Page 107 of Love and Memories

Matt exhaled a shaky breath. “Okay. Didn’t see that one coming.”

“Tell me about it. They can’t really think she killed him for no reason. It had to be self-defense.”

Ithadto be. Nothing else made sense. Could they really believe Bella was a cold-hearted killer? Gunner was her captor. Her abuser. Didn’t she have the right to fight back?

“Try to stay calm. We’ll figure out the truth, and so will the investigators. They wouldn’t punish her without plenty of evidence.”

“It sounds like she remembered it and turned herself in. Why would she do that? Why wouldn’t she wait until I could get there? We could have talked about it first.”

“If anyone can help her, it’s Camille. We both know she’ll take care of Bella.”

That was the only hope holding Travis together. He had to be strong and rational to help Bella. He had to have faith in the friends who had already gone out of their way to help her many times over.

That faith was waning. He wanted to storm in and save her from this nightmare. He wanted to take it all away. He wanted to hold her and remind her to stay strong.

Helplessness sparked beneath his skin, and he shuddered.

“You’re right. Just drive faster.”

40

ISABELLA

Bella stared at the grain on the wooden table in front of her. A dark-brown knot caught her attention and it was enough to allow her to drift into a daydream–one where she wasn’t here and she wasn’t being questioned and she wasn’t living this nightmare.

She’d tasted pure happiness, and now it would be ripped from her. She would have to go back to a life worse than the one she’d left. Rags to riches to rags was her roller coaster.

What about her baby? The gnawing, gripping pain in her gut hadn’t stopped since she remembered her crimes.

Camille stepped into the small, gray room, closing the door behind her. Her dark-brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a faded-blue sweater and worn jeans. Even in casual clothing, she held an air of authority wherever she went, holding her head high.

People listened to her. People respected her.

Bella, however, was on the other end of the spectrum. People were listening to her now because she was giving them information. Not only had she confessed to killing, but she’d also spilled deadly secrets she’d once vowed never to speak of.

Her life was essentially over. So what if she told the truth now? No one could come after her while she was in prison. And if they did, would she even care?

Camille sat in the chair beside Bella, and the metal legs screeched across the tile floor. “Okay, I’ve spoken with the detective. Apparently, Justin White’s sister has arrived for questioning as well. She said she did not report his disappearance, but she hasn’t seen him in months. So, the good news is she has no proof, even if she is adamant that you are the one who killed her brother.”

“How could she possibly know?” Bella asked.

Though, itwasthe truth. Bella knew she’d killed him. That part wasn’t being disputed.

“She doesn’t, and that is our saving grace. She seems to have a problem with you, but fortunately for us that doesn’t mean anything in a court of law,” Camille said.

Bella hung her head. Exhaustion came over her like a thick blanket. After spending the morning with Anna and her mother making wedding plans, then this, a bed sounded like a gift from God himself. “I’ve met her maybe three times. She was never nice to me.”

She’d barely crossed paths with Chloe White at the clubhouse. During those moments she acted as if Bella were invisible. It was almost like a game to see how long Chloe could ignore the person standing in front of her. No amount of kindness had mattered. It certainly wasn’t valued in the club. Who needed it?

Pleasantries? A waste of time. They liked you, or they didn’t. One offered protection. The other often ended in death.

“In other news,” Camille continued. “Apparently, the club had the local police in their pocket, but not the narcotics and vice divisions. Those two teams have been keeping a close watch on the club for years now. So we aren’t starting an investigationfrom scratch. Given the new information you have provided, they have upped their security and surveillance and are keeping a lookout for any sightings of Justin White.”

“But what if they don’t see him?” Bella asked.

Camille tilted her head slightly and scratched her nose. “That isn’t necessarily evidence, but it also doesn’t help your case. There is no body, there is no murder. Even your confession isn’t evidence. Actually, the inside knowledge that you can offer could get you in the good graces of these two law enforcement divisions. If you can provide information and no body is visually found, you may be able to help them more and they could lighten your sentence. While your inside information is mostly helpful to your case, you also don’t have any evidence. No photos. Nothing.”

“You’re right. I was only allowed a burner phone, and I wasn’t allowed to call anyone except Gunner. Not even the other members of the club.”

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