Page 119 of Ruthless Regret

He had access to everything I was doing. He was one step ahead of me all along.

“He made sure no one was at the house after the interview, so Marcus could get in, kill Ashley and set you up. Except, she fought back, and you saw him. He wasn’t in a position where he could take her out and set the scene the way he wanted, so he ran to regroup.”

“And then … When McFadden showed up …” I have to keep pausing. Talking hurts my throat.

“He made sure there was nothing for forensics to find, turning it into another dead end,” Rook finishes for me.

“What are we going to do?” I ask, my voice cracking.

“We’re going to set a trap. Bishop’s with Ashley. That way no one else can get to her. We need to make McFadden think he’s still in control, that he hasn’t been found out. Then we’re going to take him down. For good.”

I blink at him, the room spinning slightly as I try to process his words.

A trap. For McFadden.

My instincts scream at me to get up, to do something, but the weight of my body keeps me pinned to the bed.

“Rest for now. I’m staying here, Bishop will bring Ashley to see you later today,” Rook says, getting to his feet. “We’ve got this. But when the time comes, we’re going to need you. McFadden has already asked to see you once you’re awake. To get your statement. Before you do that, we need to talk. But you need to be clear headed, so try and sleep for now.”

I nod, or at least I think I do. The edges of my vision blur, exhaustion pulling at me again. I close my eyes, Rook’s words echoing in my mind as I drift back into the darkness.

CHAPTER SIXTY

ASHLEY

The bloodunder my fingernails won't come off. I've scrubbed my hands raw in the bathroom, but traces of red still linger in the creases of my skin.

Zain's blood.

Marcus's blood.

All of it mixing together, staining me inside and out.

When Bishop calls me to say McFadden wants to talk to me, I dry my hands, and stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My face is white, my T-shirt stained red.

Bishop knocks on the door again. “Ashley?”

“You can do this,” I whisper, strip out of my shirt, and replace it with a clean one. Stiffening my spine, I walk to the door.

Bishop is standing on the other side.

“Remember what I said, keep your answers short. No long explanations, no embellishments. Keep it simple. Don't elaborate. Don't give him anything he can use.” He rests his hand against the small of my back and guides me out of the room and down the stairs.

We pause outside the kitchen.

“Ready?”

I take a deep breath and walk in. McFadden is standing in the center of the kitchen. I nod toward him, then pull out a chair and sit down. My hands are shaking, so I tuck them between my thighs as he takes the seat opposite me, his notebook open, pen poised.

The very sight of him makes my skin crawl.

"Walk me through what happened," he says, his voice gentle. Concerned. The perfect sheriff looking after a traumatized witness.

I focus on breathing. In through my nose, out through my mouth. Just like mom taught me after Jason died. After I found Zain standing over their bodies.

After McFadden stood in the shadows and watched me run.

"I was in the kitchen with Zain." My voice comes out steadier than I expect. "Someone broke in and attacked us."

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