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“Rain check,” he agrees. “Come on. I’ve been asked to bring you to see him. They want to know if he’ll tell you anything he hasn’t told us.”
I should move. Except I don’t. Everything lately has been happening so fast. I haven’t had a moment to catch my breath and I need a second with Jedrik.
He seems to sense exactly what I need without me having to utter a word and wraps me in his arms once more. His maple scent teases my nose with its intensity. He’s as stressed as I am. Though it’s no wonder with an accused best friend and an actual murderer on the loose.
“What’s going to happen to Ry?” I murmur, not daring to look at Jedrik.
“I don’t know, Ver. But I promise we’ll do everything in our power to prove his innocence. You worry about you, okay? Can you do that for me? Now that we’ve established your connection with Emmett, we’ll be working as a team to keep you safe. I don’t like the idea of you being alone so we convinced Mrs. Violet we need to bunk in the omega wing. We’ll be taking shifts to keep an eye on you until we catch the real killer.”
His statement eases some of the tension I didn’t even know I had from between my shoulders. It’s nice knowing I won’t be alone, having to face all of this by myself. It’s a strange thought. I have a pack, of sorts, to rely on now when it’s only been me and Ryland for so long. “Thank you, Jed.”
He places a soft kiss against my head and I lift to my tip toes so he can plant one against my lips. “Always, Trouble.”
Reluctantly, he pulls away and leads me toward the back of the mansion. There are so many rooms within these halls, I haven’t been able to explore them all, but something tells me Jedrik knows his way around fairly well. I try not to think about his past on the show because it makes me stabby with knowledge of how they were treated. They deserved better. Everyone did. This show does a lot of good for a lot of people, but there are also major oversights that need changing. Maybe I can make a lasting impact. But how?
Questions for another day.
I shove all of that aside and focus on our surroundings. We’re in a hallway I’ve never been in before and I especially don’t recognize the room as Jedrik pulls open the door and motions me inside. “Wow, I take it this is where everyone is monitored?” I spot Mrs. Violet in the corner and amend my statement, “I mean, where the show is monitored.”
“Correct,” she states, stepping away from the wall. To be frank, she looks like hell. There are makeup streaks down her face that have been smudged from her wiping tears away. Her clothes are rumpled. Even her hair has fallen out of the fancy updo she was sporting earlier in the day.
My gaze swivels around the room to find Andrik planted in a computer chair in front of a screen. His eyes appear bloodshot from staring at what I assume is the proof being mentioned left and right. Mark is hovering over his shoulder, pacing in the background. His appearance is as ragged as Mrs. Violet’s and his scent, ugh, it burns the hairs in my nostrils. Betas already typically have a tartness to them, but when they’re stressed, it’s overboard. “Find anything yet?” Jedrik asks his brother.
He shakes his head. “Unfortunately, not yet. I’m convinced all the footage after the fight has been erased, but I’ll keep digging. Even if I have to search through the recordings of every single room.”
Mark snorts. “What else is there to know? Matthew said some foul things about Verity and the beta fucking lost his temper.” The attitude dripping from every syllable has my own temper flaring. “He should be in handcuffs. The end.”
As if Jedrik can sense the direction of my thoughts, he places his hand in mine; the gesture tells me to watch my tongue. I didn’t realize I took a step in Mark’s direction, so I resume walking, making it seem purposeful. I shoot him a dark glare before turning my attention to the monitor Andrik’s working on, completely ignoring his callous statement.
I watch him rewind through some seemingly innocent footage, and neither Ryland nor Matthew appear in the frame. Andrik sighs before clicking on another clip from a different angle.
I don’t even have to ask to know he hasn’t had any luck absolving Ry from the crime. Damn it.
Jedrik followed me over to the screen and leans in closer like it might magically make something new appear. “There has to be more, right?”
Andrik shakes his head. “Seems as if there are less cameras recording than we thought,” he murmurs. “Besides, whoever did this covered their tracks well. Nothing useful after the scuffle.”
My heart aches with that knowledge. The one time the cameras might’ve come in handy for something and they’re utterly useless. The irony isn’t lost on me. “Jedrik mentioned something about talking to Ryland. I’d like to go ahead with that, please.”
Mrs. Violet nods. “Keep an eye on her the whole time, Mr. Hart. She’s not allowed to be alone with that beta.” Under her breath she mutters something about never should’ve agreed to let that monster come in the first place. Once again I suppress the spike of anger, biting into my tongue so hard to keep my mouth shut I taste the tang of blood.
I’ll prove Ryland is innocent, if it’s the last thing I do.
Jedrik places his hand on the small of my back as he leads me to the room where they’re keeping Ryland. He perks up as the door opens and I swear, as soon as his champagne scent hits me and I get a glimpse of the haunted expression in his eyes, my heart breaks into a million pieces. I rush forward, faster than anyone can react, and throw my arms around him. It takes me a second to realize why he’s not hugging me back. That’s when I spot the rope connecting his hands to the table.
A growl that could rival any alpha’s bursts out of me. I round on Jedrik, who turns sheepish at the sound of my ire. “Why on earth is he tied to the table? Surely this has to be a cruel and unusual punishment.”
“I’m fine, Ver Bear,” Ryland states, even though he seems anything but.
“No, you’re not. Untie him, Jed. Now.”
“I’m sorry, Ver, but I can’t.” He motions toward the camera in the corner of the room. We’re being filmed. Of course. I take a deep breath and sit in the seat across the table from my best friend. Jedrik sits beside me and leans in close. “Mrs. Violet isn’t taking any chances. They truly think Ryland is the culprit and so far, we don’t have anything suggesting he’s not.”
“Maybe, but you don’t have anything concrete saying he is, without a doubt, either. They don’t even have the murder weapon.”
“Deep breaths, Ver,” Ryland says, reminding me to breathe.
After a few inhales, I don’t feel any calmer. My nerves are shot. “Explain what happened, in detail, right now.” I reach my hands out across the table, taking his in mine as much as I can because I need the comfort.
