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Instantly, his work was forgotten, all his attention riveted on the unfamiliar voice. “What is it? Is Mina hurt?”
“No, Mina is—” she paused, the hesitation clear in her voice. “She’s safe and physically unharmed.”
He hadn’t even realized he’d gotten out of his chair until he stopped with his hand on his office door handle. “What happened?”
“Two detectives came by this morning to tell her that her friend Gabrielle was found dead this morning.” The woman’s voice was flat, a seasoned newswoman reporting the news and nothing more. “I know you and she are, ah, seeing each other, so I thought you might like to know.”
“You thought right. I’ll go check on Mina now, make sure she’s taken care of. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Ah, well, that’s the other reason I called. Mina isn’t home. She’s here.”
“What?” It took a moment for her meaning to register. “She’s atwork? Why the hell didn’t you let her go home?”
“I tried.” Frustration worked its way into her tone, and under any other circumstances, he might have gotten a good laugh out of it, since that was a feeling he knew all too well when it came to Mina. “You should know as well as I do that nobody can make Mina do anything once she’s made up her mind otherwise.”
“We’ll see about that. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I appreciate it. Can I ask you one last question, Mr. Banks?”
“Yes, but make it quick.”
“Why would Mina think that your brother had anything to do with Gabrielle’s murder?”
Shock rooted him to the spot, both at her question and his own stupidity for not considering it sooner. His only excuse was he’d been too focused on Mina to give more than a second of consideration to who might have hurt Gabrielle.
“I really have no idea,” he lied without an ounce of remorse. There would be time for interviews and answering questions later, if the cops were able to pin any of this on Adrian. For now, Mina’s safety was the only thing that mattered, and if Adrian thought he’d said anything out of order to the police or the press, there was no doubt in Cyrus’s mind that he’d come for Mina next.
“Interesting. Well, I suppose I shouldn’t keep you any longer. Take care of our girl, Mr. Banks.”
“I will.” Ending the call, he returned to his desk to call for a car and gather up his things before hurrying for the front door. In the car, he swiped open his phone to make another call.
“Cole. We have a problem.”
* * *
“Oh yeah,that’s a great shot of the Fishers there. Let’s slide that in right before the footage we have of Stacy addressing the press after the guilty verdict. Perfect.”
Barry, her favorite editing wizard, grunted his approval as he worked his magic. “I like it. Keep the focus on the victim, her family, instead of that asshole, Compton.”
“Exactly.”
A knock on the door broke her concentration and she turned to scowl at the intruder. Her irritation only deepened when she saw Cyrus nudging the door open.
“What the hell are you doing here? I’m working.”
“So I heard. Can we talk?”
There was nothing in his tone to indicate he was upset with her, but her stomach clenched anyway. “I’m busy. We can talk when I get off work.”
Instead of accepting her deliberate brush off and leaving, he stepped inside the cramped room and shut the door behind him. “I’m not leaving until I’m sure you’re alright.”
Obviously sensing the tension invading his space, Barry finally looked up from his screen, his gaze darting back and forth between them. “Ah, you know what, I could use a break. I’m just gonna go…somewhere that isn’t…here.”
Scooting past them, he slipped out the door behind Cyrus, who had planted himself in front of Mina, his gaze never leaving her. “Talk to me, Ace.”
“I can’t.” Mortified by the crack in her voice, she focused her attention on the image frozen on the screen. Jessica Fisher, her head thrown back on a laugh, wild and carefree, the way her friends and family remembered her before she’d been so cruelly taken from them.
Would she be putting together a story on Gabrielle next? She had dozens of pictures exactly like that, with Gabby’s bright, untamable spirit all but jumping through the screen.
