When I walked into her holding cell, she scowled at me. "Oh, don't tell me, the princess has lost her prince."
"Now Not Hazel, let's not play. Where is Jameson?"
"If you misplaced your toy, it's not my problem."
"This is your chance to barter for some leniency. Tell us how we locate him. Where would he go to hide? Are you expecting him to help you?"
"Him? No. I expect no help from him. Men are not known for their usefulness.” She huffed a laugh. “What is it with you? There's something about you that makes men want to take care of you."
Her question took me aback. "I don't need anyone to take care of me."
She laughed. "Maybe that's it. Maybe that's what I've been doing wrong all this time. I acted helpless. Sure, Denning took care of me, but he always seemed to resent it. Always treating me like a child. Maybe that’s the magic trick. They should see me as if I don't want anyone's help. And lo and behold, help shall arrive. Men are interested in you for your strength, or whatever."
"Is that what this is? You're mad at me because I'm too strong?"
"I'm not mad at you. You don't matter to me."
"Okay, I don't matter to you. Fine. Then help yourself. You have a murder charge hanging over your head. You will go to jail. The difference is if you get charged with manslaughter or murder. That will inform the time you serve and your accommodations."
She lifted a brow. "You expect me to believe you?"
"I can make it happen. So talk to me."
She scowled. "You should understand Garreth. His whole life, Garreth has only wanted his father's approval. The old geezer always made him feel inferior. You’d know something about that, wouldn't you now, Nyla?"
I frowned. I would. I did.
"No matter what he did, his father didn't love him enough. He never said, 'Good job, Garreth.' But he kept on wanting to prove himself to the old man. All he wanted to do was go home to that place where he never felt like he belonged. He's a wounded animal. Wounded animals always return home. Even when they know better."
The Jameson estate. He’d gone back there. "Thank you for your help."
"Don't thank me. It's not you I'm helping. I want a reduced sentence and a chance to get out of here."
"What would you do, Not Hazel, when you one day get out of prison?"
She laughed then. "I always had an escape hatch. One way out. Always."
I nodded. "Okay. If you say so. But just in case you don't have one, just know you don't have to be like this. When you were pretending to be my friend, I saw a part of you. Someone who actually cared about other people. But somewhere along the line, someone told you that you couldn't do that and still succeed. That you have to be all alone. And you know what? I’ve learned that's some bullshit.”
As I left her, she glowered at me. "In my next life, I'll have to remember to act strong, and then everyone shall love me."
"The difference between us is that I’m not acting."
Then I left her in her cell without a glance back. Because I really didn’t have time for chit chat. Besides, we needed to get surveillance on the Jameson estate. ASAP. It was a longshot, and I was pretty damn sure that Krista was lying. But if there was even a chance that she was telling the truth, then I needed to make it work. I had people counting on me.
* * *
East
I leaned on the balcony, sipping my scotch, the wind blistering around me. Ben found me out there. "Mate, it's bloody freezing out here."
"Yeah, the freezing cold. I need it to clear my head."
He nodded. "It's almost over."
"Is it? This whole time, we'd been going after Van Linsted and Jameson for what they did to Toby, but God, I never expected any of this."
"I know. It’s getting complicated. But it’s almost over. We can’t stop now."
"I know. I'm just knackered, mate. Knackered."
He nodded. "But listen, in all of this, at least you got Nyla out of it."
"I know. It's easy to wonder what if. What if I hadn't made this choice? Or that one? What if I made one wrong turn? What would have happened to AJ? To Margaux? Nyla could have just as easily been shot.”
“But it was the right choice to make. I promise you.”
“Yeah, maybe. It just doesn't feel like that at the moment though."
"I know. And it probably won't for a while."
"Do you have any word on Emma?"
"The surgery went well. Bridge went to see her this morning.”
The look on Bridge's face haunted me. He still hadn't forgiven us for letting her join the team, still hadn't let it go. And now, with Emma getting hurt, he wasn’t our biggest fan. I loved my mate, but he'd locked down his emotions so far beneath his implacable exterior that I wasn't sure he knew how to access them.
"Everyone else here?" I asked.
Ben nodded. "Yeah, Lucas too, in case we need him."
"You know, for a prince, he hardly spends any time in the Winston Isles."
He shrugged. "I think it's awkward for him to not have much to do. And he's got cravings for the thrill life."
"Yeah, but when he's around, you're always checking your wallet."
Ben laughed. "Isn't that the truth?"
I followed Ben back into the penthouse and shut the door behind us. Nyla was laying out trays of food and beverages for everyone. I watched her as she smiled at Amelia and chatted with Livy. Somehow, in all of this, I'd managed to find the one thing on earth that I never expected. Love.
This woman, who was more than capable of taking care of herself and didn't need me,
