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“I’ll see you early tomorrow morning,” she said before turning and walking out of the cell. She didn’t look back, but she felt his eyes on her regardless.
She picked up the folders on her desk, turned off her computer, and drove home.
But Bethenny didn’t go straight home; instead, she was in front of Jessica’s house again. The tingling sensation crept back into her spine. The man Lachlan had chased over the cliff was linked to Kiera’s death, and given that Jessica and Kiera had been in contact, Bethenny could only assume he was linked to both their deaths. But, there was a chance he hadn’t killed the girls, and that meant a killer was still on the loose. Maybe it wasn’t a lone killer, and this person was tidying up loose ends with Lachlan. But why? Why did this person want to punish Lachlan by framing him?
Eden.
It had to connect back to Eden. Bethenny was sure of it. The problem was, she needed to prove it.
Bethenny looked next door to Louise White’s house. The lights were on and the curtains were drawn. She wound down her window, but the night was silent.
She exhaled and put her car in drive.
Despite how tired she was, she drove with the utmost care. Everywhere she drove now she expected someone to jump out in front of her car. She wondered if she’d ever be able to relax and just drive again.
As she pulled into her driveway, she deactivated the house alarm via the app on her phone and opened the garage door.
She climbed out of the car, locked it, and headed for the door that led into the house. She was two feet from it when she stopped in her tracks. It was open, and she never left the door open because a draft could swing it shut and set off her alarm.
She paused, her ears straining to listen, but she heard nothing.
She drew her weapon as her pulse raced a little faster. She pressed her back to the wall as she opened the app on her phone, checking the alarm system’s log. She could see a list of when it had been activated and deactivated, and it had been activated all day without interruption.
She sighed, shaking her head. She must’ve forgotten to close it the last time she’d used the door, but that thought didn’t sit well with her. She wasn’t careless like that—not when it came to security. This morning hadn’t been a routine morning, though, and in the drama of Mitch turning up to take Lachlan in for questioning, it was possible the door had been left open.
She chewed on her cheek. She was second-guessing everything now, but she gave up trying to make sense of it. It had been a long day, and she was on edge—because, although she had no proof, she was sure an innocent man was in jail and a killer was on the loose.
LACHLAN
He stared at the white ceiling for hours. He’d executed tens of contract kills for the CIA, but somehow it was this murder that had landed him in jail.
He put his arm across his eyes, willing himself to get some sleep. Tomorrow would be one of the lowest days of his life, but the sooner he faced it, the sooner it would be over.
Lachlan wondered what Bethenny was doing. Was she able to sleep? Or was she staring at the ceiling like he was?
He’d spent so many years running. He’d refused to allow himself to even entertain the idea of another relationship—and yet she’d broken down those barriers like a trainer would break a wild horse, and now she consumed his thoughts.
The irony of it all was that he was locked up, ashamed, and having to reveal the secrets he’d kept buried since Eden’s death. The shame of a career that had opposed his faith, the shame of not protecting his wife, the shame of running away like a coward instead of finding the person responsible for her death. The shame threatened to choke him, even as he thought about it now. The regret was equally as brutal, and it rolled through him like a case of bad food poisoning.
He’d loved Eden more than he’d thought it was possible to love someone, but they’d never talked about his job. It had always been his secret—a burden he’d carried alone.
But with Bethenny, it was different. He didn’t have to walk alone in the darkness; she could walk with him, and that provided him with a sense of peace he’d never felt before.
Embarrassment rose up his throat as he chided himself. What would she want with him now? He was going to be charged with murder.
The emotions kept bubbling in his chest, creeping up to his throat. He felt a wave of panic roll through him and he took a calming breath, turning to the only source of comfort and calm in his life.
Lord,
Forgive me.
Please forgive me.
Show me how to be a better person, to live according to your will.
I’ve tried to control my destiny, and I’ve failed miserably... just look at where my choices have landed me.
Forgive me and use me to do good in this world.
