Page 51 of Deceit & Desire

The silence stretched between us, thick with tension. Barton sat back, a flicker of doubt crossing his face before he masked it with a sneer. “We’ll see, Roman. We’ll see.”

I leaned back in my chair, forcing myself to appear calm, even as my pulse hammered in my ears.

“Am I under arrest, Deputy?” My voice was steady, challenging him to make a move.

Barton’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, he leaned forward again, narrowing his eyes. “Not yet. Let me ask you this—can anyone verify your whereabouts last night?”

I almost smirked at the predictability of his angle. “Sure. Zoe can confirm it. Miss Smith—the live-in nurse—was there, too. So was Mr. Brandt. They can all tell you I never left the big house last night. Neither did Zoe.”

Barton’s expression soured, his lips pressing into a tight line. I could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to find cracks in the story. Finally, he scoffed, the sound bitter and sharp. “We’ll have to confirm that alibi.”

I shrugged, keeping my tone easy. “You do that, then. It’s the truth.”

For a moment, he stared at me, like he was trying to peel back layers to see what I was hiding. But there was nothing for him to find, and he knew it. Finally, he stood, his movements stiff.

“Don’t think this is over, Roman. We’ll see what your wife and the rest of them have to say.”

I watched him go, waiting until the door clicked shut before letting out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.Barton would be back, and next time, he wouldn’t come alone.I need to be ready—ready for whatever hell he’s about to unleash.

Chapter20

That’s My Price

PLAYLIST: “THE WEIGHT OF LIES” BY THE AVETT BROTHERS

ZOE

Kat arrivedwith Alex just as Landon was loading me into the back of his SUV. I looked up at him, my eyes wide and pleading.

“Please, Landon.” My voice wavered, my usual confidence shredded to ribbons. “My assistant has been driving for days, and I haven’t seen Alex in just as long. I’ll go with you—I’ll cooperate. But I need to see them first. Just a couple of minutes, I swear.”

Landon blew out a sigh and nodded.

Landon crossed his arms and let out a heavy sigh, his badge catching the late afternoon sun. “Two minutes, Zoe. That’s all I’m giving you. Barton’s already breathing down my neck about treating you like a damn VIP.” He shook his head, muttering under his breath as he leaned against the SUV door. “I don’t know why I bother.”

I winced. “Because you’re a decent guy and a good cop, unlike Barton.”

“Just one question before I let you see your assistant and your dog, Zoe. Why didn’t you ask to see your father, too? I’d think you’d want to talk to him, considering the circumstances.”

Kat opened the driver’s side door of my car and Alex scrambled over her in his eagerness to get to me, letting loose a joyful bark, his white fur with blonde spots gleaming in the sun like an angel sent in dog form as he raced across the yard toward me.

The moment Alex’s sleek form bounded toward me, the chaos in my head quieted. His tail wagged furiously, his brown eyes glowing with love and loyalty. I sank to my knees, wrapping my arms around him as his tongue grazed my cheek. For a moment, the world melted away—it was just me and Alex, and everything felt right, even if it wasn’t.

“I do, but he’s furious with me right now, so I don’t think he wants to see me. I just need a second, I swear?—”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, sweetheart, and let me be the judge of what I want to do right now,” a familiar, gruff voice cut through the air, firm but brittle, like weathered oak about to splinter.

I froze, my heart lurching painfully in my chest. The weight of my father’s presence filled the space before I even turned to face him. The slow, deliberate crunch of his boots on the gravel sent a chill racing up my spine.

“Dad, I—” I couldn’t look at him yet. Instead, I clutched Alex’s collar as he strained against his leash, whining and wagging his tail, oblivious to the storm brewing between the humans around him.

“Save it,” he said, his tone softer now, but no less raw. “You think I don’t know how hard this is for you? Hell, Zoe, you think I don’t know why you’re really in this mess?” He stopped a few feet from me, his shoulders rigid, hands fisted at his sides.

I glanced up at him then, and the fury I’d braced for wasn’t there. Instead, his face was a map of emotions I wasn’t sure I wanted to read—fear, regret, a touch of pride he couldn’t quite hide.

“Dad…” My voice cracked, and I hated how small it sounded, how much it mirrored the helpless little girl I’d been once. “It’s not what it looks like.”

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