Page 66 of Savage Peril

“Yes, I am.”

Before Matt could ask questions, the agent barked, “You are under arrest. Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

The agent handcuffed Matt and he was taken into custody. As he walked down the hall, the silence was deafening. Then he spotted Lori and his face contorted into a grimace of rage. “You betrayed me!”

Matt was escorted out of the building, but it wasn’t over yet. The FBI had a search warrant, so a team stayed behind. For another hour, they searched the clinic, but Lori didn’t expect them to find anything. She doubted that Matt kept drugs in his office. She assumed that they would search his penthouse, if they hadn’t already.

When the agents finally left, Lori collapsed into a chair. The others started asking questions. She tried to explain what she could. It had been overwhelming to witness the arrest, and it wasn’t easy to settle down. Lori’s relief that Matt had been removed from the clinic—and wouldn’t return—got lost in the excitement.

Lori closed the clinic for the remainder of the day, then texted Gunner. He showed up to take her home, and on the way, she described Matt’s arrest in detail. Lori felt immense satisfaction. Matt had bullied and manipulated her for far too long. It had finally come to an end.

When Lori got home, she kicked off her shoes and put on comfortable clothes. Then she opened a bottle of wine to share. “I can’t believe it’s over.”

Lori leaned against Gunner’s strong shoulder and sipped wine, trying to relax. Yet something nagged at her. “I’ve been thinking about your theory.”

“About Matt’s motive?”

“If my father had any suspicions about Matt, he didn’t share them with me.”

“I’m sure he wanted to protect you.”

“It’s difficult to picture Matt being a killer,” Lori said. “He was dishonest and greedy, but…”

“If not Matt, then who?”

“The mob wanted to do business with me,” Lori said. “Lorenzo even mentioned that he knew my father. What if he had made the same offer to my father, but he had refused?”

“I’ve thought of that,” Gunner said. “The mob could have ordered a hit, but poisoning? They would have needed to get close enough, and I doubt your father accepted a dinner invitation from them.”

“Matt is more likely,” Lori said. “If I had married him, his plan might have worked.”

“The news of Matt’s arrest will spread fast,” Gunner said. “You can bet the mob will fade into the background.”

“Will Matt tell the government who he worked with?”

“A plea bargain would be dangerous,” Gunner said. “The FBI knows it was the mob from the surveillance video, but Lorenzo has good attorneys. I’m sure he will deny any involvement.”

“But there were others,” Lori said. “Matt could agree to be a witness.”

“He’s too smart for that,” Gunner said. “The mob would kill him…and he knows it.”

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