Page 133 of Ashes and Lilies
Damen’s voice was softer when he responded, “Daniel Cole was arrogant and had taken video. He had an entire setup at that location. While this instance only involved Daniel, we’ve found enough evidence to incriminate all of them for other occasions.Obviously, Detective Kohler has ‘lost’ certain footage of your imprisonment, but when you feel better, we’ll need to go over what happened in those rooms.”
His words triggered tension throughout my body. I wasn’t sure which incident he was referencing—or what they might have seen or heard—but it didn’t matter. There was nothing to discuss. “Why?”
“Baby girl, you can either come to me or see another professional, but you need to talk to someone.” Damen crossed his arms. “We’ve all had our original forms take over. So, we understand more than you think.”
Oh, that. Was that the strange feeling? It was nice to know, because I wasn’t sure.
Then Damen leveled his gaze at me. “And we also need to go over everything else. For example, when you and Finn were talking in the morgue about your plan.”
And there it was. What, was Daniel watching the whole place?
“No, we don’t,” I said, curling back into the bed. I didn’t recall exactly what we discussed, but I didn’t like the look on Damen’s face. I pulled the sheets over my head. But even though I couldn’t see them through my shield, I could still feel their eyes on me.
“Bianca…” Damen’s voice lost a hint of confidence. Knowing I was the cause made my heart ache. But I tried not to care. The morphine made it easier.
I couldn’t tell if the numbness was me or the drugs that laced my system.
“Please go away.” My voice sounded funny, and my brain felt sluggish. I needed time so that I could forget about this and move on with my life. “I want to be alone.”
There was a thick silence in the room before the mattressfinally shifted. Titus was getting up. And, suddenly, even though I’d asked for it, the space around me felt empty.
“All right.” Damen sounded further away, and I strained to hear him. “If that’s what you need. Try to get some rest.”
“But you won’t be alone,” Titus added. “Someone trusted will always be nearby, even if we’re not here with you.”
I wasn’t sure if they expected a response, so I pressed my lips together. My arms were tight over my head as I fought to keep my thoughts at bay. But after a moment of silence, I peeked out from under my sheet. They were gone.
I couldn’t feel sorry for myself. I’d sent them away.
It was only until I could get a grip. Until I could prove I was strong.
However, there was only one problem with that. It was hard to convince myself it was the truth when I knew how much of a lie it really was.
I hada new visitor the next time I woke.
“You’re up.” Bryce nodded, stating the obvious. He sat beside my bed, wearing light blue pajama bottoms and a loose-fitting top. Apparently, judging from the bracelet on his wrist, he was still a patient.
I wanted to ask how his poison training was going, but that would probably be awkward.
“Why are you here?” I wasn’t trying to be offensive, but I didn’t understand.
“While Damen might not be thrilled with our blossoming friendship,” Bryce said dryly, “he’ll get over it.”
“Where is everyone else?” I asked, choosing to ignore this blasphemous talk of ‘friendship.’
“They’ve been around, but they had to leave. They needed to stop by the Council to give their testimony. Grace Cole passed away overnight, but there was enough evidence between what you’d discovered and Gloria’s report to charge both Alexander and Garrett Cole for previous murders, too.” Bryce crossed his legs and leaned back into his seat. “Meanwhile, Brayden and I are on babysitting duty. You’ve just missed him leaving for coffee.”
I bit my thumbnail. “Are the boys in trouble?”
“Them, get into trouble?” Bryce touched his chest. “Of course not. They’d never get into trouble over something this mild.”
“What about…” My voice trailed off again. Would I be questioned? The boys had said I wouldn’t, but it seemed wrong somehow.
“What about what?” Bryce studied me.
I bit my lip, looking away.
But Bryce seemed to know what I was thinking. He gave me a knowing look. “What about you?”
