Страница 52 из 69
She lifted her head, a watery sheen still evident in her ocean eyes, but the tears had stopped streaking down her face. What he saw in her eyes blew him away. There was no anger. No condemnation. There was sincere gratitude, and he could tell she was valiantly pulling herself together and trying to regain her composure.
“Baby, what are you thanking me for?” he asked hoarsely.
“For trusting me with the truth,” she said in a low voice. “For wanting me to know from the start. For telling me now what my father should have told me a long time ago. I don’t want you to apologize to me, Swa
She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his so sweetly it made his gut ache. There was a wealth of emotion in the light brush, like a butterfly’s wing against his mouth. Soft and delicate, just like her.
She pulled away, breathless, her cheeks pink and no longer pale with shock. And then her eyes became troubled again, shadows dimming them.
“I know I should call my father, not to confront him, but to assure him I’m all right, but I just can’t face him right now. I need a little time to digest this—what he kept from me,” she said in a faltering tone. “Does that make me a terrible, selfish person?”
His reaction was instantaneous, nearly explosive. “Hell no it doesn’t. You deserve as much time as you need to process your shock. God only knows how hard this must have been for you. I certainly can’t claim to even understand what it’s done to you because I’ve never been in your situation. You’ll get no judgment from me. You’ll never get anything from me but complete support and understanding.”
Emotion swamped her expression, her eyes warming, the shadows from just moments prior dissipating.
“I—”
Whatever she was about to say was cut off when a sharp knock sounded at the door. Swa
“Stay put, honey,” Swa
“But you’ll be here, right?” she asked, her brow furrowed anxiously.
“I’m not leaving you,” he vowed. “We’re in this together. You’re mine to protect, Eden. You go nowhere without me.”
Relief shone brightly in her eyes as she sagged against the back of the couch. Another impatient knock sounded and Swa
He opened the door and gestured for them to come in. But he stepped in front of the policemen and then turned to Edge. “Translate this for me. Tell them they are not to overtax Eden. They aren’t to press her too hard. She’s upset and in shock and I won’t have them upsetting her further.”
“I’m perfectly able to understand English,” one of the policeman said in a dry voice. “I understand your concerns and we will most certainly be mindful of Miss Sinclair when we question her.”
Swa
They quickly explained that they were investigating this as an act of terrorism, and if there was no evidence to support terrorism, the case would be turned over to the criminal investigation section of the Police Nationale.
Damn it, but Swa
Over his dead body was that happening. His line was drawn in the sand and he wasn’t budging.
He exchanged quick glances with Nathan and Joe, and Joe held up a finger to his lips behind the investigators’ backs, signaling that for now, they were playing it cool and not showing their hand.
As a courtesy or perhaps because Swa
She’d dragged one of the throws from the arm of the couch and pulled it around her, almost as though when he left her he took her warmth away. The color that had briefly returned when she kissed him had washed away, leaving her pale and haunted-looking again. She surveyed the approaching investigators with clear apprehension.
Swa
She gave an imperceptible nod, as if moving so Swa
Skylar took a seat on the other side of Eden, and Nathan, Joe and Edge stood, forming a perimeter around the seated members. Edge leaned against the arm of the sofa where Skylar sat, and Nathan and Joe stood on either side of the investigators, their arms crossed, expressions indecipherable.
The investigators were clearly uncomfortable with the obvious disadvantage their seating gave them, surrounded by the KGI team.
Inspector Mercier cleared his throat and then leveled his gaze on Eden. Inspector Dubois remained silent, allowing his partner to take the lead.
“First let me express my regret for your traumatic experience, Miss Sinclair. I want to assure you that our department has made this case an absolute priority and we fully intend to apprehend and bring to justice the person or persons responsible.”
“Thank you,” Eden murmured.
Underneath the blanket, Eden’s hand slid over Swa
She immediately relaxed, and some of the anxiety eased from her forehead and the tight lines around her lips disappeared.
They questioned not only Eden but the entire team for the better part of four hours. Swa
They frowned upon learning Eden had received a close call so recently, but Joe explained that the shooter had been arrested and charged and that the tighter security was simply a guard against possible copycat occurrences given the media coverage of the shooting in Boston.
The investigators seemed to become increasingly frustrated because while every question was answered, the responses were purposely vague, not volunteering anything more than what the investigators asked. On the surface they appeared completely cooperative and forthcoming, but it was clear the investigators were getting nowhere in their minds.
As the end of the fourth hour approached, just when Swa