Page 94 of Surrender
My stomach clenched and the way my heart was thundering felt like a thousand drums.
Parker was quick to pull his laptop from his bag and open it up, the detective clicking the drive into the side.
The room was tense.
Each second felt like a damn hour as I waited, watching him flick through the footage of the club slowly clearing out over the last few hours of the night.
12:00 a.m.
1:00 a.m.
2:00 a.m.
2:37 a.m.
My throat tightened at the image paused on the screen, and a rush of blood filled my cheeks, making me feel lightheaded for amoment. The still of me naked and bent over the table at Maison Vesey with my hands tied behind my back wasn’t something I ever intended to share with the world.
But it had an important purpose.
Because there was Nate buried deep inside me, his hand in my hair, very muchnotmurdering someone.
The detective cleared his throat, his voice stiff. “Okay, I’ve seen enough for now—”
“You fucking whore!” Parker lunged forward and drove his fist into the laptop keyboard. The video didn’t pause, and the sounds of Nate fucking me suddenly filled the small room.
“My good girl.”
“Fuck. Nate… more.”
“Yes. God. Yes. Yes.”
Dane reacted quickly and reached across the table, slamming the laptop shut and silencing the audio, but it had already left the air in the room feeling heavy.
“We’re leaving,” Dane snapped at the detective while his eyes stayed on Parker, who was pacing the room, completely unraveling. “And you’re going to organize the release of Nathaniel Brooks now that you’ve seen your proof.”
He stood, and I followed, my legs shaky but moving, making sure I stayed close to Dane.
Parker spun suddenly, stomping across the room, his face red with rage. “This was your plan all along, huh?” he bellowed. “To humiliate me? To make me look like a fucking fool!”
I shook my head, sick of backing away from this man and his need to blame his choices on everyone else. “Yes, of course!” I snapped, breathing heavy. “This isn’t about Roxie being killed. Or Nate being blamed for her murder. This was all my ploy to make you look like an idiot. Jesus Christ, Parker, your ego is out of control. You’re the one making yourself look like a fool!”
Parker surged forward, his hand up.
Dane moved faster, though, hooking his arm around me and pulling me out of the way of his swing.
A couple of officers rushed in just as the detective grabbed Parker, twisting his arm up behind his back. “You’re fucking done here,” the detective barked, shoving him at the two guys in uniform. “Get him the hell out of here.”
The adrenaline rushing through me made it hard to find my feet again, but Dane helped to steady me.
The detective let out a sigh, scrubbing a hand over his short hair and shaking his head. “You okay?” he asked, and all I could do was nod.
Even though I wasn’t actually sure if I was.
Parker’s true colors had been slowly growing brighter and brighter since I’d been in Detroit. But today, they were suddenly flashing bright red.
“I just want to see Nate,” I said, finding my voice again. “When will you let him go?”
“Soon.” He nodded, collecting the laptop from the table and tucking it under his arm. “I’ll make sure the footage is deleted from this computer before he gets it back.”
