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Curtis shakes his head vehemently. “No, I didn’t know until their DNA results came back. We didn’t add either of their DNA to the registry until after Harlow ran and it dinged.”

“So how did they end up here?” I ask, starting to pace. I have to do something so I don’t snap this moron’s neck.

“There was a car accident, and the authorities said they received an anonymous tip about it. That two Omega girls were trapped inside a car, their parents dead. We were the closest sanctuary, so they were brought here,” he explains.

“And you didn’t recognize Harper from the accident?” I ask.

Curtis shakes his head. What is with him and all this shaking? “No, there was nothing left of her. The car was completely burnt out. They found Zara and Harlow injured and unconscious on the side of the road. The authorities said it was a miracle they survived because they shouldn’t have been able to get out of the car. Half of Zara's face was hanging off, and both of them were pretty banged up. Harlow had an arm and both legs broken. They thought Zara was dead when they found them,” he slowly explains.

“So, the authorities never looked into their parents?” The question leaves my lips before I can think of it.

“No, they took statements from the girls but didn’t investigate any further. I swear I didn’t know who they were. They told us their parents’ names, but Harper was using an alias. There was nothing left of their parents’ bodies to prove anything different. No leads, nothing.” Curtis is clearly trying to make it seem like he didn’t have anything to do with the accident or Harlow and Zara ending up here.

I press my lips in a line, trying to make sense of everything when my phone starts ringing. It’s the security team at work. I leave Leo with Curtis as I take the call. “What’s up?”

“Ah, boss, there’s a fire, and it's bad. Merl is calling Raidon now, and the fire department is on the way. I think it was set deliberately,” he tells me. Cursing, I hang up and call Raidon.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Raidon

Thane is finally heading back from the sanctuary. He surprises me by saying he is bringing Curtis back with him. Here I am, thinking that monster would be dead already.

On the bright side, the authorities will be waiting when their plane lands to take him into custody. Perhaps that is better than letting Thane kill him.

I completely understand my mate’s need for vengeance, but ridding the world of a piece of shit like Curtis would only be a fleeting pleasure. The guy would be gone, but that’s it. He doesn’t get to take the easy way out of the shit he’s created.

Now, Curtis will have to face the consequences of his actions, even if we won’t be the ones to deliver said consequences. He is also necessary if we’re going to shut down the sanctuaries. His testimony will be front page news and cause an uproar. Corbin won’t be able to keep it quiet, and it will be even more damaging that the son and brother of the biggest sanctuary owners acts as their whistleblower.

“Rhen must be asleep already. I can’t reach him,” Leon announces, pulling me out of my thoughts. My eyes are still focused on the surveillance screen.

I’m about to say something, but out of nowhere, I smell something that reeks of burning plastic. The stench is so strong that I can taste it in the back of my throat.

Half of the building, if not more, was destroyed. Everything is covered in soot, and the contents in the rooms on the lower floors is completely gone. Yet structurally, the building is still sound.

Moving the mouse, I click on the next video. We had a rough time when the fire first broke out, but now that I search the security footage, I’m realizing that the angles for some of our cameras are terrible. We can’t see anything. There are too many blind spots. As I fast-forward to the correct time, Leon peers at the screen, noticing something I missed.

“Wait! Go back. Who’s that?” He points a finger at the screen and I grab the mouse again.

The rear loading dock takes up most of the image as I rewind the video a few minutes back. I furrow my eyebrows, wondering what Leon might have seen. I can barely make out the footage, but in the background, I notice the smoke shop on the street behind our building. The light flicks off as the owner and key cutter opens the door to leave the shop.

“Ah, it’s just Vadum,” I mutter, about to fast-forward again when Leon asks me to rewind more. As I reach for the mouse, I notice a movement on the screen. I pull back my hand and keep watching the video.

Vadum starts walking across the road. He then stops to talk with someone I can’t quite make out because they are wearing a leather jacket and a beanie.

However, as my eyes carefully look them both over, I notice an important detail. The person Vadum is talking to is wearing thigh-high boots. That, and with what I can see of their silhouette, is enough to tell it is a woman.

My eyes follow the scene with newfound interest. What on earth is happening here? And why is Vadum acting like he’s sneaking around? I guess Leon did notice something important.

Vadum unlocks his car, and the woman hops in the passenger seat. She looks like she is in a hurry, while Vadum cautiously continues to cross the road. I furrow my brows as Vadum leans down, checks his surroundings, and pulls a hood over his head.

I hold my breath as I watch him approach the back of our building. I see security come into frame. They are doing their rounds, checking the doors and the perimeter. Vadum hides in some shrubs when he notices them.

Yeah, this is definitely suspicious behavior. Vadum waits for the security guards to finish their rounds and leave before he walks over to the huge roller door. He then pulls a bottle out from the pocket of his hoodie.

A part of me can’t believe I’m actually seeing what is happening on the screen, but I keep watching regardless of my doubts.

Vadum sets the bottle down before he starts rummaging in his back pocket, finally pulling out what looks like a key.