Page 45 of Caught in the Crossfire

“You would have.”

A shrug. “I had no intention of getting into a physical altercation with him, but I won’t let him harass Nicole, either. She doesn’t have anything to do with my past.”

“You did end up in an altercation.”

“I didn’t touch him.”

Ethan waited, gaze locked on his face.

“If Fitzgerald had tried to punch me again, I would have defended myself. If Nicole had been with me and he’d tried to hurt her, I would have done more.”

Ethan sighed. “Lucky for you that I was parked close enough to see the whole episode outside the diner.”

Nicole frowned. “Why does Fitzgerald say Mason was his attacker?”

“He doesn’t know anyone else in town except you two, and he and Mason aren’t on the best of terms. Mason is the only person with a reason to hurt him.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little extreme for Mason to beat up a man for warning me to break up with him? I have people in town tell me that all the time.”

Mason turned to her. “Are you serious?”

She squeezed his hand. “They don’t know the real Mason Kincaid.”

He gave a wry laugh. “Funny. That’s exactly what Fitzgerald said when we were in Delaney’s. Do you need any other information from me, Ethan?”

“I want a copy of the security recordings.”

Mason got to his feet. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Nicole waited until he left the room, then said, “You know him, Ethan. You know he isn’t capable of doing this.” She expected the police chief to agree with her since he’d met with Mason every week since his release from prison. She was disappointed.

“To protect the woman he loves, a man will do a lot more than beat an aggressor. Don’t kid yourself, Nicole. If your life is in danger, Mason will do whatever is necessary to save you.”

Mason returned to the kitchen with a flash drive in hand. “Six cameras. Six digital files. The recordings begin at 7:00 p.m. and end at 1:00 a.m.”

Ethan stood and accepted the drive. “Anything you want to tell me?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t touch Fitzgerald?”

“I have a job to do, and I’ll do it to the best of my ability. That means I follow the trail of evidence wherever it takes me, no matter what my gut says.”

“What does your gut say?” Nicole asked.

“Mason is telling the truth. Someone is out to set him up for a fall and willing to use innocent people to do it.” He turned to Mason. “Between now and 7:00 a.m., give some serious thought to who might hate you enough to send you back to prison.”

Nicole and Mason followed Ethan to the front door. With his hand on the knob, the police chief turned to Mason. “Bring a lawyer with you.”

Ice water flowed through Nicole’s veins as Ethan stepped outside and closed the door behind him with a quiet snick. She looked at Mason. At the sight of his pale face, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Mason strode out of the police station at 8:45 a.m. with the Fortress lawyer at his side. Andrea Esposito paused at the top of the stairs and glanced at him, her dark hair blowing in the breeze.

“Remember what I told you, Mason.”

How could he forget? “Don’t answer any questions without you or one of the other Fortress lawyers at my side.”

“That’s right. Blackhawk and Kelter will keep digging. They don’t have the reputation of looking for easy answers. Unfortunately for you, someone is wrapping a bow around your neck, hoping the cops will take the gift being offered and blame all this on you.”

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