Page 23 of Locked In Ice

His hands clenched and released at his sides.Clenched and released.“Reporters still chase me.That’s why I’m not in Nevada anymore.Had to get as far away from there as I could.”

His face had been everywhere, for a while.But as with everything, a new story had come along to steal the spotlight.A new drama.

“I was cleared, but when people I meet find out who I am, half of them still look at me like I’m guilty as hell.”

Her toes curled against the carpet.Once some people heard that you were a killer, they would never believe anything else.Their minds would be made up, especially if they saw a news story that was sensational enough.A story deliberately designed to terrorize or anger the audience.

“You don’t look at me like that,” he said.

“Well, I do have the benefit of having read your file.”Many times.Another bit of Ophelia lore that she would not be sharing with him in that particular moment.What she could tell him?“I know you didn’t kill those women.”One hundred percent, Ophelia knew she was staring at an innocent man.

Or, at least a man who wasn’t guilty of murder.Innocentmight be a stretch.Because other than children, who were the innocents of the world?Everyone had their sins.

Some just hid those sins better than others.

“Didn’t kill them,” he rumbled.“But you know…what I did when I was locked up.”

“I know you fought the people who came after you.What were you supposed to do?Stand there and let them attack you like a good boy?Your choice was to either be an easy victim or to give them a reason to fear you.”

His brow furrowed.“You’re supposed to keep me in check.”

“Is that what I’m supposed to do?”Her hands had balled into fists when she’d crossed her arms over her chest.

“I heard you tell Memphis—”

“Oh, yeah, right.I’ll stop you from crossing lines.Done.If I see you going over the deep end and trying to hurt someone, I will immediately launch to intervene and stop you from shedding blood.Done.You can count on me, partner.”

He looked down at the floor.No, at the threshold that separated his room from hers.“Stop me now.”

Her heart thundered in her ears.“Excuse me?”

Silence.

“I don’t see an enemy here,” Ophelia spoke slowly.Maybe she was just too tired and not following along properly.“You don’t look like you’re in danger of killing anyone so…”

He swallowed.“Not that line.”

“Is there another one I should be aware of?”She rocked forward onto the balls of her feet.The adrenaline made her a little shaky.Correction, a lot shaky.The high had worn off and emotions battered at her.Anger.Fear.Sorrow.The past needs to get out of my head.

“Yeah, you need to be aware.”A long exhale from Lane.“We both do.”

Then please continue.Warn me.

“You said you wanted me.I’ve been in this room, and maybe I should be thinking about the killer who fucking tied me up and threatened to gut me today…”

“Yes, that would be something to keep you awake at night.”That would be something to give most people nightmares forever.

He wasn’t most people.Neither was she.

His green gaze lifted and locked on her once more.“I only thought about you.”

Oh.Her breath whispered out.

“A cold shower didn’t help.”

“I took a hot one.It didn’t help, either.”

His bare feet crept a bit closer to the threshold.“Shouldn’t you be telling me that you have rules?That you’re not going to fuck a partner?”

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