid of a friend and his family. I assume you’ll work the case diligently until you find the person responsible.”

“As I would any other case.”

“Yes, given an innocent man was gunned down.”

He pinched his lower lip between his thumb and forefinger as he made clicking noises. “You do realize your… friend isn’t on the right side of the law. Don’t you?”

I cocked my head, keeping my expression devoid of any reaction. Did he honestly believe goading me would work? “What Mr. Valentine does for a living and how he does so changes nothing, Detective Torres. Now, if you don’t believe you’re capable of finding the person responsible for doing this, then I assure you that I am.” I allowed that to sink in.

“Yes, well, I’ll keep that in mind. Is that Ms. Valentine?”

I shifted so I could look in through the pane of glass. “It is.”

“I’ll need to speak with her.” When he tried to walk past me toward the room’s door, I stepped directly in front of him.