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“I don’t know,” Kaj admitted. “But I’m proud of your compassion.”
Elijah jutted out his chin, looking very much like Kaj. “He let me go, Dad. He could have grabbed me, but he let me go. He told me to run.”
Kaj rubbed his forehead. “This isn’t for us to decide. Go on up to bed, Elijah. Take Czar with you. Val? Please take him upstairs.”
“But, Dad!” Elijah looked up at Val imploringly. “Talk to him!”
Val shook her head. “I’m just your bodyguard, Elijah. Your dad makes the rules. Come on, honey. Things will be better when you wake up.”
Elijah folded his arms over his chest. “This isn’t fair. He let me go.”
A muscle in Kaj’s cheek twitched. “I said, go to bed. No more arguing.”
Elijah aimed a furious look at his father before—surprisingly calmly—turning on his heel to walk away. But he stopped after two steps and turned back to Jace. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “Thank you for letting me go.”
Then he started for the stairs, his anger evident in every step.
Val knew how he felt. She was a little irritated at being dismissed because she didn’t want to miss anything, either. And she did have compassion for Jace Gates. But Elijah’s safety was her primary concern.
Burke met her gaze over the kitchen counter and lifted his phone. “Take your phone. Kaj can record on his phone. I’ll FaceTime you so that you can listen in from upstairs.”
Val retrieved her phone and stopped the recording. “Okay.”
Kaj looked contrite. “I’m sorry. Of course you should know what’s going on. But I don’t want Elijah to be part of this.”
“He is part of this,” Burke countered. “And if Jace is telling the truth, Elijah might have a valid point.”
Kaj’s expression darkened and then he seemed to fold in on himself. “I don’t know what to think.” He looked at Val, beseeching. “What do you think?”
She considered her answer carefully. “Elijah knows more than I wish he knew. But yesterday morning, in Burke’s office, you allowed him to be a part of the conversation. It seems... unfair to dismiss him now.”
“So you think he should be able to listen?”
“Burke frisked Jace. He’s not armed. He’s cuffed. I’ll be at Elijah’s side at all times and I am armed.” She crouched, waiting until Jace met her gaze. “You let him go on Monday night, Jace. That’s a stroke in your favor. But make a single move to touch him and I will not hesitate to end you. Got it?”
Jace swallowed hard. “Yeah. I mean, yes. Yes, ma’am. I never wanted to hurt him. He’s a nice boy.”
“He is. And right now, he’s the only one on your side, so don’t fuck it up.” She straightened and looked at Kaj. “Ultimately your call.”
Kaj closed his eyes for a long moment. “Okay. Don’t make me regret this, kid.”
“I won’t,” Jace said fervently. “I promise.”
A knock on the front door had them jumping a little. Val checked her phone and saw a text from André. “Captain Holmes is here,” she said.
“Captain Holmes?” Jace asked, voice quivering. “Who is that?”
“A cop,” Val said.
Jace curled in on himself. “He’s here to arrest me?”
“Maybe,” Kaj said. “I don’t know. For now, let’s take a step back, breathe, and try to make sense of this mess. I still have a number of questions for you.”
“I’ll get the door,” Val said. “Then I’ll get Elijah.” She opened the door and let André in.
“I got here as soon as I could,” he said. “I take it that you’ve caught your intruder?”
“Oh yeah. They’re in the kitchen.” She locked the front door and left André to find his own way to the kitchen while she hurried to Elijah’s room. She found him sitting on the bed, his face set in a mutinous frown. “Hey,” she said.
