Page 60 of Not This Night

“Rachel?” Ethan muttered.

But she ignored her partner. She couldn't lose focus. She was here for one reason and one reason only.

Charlie stared at her, as if he couldn’t quite believe what she’d said. She didn’t look away.

“You let me go?”

“Yes.”

“Swear it.”

“I swear it.”

“On your badge,” Big Joe snapped, shifting uncomfortably from where her seat still leaned against his legs.

“I swear it on my badge.”

He harumphed, bit his lip, then released a small sigh.

"She's kidding, right?" Big Joe finally muttered to Ethan.

Ethan didn't reply. His gaze was locked on the road, his knuckles white on the steering wheel from tension.

Rachel didn't take her eyes off Big Joe. Her piercing stare dared him, challenged him to weigh his options and make a choice. Finally, he grumbled, "Fine."

"Start talking," Rachel ordered.

"Charlie had a plan," Big Joe started slowly, licking his lips nervously.

"And what exactly was this plan?" Rachel asked, her voice as cold as ice.

"Charlie... Charlie's a little guy with big ideas," Big Joe finally said, his voice barely more than a growl.

Rachel reclined her seat, relieving some pressure off his hulking physique. "Ideas about what?" Her question echoed in the tense silence of the car.

"Money," Big Joe grumbled.

Rachel leaned forward again, the tension back in full force. "What kind of money-making scheme was Charlie involved in?"

Big Joe shifted uncomfortably, blowing at the blue feather in his hair like a distracted child.

"You're lying," Rachel shot back instantly, her gaze never wavering from the rearview mirror.

"No." He retorted sullenly.

"I'll let you out if you tell us the truth," She reiterated, her tone icy and unyielding.

Ethan glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, an unspoken question lingering in the air. But she was not here for Big Joe or his petty assaults; she was here for murder.

Resigned, Big Joe muttered something under his breath before saying, "Charlie... he always talked about blackmailing someone."

"Who?" Rachel demanded, her pulse quickening.

The silence stretched out between them like an endless tunnel before he murmured, "Lucy Thompson."

Rachel drew back involuntarily as if struck, her bruised knuckles white against the dashboard. "Spill it, Joe. What was Charlie holding over her head?" Her voice cut through the tension like a serrated blade.

Big Joe's lips twisted into an uneasy smirk, his eyes shifty and calculating. "Blackmail? Nah, you've got it all wrong—"

---