Page 73 of Critical Witness


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Tank sputtered in surprise. No, he definitely wasn’t that. But he was most assuredly holding a princess. And she didn’t seem frightened by him at all.

“Where’s your mom?” he whispered, trying to remain non-threatening. Maybe she’d wandered in from the neighbor’s. He glanced back outside, worried someone was looking for her.

“She’s in the king’s room,” Cinderella said.

Tank was completely lost now. Where did the king live? “Oh, well… can you show me?”

He expected her to point him outside, but instead she pointed up the stairs. His eyebrows rose. Okay then.

He carried the little girl up the stairs, wondering what he would find.

The sound of humming grew louder as he approached his bedroom. The king’s room, it would seem. When he entered, light shone from the closet into the bedroom, where a pile of his clothes was laid out next to a stack of hangers.

“Cecelia, you’re not making a—” the voice cut off as the woman walked back through the doorway. A hint of fear played on her face as she saw them.

Tank felt his heart stop. He was bursting with awareness and attraction, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. But her initial reaction of fear and distrust was equally unsurprising and disappointing.

“Ah. You must be Cinderella’s mother,” he said, trying to appear non-threatening. He tried to put the girl down, but she clung to his neck.

“Kaylie.” She nodded. She looked at her daughter, love and adoration softening the gaze. “And this must be… your fairy godmother, I presume?” Her eyes danced with laughter as she teased.

Tank felt his face grow warm.

Cecelia giggled with joy at her mother’s joke. “No, silly! This is Prince Charming!”

He held out his hand, easily continuing to support Cecelia in the other arm. “Anthony, actually,” he corrected. “I’m pretty sure I gave you the day off.”

BONUS EPILOGUE

Hannah watched anxiously,her hand tightly squeezing Will’s as the segment came on air. They’d specifically chosen WBC because of some of Black Tower’s trusted contacts there. But they’d also arranged for the anchor to be anyone other than Davis Mitchell.

So, on a normal Tuesday evening, two weeks after Darkshade had been killed on the tarmac, they finally tuned in for the big story. WBC had been very cooperative, even sending a film crew to Black Tower so Hannah could record her segments here instead of the studio.

“We all know the devastation from Hurricane Patricia was widespread, but it turns out to be worse than many of us expected. Special Investigative Reporter, Hannah Stone, has more.”

The broadcast cut to a video of Hannah, and the living room at Black Tower erupted in cheers.

“Shh!” Miranda hushed the crowd with a loud whistle. Hannah laughed at her new friend. Miranda was just as amazing and thoughtful as she had seemed from her place behind the scenes, orchestrating supplies and logistics for the team during the operation to capture Darkshade. At Miranda’s insistence, the room quieted and Hannah’s voice came through the television. It felt strange to see herself there, even though she’d already seen and approved the footage.

Step by step, she walked through the investigation into the chemical spill, sharing the videos and photos she had of Gina’s family. A crew had gone down to Lecanto and interviewed the families there about the water issues as well.

“Thank you for that, Hannah. And great work bringing this devastating spill and cover-up to light. Tonight, we go live to the home of Marshand Chemical Group CEO, Damien Strickland, who is being arrested by the FBI on several counts of corruption, federal bribery, falsification of records, and willful violation of the Clean Water Act.”

The room once again went up in cheers as the camera changed to a video of Damien Strickland in handcuffs being marched out of his home. Then, to a well-dressed woman holding a press conference. Hannah raised her eyebrows.

“As the Executive Vice President of Pruvixa Industries, I am disappointed to hear about the lack of leadership and integrity shown by Mr. Strickland in his role as CEO of Marshand Group, an independent subsidiary of Pruvixa. We will make things right with the homeowners impacted by the chemical spill, pay all reasonable fines from the EPA, and do everything in our power to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

“Well, she certainly doesn’t seem surprised or heartbroken by Damien’s arrest,” Hannah said to Will.

He nodded. “She must have some pretty high-up contacts at WBC as well to swing a simultaneous press conference.”

Hannah sighed. “Do you think anything will really change?”

Will grabbed her hand. “You did an amazing job, Hannah. Gina and Lecanto will have their water fixed. Strickland will go to jail. And we all live to fight another day.”

She snuggled under his arm, content for the moment. He was right. They’d made a difference today for Gina and her community. She’d broken a huge news story, and she had an interview next week for a full-time position with WBC.

Will kissed the top of her head. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered, and she felt the approval and love wash over her as she looked around at the new group of friends she’d found. Joey was curled up next to Cole Kensington, who was still recovering from whatever had landed him in the hospital. Jackson sat next to Miranda, an arm casually slung across the sofa behind her.

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