Page 89 of Hart of Redemption
The elevator dinged, ending the emotion-filled look she and I were locked in.
My siblings were talking, but I wasn’t registering anything they were saying.
As soon as Fallyn and her father were out of sight, I shook off the effect she’d had on my mind, body, and soul. It was time to dig deep to find that asshole in me. The one who wasn’t bothered or swayed by anyone, no matter how beautiful or alluring she might be.
Ten minutes later, after leaving Denim, Duke, and Grace in the lobby, Kelton and I were sitting in a conference room rather than an interrogation room.
He busied himself in jotting down notes on a legal pad while I took a moment to glance out of the seventh-floor window, taking in Boston’s sharp skyline.
A sense of bittersweetness hit me in the chest. The city had been my home for as long as I could remember, and its vibrant energy always kept me on my toes.
But now faced with a possible prison term, I couldn’t help but think of all things I would miss—the delicious food at places like Yvonne’s, the peaceful moments spent in museums when I needed to think, and even the chaotic sounds of the busy streets.
The door opened and zapped my nostalgic moment. Even more so when Fallyn sashayed in, that government badge glinting on her belt—a reminder of who she really was.
Alongside her was a clean-cut man in a suit, who appeared too eager for my liking. But his demeanor wasn’t what sparked my nerves to make me bounce my knee. I never fidget. I never squirm. Yet there I sat watching every step Fallyn took as she looked everywhere but at me.
I leaned into Kelton and whispered, “It looks like they have hard evidence on me.”
He swung his hand over to my leg that felt like it was moving faster than a speeding train. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
I came mentally prepared to accept the consequences. I came knowing that I was facing a possible prison sentence. I came prepared to answer every question truthfully. However, I suddenly felt uneasy sitting across from Fallyn, who was avoiding eye contact with me at all costs, while the man next to her dropped a folder on the table and settled into the seat next to her.
“Duke, I’m Special Agent in Charge, Kyle Howard. You already know Agent Williams. Let’s begin with where were you on Saturday, November 4, around midnight? I’ll add that was the night two cartel members were found dead outside a container yard near Boston Harbor.”
Fallyn kept her gaze on her lap as she rubbed her hands down her legs. Come to think of it, she’d done that several times in my presence—a tell that she was nervous. Her trepidation, for whatever reason, seemed out of character from the badass, beautiful, gun-wielding agent I’d seen at the junkyard.
“What is Agent Williams doing here?” I asked. “She’s acting like she’s the one who’s being questioned.”
She lifted her chin quick as a whip and narrowed her eyes.
There you are. There’s that defiance I like.
“Mr. Hart,” Agent Howard said, “I’m the one leading this meeting, and we’ll get to why Agent Williams is here in a moment.” His egotism was showing. “Now, answer my question.”
Feds always thought they were better than people in my line of work, and while Agent Howard should be applauded for upholding the law, he didn’t need to act like a pompous fuck.
“I have a feeling you know where I was,” I responded.
Kelton was jotting something down on his legal pad. “Were you staking out the area, Agent Howard?” His tone could cut ice.
I liked Kelton’s cockiness, self-confidence, and composure. His attitude screamed that nobody should fuck with him or his clients. I could see why my brothers liked him.
Agent Howard studied Kelton and me.
“Duke is here to come clean,” Kelton said. “So cut to the chase, or we can go to court.”
Howard’s face turned red. “I’m running this investigation, Mr. Maxwell. I call the shots. I’m also not the one with his feet to the fire.”
I swung my arm in front of Kelton. “It’s fine. I was near that container yard, but you were there too.”
I threw out that last line to take his temperature, to confirm that I was right about that feeling I had that night of someone watching Vince and me.
Agent Howard regarded Fallyn, as if he thought she’d told me.
“Then you know I didn’t kill those cartel soldiers,” I continued.
“But you were there to pick up the guns that had been in the truck,” Agent Howard said.
