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“You’re half frozen,” she said, rubbing his back.
He tolerated the touch, but the wiry fabric of the blanket scratched against his bare neck, irritating to the point he shrugged it down.
Ally tapped him on the chin and gave him a stern look. “You need to keep warm.”
“I’m warm enough.” He gestured to the radiator beside him.
Ally reached across him to touch it, only to scowl. “The thing is barely on.”
“You don’t have to sit with me you know.”
“I know. I want to.”
Chad had been marched into the office at St John’s by a doctor and told to sit there until she came to check on him. He’d recounted everything that happened to Ally and the DI before the DI had retreated into the hallway to comfort a distraught Eleanor.
Ally had thwarted his attempts at escape by blocking the door and glowering until he parked his ass on the chair.
“I’m not in shock.”
Ally hummed. “If you say so.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you? Are you actually fine?”
Chad rolled his shoulders. A shooting pain hit his spine. “I’m achy, but apart from that, yeah.”
Shadows passed the window in the door. Chad willed the doctor to hurry up and relieve him of Ally’s fretting.
“Your coffee is getting cold.” She pointed at the polystyrene cup on the desk.
He’d tried it, but scrunched his face up at the taste.
Machine coffee no longer cut it after Josh had spoiled him at the station.
She glared. “It’ll help.”
Chad exhaled through his nose and reached across the desk. He clutched the coffee in both hands and pretended to take a sip.
Ally nodded, and a small smile appeared on her face.
Chad knew Shawn was in a room close by being treated.
He knew Eleanor was in the corridor being comforted by specially trained officers.
He knew the DI was outside somewhere, hovering between the two.
But he had no idea where Tate was, whether he was still at the top of Castle Hill in the death trap he’d created.
“I feel sorry for him,” Chad whispered.
“Shawn? Yeah. I mean, his brother tried—”
“Not Shawn.” Chad squeezed his eyes shut. “NotjustShawn, but Tate, too.”
“Tate almost killed his little brother to impress a psychopath.”
Chad winced. “It’s not as simple as that. He wanted Vincent’s approval. He wanted Vincent to like him. He wanted to make Vincent happy.”
