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The smirk on Lindon’s face dropped somewhat, as did his relaxed pose. “If Heather Fields is one of your witnesses, I think you should consider the source. That lying bitch can’t be trusted, as I’m certain you know by now.”
“You threatened her,” Drake gritted out. “You said you’d kill her if she didn’t help you.”
“Is that what she told you?” Lindon shook his head with false sympathy. “Was that before or after she fucked you?”
“Shut your mouth. You don’t get to talk about her that way,” Drake snapped, anger simmering within him. The more he looked into Lindon’s cold green eyes, the more he believed Heather’s story. He remembered suddenly the way the bastard had strangled her while threatening to kill her if Drake didn’t give him the information he wanted. The fear on her face had not been feigned, and Lindon hadn’t been holding back. She’d had bruises around her throat afterward.
Before Drake could give in to his rage, Ness stepped forward, wisely taking the focus off Heather. “The two men we have in custody, the ones you were so worried about that you took the assistant police commissioner hostage, have told us everything. We really don’t need anything else from you; we were just giving you the chance to confess.”
“I’m not confessing to shite,” Lindon snarled.
Drake pushed out of his chair and strode from the room, knowing that if he didn’t, he’d kill the bastard. Every time he looked at Lindon, he thought about how helpless he’d felt during his captivity, how the man had mocked him and threatened Heather.
For the next twenty minutes, he paced the back hallway, his guilt rising. He still didn’t understand how Heather had let herself get involved with Lindon, but he no longer believed she’d been a willing participant in his own kidnapping.
Finally, Ness joined him, looking somewhat harried. “I’ve moved him to a cell and officially charged him with kidnapping and murder,” he said as he gestured for Drake to join him back in his office.
“Thank you,” Drake said shortly. “I shouldn’t have gone in there with you. I’m too close to this. I just felt like I needed to look him in the face.”
Ness waved a dismissive hand. “He infuriated me too,” he admitted. “If he’d talked about Jocelyn that way, I’d have ripped his head off.”
A huff of a laugh escaped Drake despite his guilt and anger. “Tell me honestly, Ness. You heard her story. Do you think Heather’s telling the truth?”
Ness nodded shortly. “I do. She’s just a sweet girl who made some bad choices.”
Shoving a hand through his hair, Drake let out a deep sigh. “I didn’t listen to her. I was so cruel.”
“It’s not too late to fix things,” Ness said kindly. “If you want to.”
“That’s just it,” Drake admitted. “I’m not certain I do.” The feelings he had for Heather terrified him, especially now that they’d been tested. He didn’t think he could go through such pain again.
Before Ness could reply, a soft knock sounded at the open door behind them.
Ness cleared his throat and stood, giving Drake a sympathetic look. “Miss Fields is here, sir. I’ll let the two of you talk.”
Wincing internally, Drake pushed to his own feet, finding Heather standing nervously in the doorway. From the look on her face, she’d heard at least the last part of his conversation with Ness.
“You sent for me?” Her voice trembled, but she squared her slim shoulders and met his gaze, refusing to be cowed. Her courage humbled him once again.
“Come in,” he murmured, shutting the door behind Ness and then rounding the desk to take the chair Ness had vacated.
For several minutes they simply stared at each other, and Drake found himself eagerly drinking in the sight of her. It seemed like it had been years instead of hours since they’d last seen each other.
“We have Jacob Lindon in custody,” he said at last. “Ness and I just finished interviewing him.”
She swallowed convulsively. “That’s good. He’ll finally have to pay for his crimes, and the O’Briens and I can finally go home.”
“Yes. I believe you’ll be safe now.” He reached for a pen on Ness’s desk, twirling it between his fingers just to keep from reaching for her.
“Is that all?” she asked, her brows furrowing.
“Of course not,” he muttered, knowing he was going about this all wrong. “After talking to Lindon... I just wanted to give you a chance to explain yourself.”
Color rushed to her cheeks, and for the first time since he’d met her, he realized she was angry. “I already tried to do so, but you wouldn’t listen.”
He cleared his throat, feeling like the biggest ass who’d ever lived. “I’m willing to listen now, Heather. I want to understand how you got involved with the Citizens Committee, how you didn’t see what Lindon was right away. How you could have... given yourself to him.”
“Are any of those questions pertinent to your investigation?” she asked, her voice wooden. “I already answered them once, for Inspector Ness. What good would it do for me to tell my story again? There’s nothing I can say that can heal this gulf between us. You said as much as I was approaching the door.”
