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“Does she have any tattoos or identifiable scars?” Ace asks.
“No.”
And she still doesn’t. I know because I checked when I washed her. That image is burned into my brain. I told myself it was a necessary evil, but the entire time, all I could think about was how much things have changed. I used to feel like, in some twisted way, she would always belong to me. But now, I just feel like a traitor because I know she was never mine.
“I don’t know what to tell you, brother.” Ace closes the folder and shrugs. “I still think you should hand her in. If that girl is really her, and she’s been hiding out this entire time while you paid the price, then screw her. Feed her to the fucking wolves.”
“Seriously?” Birdie slaps his arm. “Would you have done the same thing to me?”
His face softens, and he sighs. “You know I didn’t.”
“Then don’t tell Kodiak to do that either. There could be some other explanation that we aren’t aware of. And until we know the whole story, I think he’s smart to wait before he makes a decision like that.”
“It’s his life on the line.” Ace looks at me. “He’s the one waiting for a knock on the door. They could show up here any day with another warrant in hand.”
Birdie frowns, and silence falls over the room. I’m so fucking tired of having this hanging over my head. For five years, I’ve been searching for what I thought was a ghost. I’ve tormented myself over the fact that I failed to protect her or, worse, that I actually hurt her. And now that she’s here, alive and well, she doesn’t even have the decency to tell me the goddamn truth.
“I support whatever decision you make,” Birdie says softly. “I know you’ve been through hell, Kodiak. I’m here to help however I can.”
“Thanks.” I nod solemnly. “I was hoping you might say that.”
“What do you need?” Ace arches a brow at me.
“Some clothes for her. Just enough to keep her dressed while she’s here. Preferably something ugly that will keep her covered.”
Birdie’s face lights up as she considers it. “I can do that.”
“Great.” I dig some cash out of my wallet and toss it onto the table. “While you’re at it, throw in some vitamins for her, too. And whatever else you think she might need.”
“Here’s dinner.”
I hand Bianca the plate of pizza, and she sniffs it. It might be a little on the burned side, but it will keep her alive.
“Thank you.” She looks up at me, and even through all my bitterness, her eyes manage to capture mine. I’ve never met a woman who could stare right into your soul the way she can, and that’s how I know my imagination isn’t playing tricks on me.
I point at the storage cupboard under the bar. “Snacks are in there if you get hungry again, and the fridge has drinks.”
When I start to leave, she calls after me. “How long do you plan to keep me here?”
“However long it takes for you to tell the truth.”
“What truth?” she asks, and for a second, she sounds so convincing, I could almost believe her.
When I turn to face her again, her eyes widen when she sees the fury in mine. “What truth? Is that really how you want to play this, Bianca?”
“I honestly don’t know what you want from me.” She blinks rapidly as her eyes begin to fill with tears.
It only serves to irritate me. As far as she’s concerned, my well of sympathy has run dry. This is what she’s always done. She lured me in and twisted me up inside until I was so fucked up, I couldn’t see anything else but her. She betrayed everything we ever had, and now she’s the enemy. That’s all there is to it.
“Why don’t we start with the night of Adam’s murder,” I suggest. “That seems like a good jumping-off point. Any ideas how that happened?”
Her breath leaves her lips on a hushed exhale as she shakes her head frantically. “What? No. I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is crazy. Can you not see that?”
“The only thing I see is a fucking liar.”
“I’m not who you think I am,” she cries out. “Please, just let me go.”
Against my better judgment, I stalk toward her, grabbing her face between my fingers and forcing her to look up at me.
“I’ll let you go when hell freezes over. Until then, get used to lying in the bed you made.”
Chapter 16
Madden
—PAST—
“We are so going to get caught.” Bianca laughs, swaying her head in time to the music.
“If we do, it’s because you can’t stop giggling like a fucking weirdo.” I poke her in the side, and she bursts into another fit of laughter.
