“Document?” Valeria asked, confused by the change in plan.
“We can’t take any of this,” Dom said, pulling out his phone. “But we can copy it.”
Understanding dawned on her face. “Preserve the chain of custody.”
“Exactly.” Dom was already photographing the timeline charts on the walls. “Axel, download what you can from those drives. Photograph what you can. We need to find a way to tip this off to local PD so it’s admissible in court.”
Axel connected portable drives to Rebecca’s equipment, copying audio files while leaving the originals untouched. “These recordings are going to bury Dalton.”
Thirty minutes later, they had captured most of Rebecca’s investigation without leaving evidence they’d been there. Thestorage unit looked exactly as they’d found it, but their phones and drives contained copies of everything needed to expose Frank Dalton.
“Perfect,” Valeria said, studying the undisturbed space. “When police find this, it’ll be exactly as Rebecca left it.”
Dom closed the storage unit door and reset the lock. Axel restored the security cameras as they walked away, erasing any evidence they’d ever been there.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
The Fate Mountain Police Stationcame into view through Dom’s windshield, and Valeria’s stomach clenched. She’d been missing for three days, and now she was about to walk through those doors with the man her family believed was a murderer.
“You ready for this?” Dom asked, his deep voice gentle as he parked near the front entrance.
Valeria took a steadying breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be to tell my father that his missing daughter is mated to his primary suspect.”
Dom’s hand found hers, warm and reassuring. They walked through the station doors side by side, and the reaction was immediate.
“Chief! Valeria’s back!” Officer Holt called out, his voice carrying across the bullpen. “And she’s with Dominic Steel!”
Conversations stopped mid-sentence. Phones were set down. Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward them. Heavy footsteps thundered down the hall, and her father appeared inthe doorway. For a moment, he simply stared, his face cycling through relief, joy, and confusion.
“VALERIA!” Heath’s voice cracked as he rushed toward her. “Thank God! Where have you been? I was so worried about you.” His arms wrapped around her in a crushing embrace that drove the air from her lungs. “Why are you with Steel?”
Before she could answer, Gabriel’s voice rang out from behind her father. “Valeria!” Her brother appeared, his face pale with shock and relief. “Do you have any idea what we’ve been through?”
Valeria stepped back from her father’s embrace, feeling Dom’s steady presence beside her. There was no point in easing into this. No way to soften the blow of what she was about to tell them.
“Dad,” she said, lifting her chin. “Dominic Steel is my fated mate. We’ve been working together on the Becca Matthews investigation.”
The silence that followed was deafening. She could hear the hum of fluorescent lights, the distant radio chatter from dispatch, even her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. Heath’s face went through another series of expressions. Shock. Disbelief. Something that might have been hurt.
“Your mate?” he said in a low voice. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Gabriel stepped forward. “Valeria, Steel is our primary person of interest.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you,” she replied, meeting Gabriel’s skeptical gaze head-on. “But I know for a fact that he is not guilty.”
Gabriel’s jaw tightened. Heath looked between Valeria and Dom like he was trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces.
“My office,” Heath said, already turning toward the hallway. “All of you. Now.”
They filed into Heath’s corner office, the windows overlooking the town square. Gabriel claimed one of the chairs facing Heath’s desk while Dom remained standing near the door, arms crossed. Valeria took the chair beside her brother. Heath shut the door firmly before rounding his desk.
“Explain what’s been going on,” Heath said, sinking into his chair. “Start from the beginning.”
Valeria had rehearsed this story during the drive, weaving truth and fabrication together in a way that would protect them both. “As you know, I went back to Becca’s house for a follow-up investigation. While I was there, I received an anonymous tip about a storage unit.”
Heath’s brow furrowed.
