Chapter 107

[Evelyn’s POV]

I was glad for the change of topic and immediately jumped on it with bubbling anticipation. One of the main things that kept my hope alive during my strenuous time back home was hoping that Alexander and Oliver would finally find the evidence they were after.

“Yes!” I exclaimed.

I watched Alexander’s expression deepen with a smug satisfaction which offered my own nerves a chance to finally relax.

“Tell me, what did you find?”

“You remember how, before all of this, Oliver mentioned something about a secret contact?” I nodded, eager for him to tell me more. “That secret contact managed to trace the car back to an old junkyard miles away. The place is still run by one of the original managers who just so happened to be there the day Michael and Caroline brought the car there.”

My brows lifted in surprise. “Michael and Caroline?”

I found it incredibly astounding that someone like Caroline would allow herself to get that close to such dirty work. I must have openly worn a look of doubt on my face because Alexander was quick to explain.

“From what we were told, Caroline merely stayed back in the car when they had arrived at the place,” he said.

As interesting as it was to know this information, I was still trying to figure out how any of this would be used as essential evidence in the case. My eyebrows slightly drew together as I took part of my bottom lip between my teeth.

“Alexander, how exactly does any of this help the case? I mean I’m glad you were able to track down the car but it doesn’t necessarily point the finger directly at anyone in particular,” I said.

His hum of amusement dispersed what little worry I was hanging on to.

“Patience.”

My heart skipped a beat. That word rolled through me wrapped in a sensuous reminder of what happened between us the night before.

“You’ll see how it all becomes connected,” he said. “You were right about the car’s condition. The brakes had, indeed, been cut. Not only that but all forms of emergency communication had been removed as well. Anyone can cut the brake lines in a car, but it takes a professional to remove the communication system.”

I tilted my head in question. “A professional? What are you saying, Michael had the car especially taken to a shop where he asked to have these things done?”

His smile grew. “Precisely.”

I nearly scoffed in disbelief. “Okay, that’s insane. I mean, what sort of self-respected mechanic would ever agree to make such dangerous alterations to a car?”

“Thankfully, Michael managed to find, probably, the one and only mechanic in the region that possesses a strong sense of morality and a heavily guilty conscience,” he remarked. “After our trip to the junkyard, we were directed to Matteo’s Mechanic shop. The guy looked guilty prior to us even asking him any questions.”

I couldn’t imagine trying to live with that kind of guilt.

But why would this guy have agreed to do something so reckless if he already knew that it was wrong?

“Oliver and I approached him calmly. We presented him with the same picture of Michael we’d shown the previous guy and Matteo looked as though he was seconds away from collapsing,” he explained. “The man absolutely caved. He confessed to having argued with Michael about not wanting to agree to the alterations.”

“But what made him agree in the end?”

“Money,” he said.

Ah, the things we do for money.

As sick as it was, a small part of me almost felt a bit of sympathy for this guy. Sometimes things truly could become too far out of our control and we would have no choice but to bend.

“That must have been really hard for him,” I stated. “Not that I’m condoning his actions, but I’m sure he had his reason for giving in to Michael’s demands.

Alexander nodded his head and sighed. “The guy had been struggling financially for a few years. He felt as though he was between a rock and a hard place. Ultimately, he gave in.”

“Do you think if this case could be brought to court he would testify on your behalf?” I asked.

At the moment, Alexander seemed more intrigued with the line of my jaw rather than wanting to continue this conversion any further.

“I’d asked Matteo if he would—he agreed. However, I don’t believe that any of that will be necessary. You see, Matteo had various security cameras placed around his shop. He has actual video footage of Michael trying to get to him to have the brake lines severed and the other systems removed.”

My mouth fell open.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, and we just came into possession of a copy of that exact footage,” he added.

Oh my God. It was wild to think that there had been a time when I seriously doubted Alexander’s belief that Michael was crazy. The guy was crafty. He knew how to appeal to me on my own level which had me feeling connected to him in some way.

Now, I just felt like a fool.

“Alexander, I’m sorry,” I said quietly.

He gave me a bewildered look. “For what?”

“I didn’t believe you when you first told me about your suspicions toward Michael.”

“Evelyn, it wasn’t as though I was very forthcoming with information regarding the situation,” he pointed out. “You had every right to be doubtful. You were right from the beginning about the fact that I needed evidence to back up my claims. Well, now we have it.”

He gave me a promising smile that made my insides buzz.

“So, are you going to present our findings to the Alpha King and have Michael arrested?”

I highly expected Alexander to readily agree; however, he appeared contemplative.

“I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.”

“Why is that?”

Hell, now that we knew just what level of insanity Michael was willing to lower himself to, I didn’t want to give him any further opportunity to finish what he started.

“When Michael and Caroline brought the car to the junkyard after the crash, there was another party present to the ordeal,” he said. “I asked the manager for any type of physical detail with the hope that we could identify them. All he could recall from that day was the fact that this unknown person was wearing a jacket that bore the royal emblem.”

This time, my heart dropped into my stomach. That was yet another rumor that he had proven to be true. Alexander had mentioned in the past that the Alpha King had always been wary of him due to his ability to conquer other packs and continuously expand his own army.

How did someone manage to make an enemy out of the most powerful person in the region?

Simple, you find a way to obtain the one thing that they will never be able to possess...Real influence over their people.

There wasn’t a single person under Alexander’s leadership who thought poorly of him. The pack was flourishing and more willing to operate even under the somewhat awkward circumstances of having been overtaken by him in the beginning.

What Alexander was willing to offer was a second chance for those people. A second chance and a better life than what they had before. He cared for his people like a real Alpha should.

The Alpha King has a right to be concerned about Alexander, especially when word gets out that he was never in that car accident to begin with. What sort of threats would we end up facing now?