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It didn’t matter how rich the sound of her laughter was or how deep of an interest she showed in my hometown; thisdetectivewas no friend.
Straightening in my seat, I circled a finger in the air. “Thismomentright here is officially over, Detective Fox. Why don’t you go ahead and say whatever it is you came here to say? You look smart enough to know the importance of good time management. So, don’t waste mine, and I won’t waste yours.”
That caught her off-guard.
I could tell with the abrupt drop of her smile and how she cleared her throat. She shifted to the edge of her seat andintertwined her fingers. With one small twist over her shoulders, she signaled the guard by the door to give us some privacy.
His nod was brisk before he disappeared out of sight.
Silently, the door behind us clicked shut.
“Great.” Another smile came, but it wasn’t quite as bright. “Now, it’s just the two of us. I hope you’re comfortable.”
I scoffed. “You don’t have the capacity to make me uncomfortable, Detective. Please, go on.”
If she was insulted, not even the slightest muscle tick revealed it.
Interesting.
She deserved some accolades for being able to keep her shit together.
“Mr. Yezhov,” she started, pronouncing my name like every letter was a piece to a puzzle she tried to solve, “I didn’t come here to ask you questions. If I did, I’d be wasting my timeandyours. We both know you wouldn’t answer them.”
I stifled a grin.
She pointed at me. “You were not the only one in that hotel two nights ago with Ronan Gallagher. Your lawyer was with you, wasn’t he?”
I didn’t answer, but she’d already made it clear that she didn’t expect me to.
She shifted her arms, adjusting her weight on the table with a wry smile.
“I’ve always known somehow that the system is a bit corrupt. How corrupt? I didn’t know that much. Two days later, and no one has offered any reasonable explanation for the sudden disappearance of your lawyer from the scene of the arrest, why he’s not seated in this room, this very minute, and why there’s absolutely no trace of his involvement in this case. You know something? You can decide not to say anything, but you can’t lie to me.”
She tilted forward, and strands of dark hair fell over her eyes. “You and I know that you have powerful people in powerful places pulling strings. And one of those strings has your lawyer tied to it. If the accomplice of a lawyer is out, then the victim in custody has hope.”
She smiled, but this time, it was taunting.
“However, you are a smart man, Mr. Yezhov. You already know how this works, don’t you? This is an attempted murder case, andyouwerecaughtwith the weapon held to Ronan Gallagher’s neck. You’re not getting out that easy. Not when you have Officer Clark sitting on this one.” She tapped a finger on her cheek. “Well, there is an exception. That’s if Mr. Gallagher decides to drop charges. But we both know he won’t.”
With a final hum, she finished, “So, your silence is deliberate. You are thinking, strategizing, and relisting different ways you could get out of here.”
Again, this woman deserved more than accolades. She deserved the Nobel Prize for being a fucking genius. But her analysis didn’t explain her visit.
My brows furrowed. “Then why are you here?”
“Simple. To strike an agreement.”
And it just kept getting better and better.
I felt my lips curve up.
What could she possibly have to offer?
“I’m listening.”
Dramatically, she cleared her throat and lowered her tone. “Sooner or later, this thing with Ronan is going to blow up. How long you’re going to wait is still unknown, but if there’s no strong case against you to prove your intention to kill him, coupled with the help of your lawyer, you’re practically a free bird. But….”
Her silence lingered, and I lifted a brow. Suspense was not my thing. It irked me to the bone. Impatience gnawed at my nerves.
