Page 66 of Wilde In His Arms

And better than Mrs.Lopez deserved after neglecting those children and saving her ass and her son’s over helping those poor innocent souls.

He thought of Stacy and how she had no one to go home to.She didn’t deserve what her father and grandmother did to her, let alone the bastards who assaulted her.

This whole case made his stomach turn and his heart bleed.

Mrs.Lopez scratched out the name of the bar, motel, and one other place her son owned, along with the cell phone number.She slid the paper across the table to him.“I will never forgive you for killing my daughter.”

“She tried to kill me.You want to blame someone for that, look to your son.This is all because of him.”Nick stood and headed for the door.He was done with Mrs.Lopez and the guilt she wanted to lay at his feet.He mentally kicked it away.He hadn’t wanted to kill Julia.He’d thought she was holding out on her brother’s location.He never suspected her of helping her brother, until she used that cart to sneak something out of the resort.

Now he knew Toby had been hidden inside.With a broken arm.In agony.

Time to talk to the bastard who hurt him.

Chapter twenty-five

NickandMasonleftMrs.Lopez and her attorney and walked into the room next door.The vibe in this room was a lot different.It was hard to tell which of the two confident men were the lawyer and suspect, given they were both smug and smiling in their designer suits.

But Nick had already seen the bastard on the left, bare chested in his slacks, tossing money at Julia like it solved everything.He’d find out soon enough, money didn’t buy your way out of everything.

Nick gave Mason a subtle side-eye to go over and intimidate the asshole with a star stamp on the back of his hand.The stamp reminded him of the paper covered in heart and flower stamps hanging in Agent Hayward’s office that his little girl made for him.

It made Nick sick to think how he got that stamp on his hand and if he used the stamp to reward the children he abused.

Nick wiped that ugly, disgusting thought out of his head and faced off with fucking Gilbert David.

Before Gilbert said anything, his lawyer placed his forearms on the table and clasped his hands.“My client is an upstanding citizen with no record, not even a speeding ticket.He’s been detained on charges that are not just preposterous, but inflammatory.”

Nick glanced at Mason.“I guess we’ve been put in our place.I mean, all that evidence we have against this upstanding citizen is absolutely going to prove he’s a child predator, who should be locked up for the rest of his life.But we must be wrong.”Nick scoffed at the idea and glared at the two men across from him.

Gilbert squirmed in his seat.“I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Maybe in your sick fucking mind you think that.But according to the law, and decency in general, you’ve sexually and physically assaulted a minor.”Probably a lot of minors.

The lawyer scoffed.“These charges are baseless.”

Nick turned to Gilbert.“You know they aren’t.You saw me at the resort when you put your hands on Julia Lopez.Toby was inside that fucking cart, arm broken, probably terrified if he cried out or made a sound, you’d kill him.Or Javier would.Right?”

Gilbert’s eyes went wide with fear.

“We found Toby’s DNA in the cart and in that room right after you left.Scurried away is more accurate.You were afraid I’d arrest you right then and there.I’m sorry I didn’t ask more questions and find Toby in that cart.I’ll have to live with that.But you, you’ll have to live with the consequences of what you did to him.Because we both know you’re not sorry.You were more concerned about what Javier would do to you for breaking his product.You were frantic, throwing hundred-dollar bills onto the cart, telling her you hadn’t meant to breakit.”Nick glared at Gilbert.“It.He’s a boy.A child.Not anityou can use and abuse and toss out when you break him, like it means nothing.Like you’re not responsible for tearing that kid’s world apart.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“I don’t give a fuck what you meant, or how you feel about that boy.No doubt your excuse will be some twisted version of how you care for him.”Nick took a deep breath.“Back to the evidence.At the time we met, I thought you’d broken a coffee maker or something.You said it was an accident, but you twisted that little boy’s arm so severely it snapped.And you panicked and called Julia to fix your mess.You told her the money should be enough to make it right.That kid’s arm is going to take surgery and months to heal.It will take him years to work through his trauma.Who knows if he’ll ever get over what you did to him in that room.And I’m guessing he’s not the only one you hurt.”

Gilbert pounded on the desk with both hands.“I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

His lawyer immediately put his hand on Gilbert’s arm and squeezed.“Don’t say another word.”

Nick didn’t relent.“You did hurt him.You traumatized him.And it wasn’t the first time.”

Gilbert quickly glanced at his lawyer.

“You were at that resort every day for a week.I have the surveillance footage of you going into the room marked “under construction.”The room Julia let you into after she rolled her cart in and left you alone with what you’d ordered.”Nick sat back in his seat.“Not exactly a room service item.But you knew just what to do to get your special delivery.”

“And now you’re going to tell us.”Mason’s tone made it clear it was a non-negotiable order.

Gilbert almost looked relieved they were giving him something he could do to make this better for him.“If I give you that, will you drop the charges?”

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