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I slam my hands on the table separating us, and my fingers begin to shake as they had after Nate Hollerman attempted to kick me in the stomach. Spit builds at the corners of the detective’s lips, and he cracks his neck from side to side.
“I understand this is upsetting but I will not—”
The door opens forcefully, and a man I’ve never seen before enters, with salt and pepper in his dark hair and a suit that costs more than a person’s first car, a briefcase in his hand, setting it on the table between the asshole detective and me.
“Penn Coultier, counsel for Ms. McDonald. I need time to confer with my client. And please shut the door behind you.”
I’ve never met Penn Coultier before, but he commands the room. And with one look at the man, I understand I can’t afford one minute of his time, let alone an hour.
The detective stands as though he’ll challenge Mr. Coultier, but circles around the impressive lawyer, leaving us alone.
“Ms. McDonald?” he asks, as if he’s verifying my name.
“Yes, but call me Sandra. I think there has been some sort of mix-up. I didn’t ask for a lawyer.”
“I understand the confusion. Mr. Torano secured my partner and I.”
“Dom?” I ask.
He rounds the table, walking with wide steps and a steady pace. Pulling out a chair from it, he sits a few feet from me. “No, I’m sorry. It was Mr. Daimen Torano. He found out about his brother. I conferred with the other Mr. Torano, and he asked me to take care of you first. And yes, I’ve dealt with that detective in the past, and he’s a fuck nut. So, here we are. I can tell you, there’s nothing to worry about. More of a formality, at this point. When you left MELCR, security footage caught the two of you exiting the building, and you arrived at your apartment building ten minutes later, via an Uber. There’s no way Dom could have been the person who killed Nate Hollerman. It’s hard to ignore a smoking gun, with Dominic threatening the victim just minutes before he died, but I assure you, the smoking gun that the detective is investigating is missing the smoke.”
Both Cami and Dane are lawyers. And I understand the weird analogy he has used. I could have gotten counsel right away, butthat would have meant worrying my sister, and I wasn’t at that point yet.
“You’re Cami Gregory’s sister, right?” he asks, flipping through a note pad and jotting down information. “I’ve worked with her and your brother-in-law. I snagged Daimen and Arden’s business when Dane left for New York. But I respect him and your sister very much, and am so happy they found the person meant for them.”
His smile calms me, and I can begin to relax. I’ve almost stopped shaking. “My law partner, Anisten Atkins, is with Dominic. They’re just finishing up, and he should be released soon. But, they’re officially done with you, even if they don’t know it yet.” A gleam in his eyes tells me I’m in good hands. “Both Mr. Hennessys are here. They’ve asked for you.”
Matthias. Fuck, I’ve not thought of him at all. “Do you represent them too?”
“No, your brother-in-law’s old firm does. Curtis Shane.” At least I know Matthias is in good hands. And just like that, Penn Coultier keeps good on his promise, and I’m out of the dreaded interrogation room. “I’m going to check with my colleague and see if I can hurry up Mr. Torano’s interrogation.”
In the hallway stands Sherman Hennessy, his arms wrapped around his grandson. Matthias’s back is to me, but Sherman’s line of sight lands on mine right away.
“I was so mad at him, Gramps. My last words to him were…”
“He deceived you, son. No one blames you for that.”
Guilt. I carry so much guilt for the events that have led to Nate’s death. I may have hated the man, but I never wanted him dead. Hearing Matthias mourn him with regret over his last words hurts every fiber of my body. His sobs cause an ache in both my heart and my head. This is a pain he’ll carry with him for a long time to come.
“I loved him, Gramps. That doesn’t go away because the person you loved turns out to be someone different. I may not have loved Nate Hollerman, but I loved Nathan Williams and, in my mind, he will always be Nathan Williams.”
How does one carry on after such horrible misfortune?
“Lookwhat I have for you, Ms. McDonald.” Penn Coultier appears with a stunning blonde on one side and Dominic on the other side of him. “See, I keep my promises.”
He introduces me to his business partner, who’d been representing Dom, but the only thing I care for in this moment are Dom’s arms wrapped around my body. “Shit, Rosso, you’re a sight.” He leans back to take me in, and before I know it, both lawyers have made themselves scarce and it’s just me and Dom.
“I’m free to go. After evidence I was still in the building when he was hit, they had no choice but to release me.” He looks around the waiting room. “Was Sherman here? Matthias?”
I rub the temples of my head with my hands, massaging them because this fucking headache continues to dull my senses. “Yeah. They just left. We didn’t speak, though I saw them both. I don’t know what to say.” He opens the door for me and takes my hand, helping me down the steps. “He loved the man he knew as Nathan Williams. Those feelings don’t go away simply because he was duped.”
“There’s a lot of truth to those words.” He drops a kiss onto my nose, caressing my cheek. “Let me grab a cab.” He turns to me, pulling my coat closed and buttoning it up. “I don’t want to wait for an Uber.”
He steps between cars parked on the street and whistles for a cab. I stay on the sidewalk, waiting for his cue. “It looks like one is stopping for us, Rosso. Ready?”
I step off the sidewalk, and the moment I do, a force from behind pushes me into the street as the cab races toward me. It happens so fast. I try to steady myself, and before I know what’s happening, strong arms wrap around me and I’m whipped back to safety, but when I look up, Dominic is hit by the cab, thrown in the air about twenty feet and dropped to the cement of the road in a crumpled mess.
I think I scream, but the only thing I remember is watching the father of my baby on the ground, wondering if he’ll be around to hold him or her for the first time.
