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I shake my head and blow out a breath. “The day in the coffee shop, you helped me pick up all the papers I’d dropped. You helped me collect everything off the floor, remember?”
Creed gives a simple nod before crossing his arms.
“You asked me what I did, and I told you I worked with children. You never asked any questions about my work after that. I don’t know if it was because you didn’t have much interest in kids or if you just didn’t have much interest in me. But either way, I’d signed an NDA, so I couldn’t tell you more anyway. So, it worked in my favor. You couldn’t tell me the details about your job, and when you didn’t press for more about mine, I stopped worrying about it.”
“What’s your point? What does your job have to do with anything?” Hawk asks.
“I worked for a department within the government that located missing people, specifically children. Trafficked children, to be precise.”
“Oh, Jesus, that had to be hard,” James murmurs.
I look at him and see recognition in his eyes. “Cop?”
“Once upon a time, yeah. How can you tell?”
“You have that look. The one that says you’ve seen the worst and often had your hands tied, stopping you from doing anything about it.”
He chuckles. “You nailed it.”
“Touching as this is, do you want to get to the point?” Hawk grunts out.
“I started as an intern but was hired full-time and worked in interrogation.”
“You interrogated a bunch of traumatized kids.” Hawk frowns.
Greg steps forward until his face is inches from Hawk’s. “I realize your default setting when you’re pissed is asshole, but talk to her in that tone again, and you’ll never get your fucking answers because I’ll put you down.”
Hawk grits his teeth but shuts up as Greg moves back to flank me.
“Carry on, Avery.”
I smile softly at him before taking a deep, steadying breath. “I talked to the children. I never interrogated them, but getting information was important to keeping them safe. I did interrogate the perpetrators, though, and I have no remorse over my actions.”
Hawk looks me up and down. “And how exactly did you get them to talk?” The innuendo is clear.
Creed whirls on him. “Enough!” Creed turns back to me and waits for my response.
“I just asked them questions.”
“They would’ve told you nothing but lies.”
“I know. But since I can tell when someone is lying, I’m the perfect person to interrogate them.”
“What, you read their body language?” Hawk chuckles.
I look up at Ev, who is still watching me.
“No. I mean, my gift allows me to tell when someone is lying. My skin hums with their deception.”
Ev skims his fingers down my jaw and nods. When I don’t see anything but understanding in his eyes, I almost burst into tears.
Turning back to Hawk and Creed, I can see I’ve shocked them into silence.
“That’s how I knew Creed only married me for a green card to stay in the country.”
Greg curses as Ev goes rock-solid beside me.
“It’s also how I knew Hawk was lying when he told you he was in love with me, Creed. You both used me, and I was the fool who fell for it.”
