Confusion lined Hawk’s forehead. His scowl crept to her for a moment before the guard at the desk invited her to sit.
Somehow, she convinced her knees to bend. She took the chair he offered.
“Ella,” the guard said kindly. “My name is Ethan. I’d like to ask you a few questions if that’s okay.”
Dazed, shaking, she managed a nod.
“Is that true, what your associate said? You were cleaning a different area?”
She shook herself. “Y-yes. I couldn’t have accessed the fifth floor offices without keys, and they haven’t been assigned to me for weeks now.”
Ethan considered this before directing his next question to Stina behind her. “Is that true?”
“Here’s the schedule,” Stina said. “It’s true; Ella had no keys to access those offices.”
Ella blinked in shock. It almost sounded like Stina was defending her, but why? Why now, when she could have earlier? And why now after snapping at how finished she was in front of everyone else?
It was to make herself look good. Stina was nothing if not cooperative.
The guard sniffed, returning his attention to the computer screen where Ella’s image was frozen in an act she hadn’t committed. She blinked, still baffled at how someone managed to superimpose her face into the feed. It looked exactly like her.
“The time of this footage was just after midnight last night,” Ethan began. “Would you care to tell us where you were at that time Christmas Eve?”
Ella thought back. She’d kissed Hawk at midnight. She’d been in such a stupor from its aftermath, but she’d gone directly home after that.
“I was in my car,” Ella said. “I was driving home after the ball.”
“The ball? Then you were in the building after all?”
Her gaze shifted to Hawk’s. Whether he wanted his security guard to know or not, she was going to tell the truth. “Yes, but I left. I swear. Hawk—Mr. Danielson saw me to the door. He saw me leave.”
“It’s true, I did,” Hawk said. His arms were still folded.
Ethan pointed to his laptop. “Then why is there footage of you using custodial keys to get into offices on the fifth floor?”
“I don’t know,” Ella said desperately. “I was with Mr. Danielson on the twelfth floor. I wasn’t wearing the jumpsuit. I didn’t even have my purse that night.”
“Is it possible you changed and returned after Mr. Danielson thought you left?”
“Does any of your other footage show me returning?” she said, her voice rising. Closing her eyes, praying for patience, she caught herself and attempted to lower it again. “I went home. I went to sleep. I swear that wasn’t me.”
“How did these objects get to be in your locker?” Hawk asked from where he stood on the cement floor.
The disgust in his tone sickened her. She wasn’t sure how to explain her relationship with her stepfamily to him now, to make it sound believable, like she wasn’t making excuses or relocating blame. Especially not with Stina there. But truth had to triumph, didn’t it?
“It had to be Pris. Or Stina. They both have keys to all of our lockers.”
“Now come on,” Stina said from behind her.
Ethan silenced her. Stina straightened, but did as she was asked.
“Why would they want to do that?” Hawk asked.
“I told you about her. Pris was the one who attacked me Christmas Eve,” Ella said. “They both hate me. They’ve hated me for years.”
It was satisfying to say it, to have Stina know that Ella knew, and to have a buffer in the room as she said so. It’d been a long time coming. If there was anything good about this situation, it was that.
“It’s true we’ve had some…animosity here and there,” Stina said in a defensive manner, “but I would never set her up like this. Ella, you can’t really think I would do this. You can’t think—”
“Enough,” Hawk said. He paced away, running a finger along his eyebrow, before turning to the security guard. “Ethan, I’d like a minute with Miss Embers, please.”
Ethan rested his hand on the edge of the desk. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Just a minute.”
“All right,” said the guard, taking his laptop with him. He paused at the door and turned back to Ella. “I’ll take your testimony into account, Ella,” he said. “But it still doesn’t change the fact that we have video feed of you in the act.”
“That feed is wrong.” Ella’s voice broke. “I didn’t do this. And you know it.” The last part was directed at Stina, whose eyes shifted, refusing to meet Ella’s.
“I suggest you find a good lawyer, Miss Embers. Good day.”
Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away. Hawk had to believe her. She didn’t do this.
With the room cleared, the ticking clock was the only sound between them for several long, agonizing moments. This wasn’t how their next time alone together was supposed to be. They were supposed to go ice skating. They were supposed to snuggle up together on his couch, hold hands, and talk, to get swept up in one another’s arms and kiss until they were both dizzy.
She never imagined she’d become the suspect of his interrogation.
Hawk had one hand on his hip and the other on the back of his neck. “I can’t believe you would do this to my company. You stole office supplies?”
Ella rose to her feet. Her heart shredded before him, piece by piece. “It wasn’t me. Hawk, I swear. You heard my stepmother as she was leaving. They framed me.”
He simultaneously dipped his head and shook it. “All that about stealing kisses. I thought you were just being demure and romantic. You said you weren’t a thief.”
Ella circled to face him. She gripped his wrists, entreating him to look at her. “I’m not. Hawk, I swear, I didn’t steal these supplies.”
“Is that why you wouldn’t tell me who you were? Because you were stealing from me?”
Her voice went up in pitch. “I
