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ChapterFive
Damon moved the bedroom curtains aside and looked across the dark street.
Boone’s car hadn’t returned. His wife was missing, and he’d taken off as if it was just another evening. Unbelievable.
If Ariana went missing, nobody could stop Damon from searching until he found her. They’d have to sedate him to get him to stop. Anything else would be off the table.
It seemed everyone else was more concerned about Rita than her own husband was. He, Ariana, Lia, and Charles had spent the entire evening contacting people to see if they’d heard from Rita.
Two hours ago, long after their friends had gone home, Damon finally convinced Ariana to go to bed.
Now Damon was the one who couldn’t rest. Staring at the empty driveway across the street only made his nervous energy worse.
All he wanted was to give Boone an earful once he returned home for the night — if he came back. No way Damon would ignore the man’s threat to Ariana and Lia.
Given the sorry state of Boone and Rita’s marriage, Damon wouldn’t be surprised if she had left him. Rita was a powerhouse of a personality. He couldn’t believe she’d put up with Boone’s garbage for as long as she had. But while her leaving made sense, not telling Ari and Lia about it was out of character. It also didn’t explain her not showing up to work. The restaurant was everything to her. That and her friendship with Ariana and Lia. The three women treasured their time together.
There was no way Rita had gone away on her own without telling her friends. They were right about that much.
Damon checked on Ari, who was still sleeping, and returned to his post at the window.
Still no car.
Boone reminded Damon too much of his father — may his soul never rest in peace. Cal Jones also had spent most of his adult life at work, or at least that had been the story he’d told. When the truth had come out, his actual career had come to light.
Criminal mastermind.
In addition to everything else he’d done, he had murdered Damon’s mom in cold blood. Spent years abusing both her and Damon. He’d gone after Ariana’s family because her dad was getting too close to the truth.
The irony of Damon and Ari’s relationship was never lost on him. The Mercers should’ve hated him because of his father, but they’d taken him under their wing when he became an orphan in high school — one parent dead and the other in prison for life. Then both parents dead.
Damon shoved aside the thoughts of his father. The man didn’t deserve a moment of his attention.
He glanced down the street one more time before releasing the curtain. Time to get some sleep. Confronting Boone would have to wait until tomorrow.
Damon had taken only three steps before a car engine sounded down the street.
It couldn’t be Boone.
Could it?
Damon leaped back to the window, shoved the curtains aside again.
Boone’s car pulled into his driveway across the street.
Damon blinked a few times, hardly able to believe his eyes.
This was his chance.
He raced across the room, vaulted down the stairs, and flew across the entry, barely taking time to close the front door. Didn’t want to miss Boone.
Beep, beep.
Boone’s car alarm.
Damon’s foot slid on the freshly watered grass. He regained his balance just in time for his other foot to hit a sprinkler that hadn’t retracted into the ground.
Boone traipsed up one step after another across the road.
