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“Back off, Detective.” The male voice wasn’t Noah’s, but it was familiar. Emma couldn’t quite place it, though. “Of course, Noah didn’t do whatever you’re implying. You’re wrong.”
“I’m not wrong, andyou’dbetter back off before I charge you with interfering in an official police investigation.”
“Like hell I’ll back off. You’re the one who came in here and started threatening my family.”
Family?
Ethan?
Except that made no sense. Ethan and Noah’s relationship was a match made in hell. They didn’t come to the other’s defense.
“Or maybe you were both in on this together,” Hill suggested. “You both wanted a way to end the public relations nightmare your company was in, and when the head of your legal team had a heart attack and his replacement took over, you saw an opportunity to exploit the situation, and so you devised a plan. After Noah called off his relationship with Bridget Montague, he initiated a faux relationship with the new head of your legal team. Then, y’all waited.”
No.
Pain speared through Emma’s chest, fiery and lethal, and her lungs struggled to remember how to process oxygen.
“Except,” Hill continued, “I don’t think you had anything to do with this, Ethan. At least, there’s no evidence to suggest it, but you, oh, I have enough to bury you.”
Emma didn’t need to see into the room to know that the lastyouHill spoke to was Noah.
“You have no evidence because I didn’t do anything.” Noah’s voice was calm but unsteady, and Emma didn’t know how to interpret it.
“Save the innocence routine for someone who’s paid to believe you. I have motive, means, and opportunity. And I’ll be happy to lay it out for you. After initiating the fake relationship with Ms. Morgan, you had to settle in and wait, specifically for the next Lone-Star Tech court date. That way, you could use the court loss as thereasonBishop would attack Ms. Morgan, and man, she provided you with all the ammunition you needed. She demolished Bishop’s lawsuit. She couldn’t have set you up for success more brilliantly than if she’d been in on the plan with you.”
Emma couldn’t breathe. Each new revelation was a razor slash across her heart.
“Once Bishop got out of jail, you sent him a message to be at Ms. Morgan’s house just before you arrived. You told him he was there to pick up a package that you never intended to leave. Then, once Bishop was gone and you went inside, you had the guy you hired to set the fire carefully toss a few bombs into the front of the house to make sure you could get out safely. Then, all you had to do was sit back and let the media eat up the narrative you created. A sweet lawyer with a tragic history again attacked—and it might have worked if we hadn’t found your accomplice.”
“Lies. I didn’t—”
“He told us everything, Mr. Whitlow, right down to the detail of how easy you thought it would be to seduce Ms. Morgan because, and I quote, ‘Ordinary women are so damn easy to get into bed.’”
“No.” Her knees threatened to buckle, and Emma grabbed the door jamb to stabilize herself. She couldn’t believe Noah would do that to her—and yet shecouldbelieve it, much too easily. Hadn’t she thought this very thing at Isadora’s, the night Noah had first taken her out?
With a cacophony of noise and errant thoughts screaming in her head, Emma looked at Noah. His lips were moving, but it wasn’t his voice she heard in her head; it was her father’s, screaming at her for being so stupid and falling victim to such a simple but insidious plot.
