Page 93 of Surrender
Where he felt like he couldn’t lose.
But if I was being honest, there was a part of me that wasitching to look him in the eye and show him just how badly he underestimated me, and the lengths I’d go for the people Iactuallyloved.
Pushing my shoulders back, I stepped into the room. It was cold inside, but my ears and neck were already burning, and my heart was pounding a little too quickly to be comfortable.
Parker stood by the small, barred window, leaning casually against the brick wall with his arms folded and a smirk on his face. “Darcy Robbins,” he drawled, happily clapping his hands together. “Here to save the day, right? Clean up the mess your boyfriend has made?”
“I—”
“Wait!” a male voice barked from the hallway. Heavy footsteps thundered down the hall, getting closer and closer until a man appeared in the doorway, breathless and juggling a pile of office things. He slipped inside, kicking the door closed with his heel and walking past me to the small table in the center of the room.
It was like he thought he owned the place.
Or maybe like he’d done this before.
I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but the second Parker’s face twisted into a stern frown, I knew this guy wasn’t on their side.
He was on mine.
“All right,” he finally announced, pulling out the chair beside him and waving me over. “Let’s get this shit done then. Darcy, Mr. Carrington is interested in hearing what you have to say about the events of last night, and hopefully, the information you have willexonerateNathaniel Brooks. Isn’t that the goal, Mr. Carrington? To prove who is innocent and who is guilty?”
That was all I needed to hear.
My feet moved on their own toward the table, and I gingerly took a seat, shuffling it in.
Parker still hadn’t moved, his face morphing through several emotions while his brain fought to find a solution for the problem he now faced.
I wasn’t alone.
The guy beside me slid a note across the table, and the handwriting that was scribbled across it was very familiar.
This is Dane.
He’ll look after you.
Stay strong, Tiny Dancer.
My racing heart seemed to slow down slightly, making it easier to breathe and think. Almost as if Nate was in the room with me, his hand under my chin, lifting it high so I could face anything that came at me.
I cleared my throat. “Nate was with me at Maison Vesey last night.” I locked eyes with Parker across the room. “We left around 3:07 a.m., got back to the clubhouse, showered, and went to bed.”
Parker scoffed, finally making his way to the table but not bothering to sit. He slammed his palms down on the hard surface and leaned in. “Unfortunately, you aren’t exactly a reliable witness,” he spat. “You have bias. Something to lose. Motivation to lie.”
With a deep breath, I uncurled my fingers from around the thumb drive and placed it on the table between us without looking away or backing down like he wanted.
“This has the security footage from Maison Vesey,” I announced, my voice steady. “It’ll prove Nate was with me and not near Roxie’s apartment when she was killed.”
Parker was struggling, his face twitching and moving on its own as he tried to contain his response. “Footage of what, exactly?” he finally forced out, and when my only answer was silence, he laughed. It was loud and obnoxious. “You’re fuckingkidding.”
Dane quickly snatched the thumb drive off the table.
“Detective!” he called, and I glanced around, wondering what I was missing. The door to the hall opened again a moment later, and a plainclothes officer stepped in. “This is evidence, and I think it should be viewed in private.”
“No, no, no!” Parker protested, this look of pure delight lighting up his face like a punch in the gut. “I am the one who decides who and what to prosecute, so I need to see the evidence laid out.”
“Given Mr. Carrington’s previous relationship with Ms. Robbins, I’m going to point out how inappropriate this fucking is,” Dane shouted back, holding the thumb drive in the air. “You can’t expect—”
“Yes, I can,” the detective countered, plucking the drive from Dane’s fingers. “Roxanna was murdered between 2:37 a.m. and 2:49 a.m. We check the time stamp on the video, and if Mr. Brooks is cleared, I can start looking for the real fucking killer. So if you don’t mind…”
