Page 58 of Blackmail of a Billionaire

She spun slowly to face him, her heart racing as turmoil roiled within her. “I don’t think that’s the best idea, Dr. Carter.”

Disappointment flashed in his eyes as he flicked his gaze to the floor. “Please, let’s not do that.”

“Do what?” she asked, heat lacing her voice.

“Let’s not let this put distance where there shouldn’t be any. Don’t shut me out. There’s more at stake here than you realize. I’m not looking to hurt you. Quite the opposite.”

Her shoulders slumped as she tried to formulate a response to the delicate statement that wouldn’t make things worse.

“Tell you what, things are still raw. I have to give my statement, but let’s talk afterward. I promise I’ll listen. But you have to promise to do the same.”

She fluttered her eyelashes at the proposition. He promised to listen. Maybe this would be the way to sort out this entire situation. “All right.”

He grinned at her. “Good. I won’t be long.”

She eased into the hard seat as he wandered to the desk and spoke to one of the officers. The man nodded at him before directing him through a doorway into the back.

Julia bit her thumbnail as the chaotic energy of the police station buzzed around her. The clanking of doors and muffled voices created a dissonant backdrop. Her mind drifted to her situation with Grant. The contractual lines had once again blurred. Was it possible to keep them clear?

Before she delved deeper, the door to the back burst open. Her heart stopped momentarily, and her breath hitched as she expected the confrontation with Kyle sooner than she expected. A sigh of relief escaped her as Mitchell strode into the waiting room.

She leapt from her seat and hurried toward him. “Mitchell, thank you for coming. How does it look? Is there anything I can do?”

The man slid an arm around her. “Let’s sit down and chat, shall we?”

She bobbed her head as they shuffled back to her corner seat and perched on the edge of it, swallowing hard.

“Julia, can you tell me anything about what happened?”

Julia sucked in a breath as she composed her thoughts. Could she tell him? She barely understood it herself. “I…I’m really not sure, to be honest. This entire thing escalated far more quickly than I expected.”

“Okay, just slow down. Start from the beginning. How did the physical fight start?”

Julia nodded, composing herself and focusing only on that piece. “Umm, Kyle and I were having lunch. Grant came in and…uh…”

Julia struggled to recall the details that had led to the violence. “I guess Kyle thought he came on too strong, and he pulled me away from Grant and punched him. It came on the heels of Kyle saying he suspected I was in an abusive relationship.”

Mitchell jotted a few notes on his legal pad before he flicked his gaze back to Julia. “So, you can confirm Dr. Carter lashed out first?”

“Yes, definitely. He just…punched Grant out of nowhere.”

“And you mentioned the doctor saying he suspected an abusive relationship. Did he say what led to that?”

Julia sucked in a breath and nodded. “Yes. He said Grant’s behavior seemed odd to him after my accident. That he seemed overbearing and more worried about Kyle’s attention on me than my well-being. He seemed insistent about this despite what I said.”

“So, you told him this was not the case?”

“Yes, definitely. I told him several times before Grant arrived. Then when Grant came…I don’t know, it’s like he snapped. He just kept insisting that I was too close to see it.”

Mitchell set his pen on the pad, fixing his gaze on Julia. “Julia, this may be a difficult question for you, but I need an honest answer. I’m not asking as Grant’s attorney, I’m asking as your friend. Is there anything that could be construed as abusive from your perspective?”

“No,” Julia answered immediately. She bit her lower lip, leaning closer to Mitchell. “I think he may have picked up on the…lack of personal connection between us.”

Mitchell bobbed his head. “I see. But nothing else that can be considered abusive behavior?”

“No, nothing. I tried to explain that to Dr. Carter, but he didn’t accept that.”

Mitchell twisted the cap onto his pen. “Okay. One more question. Grant said something about a…misunderstanding between you this morning. He said you left without resolving it. Did you mention anything about that to Dr. Carter?”

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