Page 158 of Risky Passion

Fuck. I sucked air through my teeth, fighting my rage. Even if I had buried her, they would have found her and dug her up. Ruined her all over again.

I had failed her. The one person I vowed to look after, and I’d failed.

A tear slid down my cheek, and I tugged my lips into my mouth to stop my chin from quivering.

“Hey, would you like a glass of water?” Tory said.

Tory’s kindness dug deep, scraping at places inside me I didn’t even know existed. I nodded anyway, forcing down emotions I’d never let myself feel before.

“Zac, can you grab some water, please?” Tory asked, her voice soft but steady.

“Sure thing,” the guy with the weird accent said, before disappearing back inside.

“Beatrice. What can you tell us about Watts?” Jaxson eyed me like I was the devil.

I glared at him. “He’s a cop. What about him?”

Whitney stepped forward. “The name Watts was written in a ledger in those files I saved from the fire.”

I caught the way Jaxson shot him a filthy glare. Jaxson wanted to keep his cards close to his chest . . . a move I’d used plenty of times myself. But I wasn’t foolish enough to think I would get out of this. Not without consequences.

I wasn’t going to prison. My place was here, with Alice.

But before I went, I was going to take every last one of the bastards who ruined us down with me.

“The person in those records is Graham Watts,” I snarled. “Captain Watts’ father.”

A wave of relief swept over the group, their shoulders dropping like they’d just dodged a bullet.

“Don’t you dare be happy about that!” My voice cracked like a whip.

Their following silence was deafening, and it only made my rage burn hotter.

Zac reappeared, placing a glass of water on the table in front of me.

“Here you go,” he said, his tone casual, almost gentle.

“That bastard raped Alice.” My hands trembled with rage. “And God knows how many other kids, too. But they brushed his vile crimes under the fucking carpet. Hid the truth over and over. And when I killed him with his own gun, they called it a suicide. They never questioned what he was doing in the doctor’s office at that hour or why he was half-naked. They practically made him a fucking hero. He was no fucking hero.”

“Oh, Beatrice . . .” Tory’s soft tone was barely above a whisper, but her compassion hit me harder than a slap. She slid into the chair beside me, her gaze soft and steady, like she was trying to hold me together with just her eyes. “I’m so sorry that happened to Alice. She deserved better. You both did.”

Her words twisted something inside me, but I couldn’t let it show.

I reached for the glass, keeping my movements slow and steady. As I lifted the water toward my lips, my fingers brushed the edge of my bra, removing the cyanide pill.

“So, Beatrice,” Parker said, stepping into my view. His voice was calm, but there was something in his eyes, curiosity, or maybe suspicion. “You shared some details in that notebook. Thank you, it will be extremely helpful. But I get the feeling there were more names and details you wanted to write down. Care to share anymore?”

I lowered my hand to my lap and pushed the pill free with my thumb, securing it in my fingers.

A profound sense of relief settled into my chest.

I’m coming to you, Alice.

I tightened my grip on the water glass, my hand trembling as I brought it closer to my lips.

A phone rang, cutting through the tension.

Everyone turned toward Jaxson as he pulled his phone from his pocket and swiped to answer. “Hi, Aria,” he said.

---