Page 27 of The Verdict

My head cocked in his direction, and it took a feat of strength to hold back a snarl. “She’s a schoolteacher, not a murderer; if she killed him, why go back to the scene of the crime?”

“Because she went there to steal something, Wheaton interrupted her, so she went back to find what she was looking for.”

My fist balled at his cold tone.

Dare couldn’t control his… distrust. And I understood; I fucking understood. We all carried the weight of Ryan’s death on our shoulders, but none more than Dare. We weren’t all brothers by blood, but we were brothers by fire, and that day—that mission—we lost a brother, and Dare blamed himself for trusting the wrong person. So, I understood why he was so damn skeptical, but I wouldn’t let skepticism blind me to the facts.

“You want the rational reason or the logistical one?”

His eyes glittered. “Both.”

“Wheaton was the one who asked her to come over. That was confirmed by the housekeeper and the police. Plus, she’d been tutoring Wheaton’s son for months. There were plenty of opportunities for her to steal if that was her intent.” I folded my arms, trying to hide the way my fists balled at my sides. “On top of that, Wheaton wasn’t found by the housekeeper until hours later. Plenty of time to clean evidence. Plenty of time to steal valuables if that was her motive. Plenty of time to do whatever and get away. There was no reason for her to go back and risk being caught.”

“So then why is she the only one on the video footage?”

“You really want to go there?” I practically snarled, my body all out of fucking whack, still high on whatever lingered in my veins from hearing her in the shower—hearing how she wanted me.“What’s more likely? A Spanish teacher murdered a doctor, or that doctor pissed off one of the numerous criminals he’s operated on?”

“Careful, Rhys,” Dare warned, his eyes pitch black. “Or you’ll end up like me.”Like someone who’d discovered broken trust made the sharpest of weapons.

“I am careful,” I shot back, my temper bubbling over.

“Enough,” Harm interrupted, lifting a warning finger in his brother’s direction.And just like that, Dare shrugged like it didn’t matter—like this was my bed to make and then lie in when things went to shit. “I agree. Unlikely she killed him and went back to the scene. There was plenty of time for the killer to do or search for whatever he wanted before the police got there. So, what’s your theory?”

I shifted my weight, sliding my gaze to the ground for a second. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Wheaton hosts a party where Ivans is on the guest list and then ends up murdered not even two months later.”

Something heavy rippled through the silence, weighted with both hope and uncertainty.

“Have you found any proof of the connection?” he asked with a low voice. More than any of us, he was cautious to believe there was finally another lead on the men who’d destroyed Rob’s family and her life.

“Not yet. But we can’t ignore how the chips are falling. First, McCullough’s arrest. Then Sinclair’s capture. Ivan’s reappearance. Now, Wheaton’s murder… the men at the top of the GrowTech cover-up and Rob’s parents’ deaths are tying up loose ends. Removing anyone who helped them, including the doctor who changed Ivan’s appearance so he could escape.”I met the gaze of every man in the room, knowing they couldn’t argue with me. “It’s sure as hellmore plausible than Wheaton’s kid’s teacher murdering him.”

“You’re very defensive about a woman you just met—a woman you know nothing about,” Dare added with a low voice.

My head snapped to him, eyes narrowing.

“Who is she to you?” Harm interrupted again, pinning me with a look I’d faced often enough when we’d been deployed; it wasn’t a question, it was a command, and I stiffened. “You recognized her earlier on the news. How did you know her?”

Goddammit.

“She’s the woman I saved at Wheaton’s party.”

“Shit.” Harm’s eyes widened; he hadn’t expected that. “The one Alvaro Lorenz attacked?”

My jaw locked, and I nodded, refusing to look at Dare even though I felt his eyes on me. More than Harm, I could tell he saw the truth like it was as obvious as blood on my hands.

“It doesn’t change?—”

“Maybe not,” he interrupted me. “But we have to consider the likelihood that she was the woman attacked that night, and she wasalsothe woman present when Wheaton was murdered.”

I faced Ty before the insane urge to punch my friend overwhelmed me.Christ,I didn’t know what it was about this woman that made me absolutely feral to protect her. First, that night, and even now—even from men who were like family—like brothers to me.

“Was there any connection between Alvaro Lorenz and Merritt?” I demanded.

“They both lived in Spain five years ago.”

Dare made a low noise—one that sounded distinctly like he was calling me afool.But I didn’t engage. There was no point;Dare’s blinders when it came to trusting women would never go down.

“Spain’s a big country” was all I could muster before I faced Ty. “What did you find out about her?”

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