Wrong Again

(Damon's POV)

I didn't like feeling like I had made no progress on my list of suspects. The only answer was to really look at my list. I needed to start with the ones I had angered enough to consider the possibility of killing me. Justin was right, someone could've been hired. I didn't even consider the security cameras being hacked but once that was brought to my attention my whole system received an upgrade to prevent anyone getting in.

I opened the door to the warehouse. Our suspect had been brought here hours ago and was patiently waiting. I walked down the hall and opened another door where our suspect sat in a chair. Justin was already here to keep an eye on our man, Eric Rowan.

Eric and I had gone way back. We used to be friends with each other but that changed a few years ago. He had been upset with me because when I came back to Nashville I didn't want to waste my time on his business proposition that was going to go nowhere. He had been so upset that I refused to even invest that he had made multiple threats to me.

"Of course it would be you." Eric spoke as his eyes fell on me.

"Who else would it be? Or do you have the habit of being on bad terms with multiple people here in Nashville?" I asked in a sardonic tone.

"What the fuck do you want with me?" Eric asked. "We haven't talked in years. I was so close to forgetting you existed."

I pulled a chair over and sat in front of him. "I forgot about you a while ago. Until I had to begin looking into my enemies again after someone attempted to have me killed."

"Well it's real fucking shame they weren't successful." Eric spat.

I stood up and gave him a mocking chuckle. I noticed the look of confusion on his face and took my opportunity. I gave him a punch and then sat back down. "So that answers my first question. You'd still love to see me dead, is that correct?"

"Jesus Damon." He glared at me. "Have I thought about it? Absolutely. But if I really wanted you dead I would have made sure I finished the job."

"Is that so? Because I remember you being a big talker Eric but when it comes time to actually act you run away." I responded. "So that makes you a good suspect for someone who could have hired someone to kill me."

"You think I could hire someone to kill you?" He scoffed.

"I'm not ruling it out." I answered.

"Damon, I'm fucking broke because of you. I couldn't afford it. If I was going to I would do it myself. Then when I got arrested I would at least have a place to lay my head at night for the rest of my life." Eric seemed sure of his answer.

"What about your father's money?" I questioned further. He had received a large inheritance from when his father passed.

"It's gone." He sighed. "I blew it all on gambling. After you rejected my proposition like an asshole I made an attempt to run away from my problems. Before I knew it I ran out and it was all gone. Now I'm working as fucking telemarketer. Can you believe that? I've sunk that low. Believe me Damon, if I was going to kill someone it would be myself, not you."

I looked over at Cody. "I want you to verify these details with Mr. Rowan's bank statements."

Justin and I left the room and waited for Cody's confirmation. "What do you think?" Justin asked.

"I'm not sure. We'll have an idea shortly." I responded.

It took a few hours but Cody had returned from the mission I had sent him on. "He's telling the truth." Cody handed over the documents verifying Eric could never afford to get someone to kill me.

I walked back into the room. "Looks like you're telling the truth."

"Told you." He smirked. "But maybe you've given me a few ideas."

I gave Eric another punch to the face. I then gripped the collar of his shirt and jerked at it to get his attention. "Touch me or my family and I will make sure you're dead." My tone was dark and threatening. "You better keep your mouth shut about this too or I can make your life even worse."

"Calm down Damon. I was kidding. I'm not going to do anything." He spoke in a serious tone.

"Get him out of here." I ordered.

Eric didn't have the tattoo and he didn't have the money to hire anyone. The odds of him being the actual culprit were slim. I had been wrong again and that was fucking unacceptable. I needed to figure out how to dig deeper. Going down my list one by one would waste my time like it did today. I needed more concrete proof to be bringing people in here. I had to figure out how to narrow down my list.

I turned to leave and Eric's voice caught my attention once more. "You've gotten soft Damon. Even though it wasn't me, the you from years ago would've made me leave here with more bruises." He let out a chuckle as he attempted to taunt me.

"That's a good point." I looked over to Justin. "Deal with him how you see fit. Report back to me once he's been returned to his pathetic life."

I stormed out of the room and went back to the car. Cody drove back to Tipton Enterprises and I went straight upstairs. I was furious as I had been wrong yet again. It seemed every time I thought I got closer it didn't work out.

I walked past Stacey and slammed the door of my office as I entered inside. I marched over to my desk where I opened the drawer that contained the pills. Eric was right. I had gone too soft and these weren't helping. If I wanted to get to the bottom of this quickly I needed to get back into the mindset I had before. I needed my determination back to get answers no matter what.

I walked to the bathroom in the office and opened the pill bottle. I dumped them into the toilet and flushed it until they were all gone. Fuck these pills right now. I went back to my desk and picked up the phone to call out to Stacey.

"Yes Mr. Tipton?" She asked.

"I want you to cancel my last therapy sessions immediately." I ordered. I had made it halfway through the program. That was good enough for me.

"Sir, are you sure that's a good idea?" I could hear the concern in Stacey's voice.

"Yes. I'm your boss so do your fucking job." I responded coldly. "And this better not get back to Kaydence or consider yourself unemployed.