Chapter 189: THE NAME IN THE JOURNAL
Author’s POV
It had been an hour since the masked figure was here with Osric. And true to her promise, she was back again.
Orin’s breathing became uneven as he struggled against the restraints, but the figure standing before him showed no sign of sympathy. She had already made up her mind about him, and whatever plea he could make would not change it. He lifted his head as much as he could, desperation written plainly across his face.
"Please," Orin begged. "Just give me another chance. I can fix this. I can still help you."
The figure turned toward him slowly, her expression cold. "Another chance?"
She gave a humorless laugh and moved closer. "Do you have any idea how many chances you’ve already wasted?"
Orin shook his head. "I can make it right."
"No, you can’t." She stopped in front of him and stared at him for a long moment. "We lost people because of you. We lost the hideout because you couldn’t control yourself. You were supposed to follow instructions, but instead you became obsessed with Keisha and decided that everything had to revolve around getting to her."
Orin’s eyes widened. "I thought I could get close to her."
"You thought." Her voice hardened. "And now our operation is gone. The people who were stationed there are gone. Everything we spent months building was exposed because you couldn’t keep your emotions under control."
His voice shook. "I didn’t mean for that to happen."
"I don’t care what you meant."
Orin swallowed, his voice becoming desperate again. "Please. I can still be useful. Tell me what you need me to do."
She stared at him. "You still don’t understand." She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "I brought you back into the pack because I thought you could still be useful. I thought perhaps being around Keisha would make you more disciplined. Instead, you became careless, and now you’ve given the Alpha another reason to tighten security."
Orin shook his head. "I can change."
"You’ve said that before, Orin. I’ve given you too many chances."
Her fingers flexed against the whip in her hand before she struck his bare back with a crackling sound. Orin yelped, struggling against the restraints as the whip bit into his skin, drawing blood that ran down his back. "I swear—"
"Stop."
He fell silent, body trembling with tears streaming down his face.
The figure studied him with a look that made him visibly uneasy. "I should have ended this the moment you became a liability."
Orin’s breathing quickened. "Don’t."
She smiled faintly. "Oh, I’m going to. But not quickly."
His face fell. "You can’t."
"I can." She turned away, leaving him struggling against the restraints. "I’ll deal with you when everything else is finished. Until then, you stay exactly where you are."
Orin’s voice followed her as she walked toward the door. "Please!"
She didn’t stop.
"I can help you!" He yelled.
The door closed behind her.
**********
At the clinic, Dane stood outside Dr. Fenn’s old office with his hands tucked into his pockets, staring at the door.
The new doctor unlocked it and pushed it open. "You wanted to see this?"
Dane nodded. "Yes."
She stepped aside. "I’ve only been working here for a short time, but this place still feels like hers."
Dane looked inside. The office had remained almost untouched. Books still occupied the shelves, medical files were arranged across the desk, and several old notes were pinned to the board.
The doctor gave a small smile. "Everywhere I look, I find something she left behind."
Dane glanced at her. "You knew her well?"
"Not personally at first." She leaned against the doorway. "I met her years ago during a medical volunteer program. She was already experienced, and I was just trying to learn everything I could. She was one of those people who didn’t make you feel stupid for asking questions."
Dane listened.
"She used to stay behind after everyone else left," the doctor continued. "Sometimes she’d spend hours going through patient records. She was incredibly thorough."
"That sounds like her." He hummed.
The doctor looked at him. "You worked with her?"
"I did." He shifted uneasily.
The woman smiled. "Then you probably know what I mean."
Dane nodded. "I do."
She glanced around the room. "I don’t know what you’re looking for, but if you find anything strange, let me know. Some of her records were never transferred because the investigation after her death took most of them."
"Thank you." He smiled.
She nodded and left him alone, and immediately, Dane shut the door. His attention immediately went to the desk as he began searching carefully, checking drawers, folders and the shelves. He went through old medical books, patient notes and several notebooks, but nothing immediately stood out.
He moved to the bottom shelf and frowned. One of the books looked different from the others.
He pulled it free and opened it to see it was a journal.
Dane flipped through several pages, scanning Dr. Fenn’s handwriting until something caught his attention.
A receipt had been tucked between two pages.
He pulled it out as his eyes moved across the information and then, he stopped as he read across the words.
Heat Inducement.
His expression changed and he read the name beneath it.
Vera Ashveil.
Dane stared at the receipt for several seconds. "No." He turned back to the journal and searched through the surrounding pages.
There it was. Vera’s name. Dr. Fenn had written it herself. And beside it was a question mark.
Dane’s brows drew together as he muttered under his breath, "Why were you investigating Vera?"
He read the surrounding notes again, trying to make sense of them, but there wasn’t enough information to answer the question.
Dane stared at the name Vera Ashveil for another moment, his mind already racing through everything that had happened since the Heat Incident. He picked up his phone again and dialed the man he had assigned to keep an eye on her. The call connected after a few rings, and Dane didn’t bother wasting time with greetings. His eyes remained fixed on the journal as he spoke.
"Hello? Give me a report on Vera now."