Page 17 of Redemption's Inferno

Chains looked over at her. “Was there blood? Did you have bruises? Was anything missing?”

“Nothing like that. Nothing was out of place, nothing was gone, no physical marks on either of us—and believe me, I checked.”

“So perhaps a heart attack?”

“I think he panicked that I left him for so long and probably, yes, had a heart attack.”

“Are you sure he was still alive before you passed out?”

“No.” She shook her head. “It was dark and I was drunk and exhausted, so I just sat in the chair and the next thing I remember I was waking up.”

“Doesn’t sound as if it’s anything you did,” Chains said carefully. “This was an accident—sex play gone wrong.”

“If I’d not fallen asleep when I got there, maybe I could have saved him! Maybe if I’d called for help he wouldn’t have died! I never should have left him… It was incredibly stupid.”

“It wasn’t your brightest move,” Chains agreed. “But it also wasn’t malicious. You made a deal and he didn’t hold up his end. At the end of the day, you’d probably get a reduced or suspended sentence. I believe there are modifications for offenders in the 18- to 20-year-old range, especially for something that essentially comes down to a prank gone wrong.”

“If you were that boy’s mother, would you be happy with a suspended or modified sentence?” she countered quietly. “As a mother now, the idea that someone could leave Simone to die somewhere…”

“You didn’t leave him to die. There is absolutely no reason why a healthy 20-year-old man should have died from being left tied to a bed for less than 24 hours. Kidnap victims have survived underground, with no light and limited oxygen for much longer than that. This was bad luck and terrible judgment on your part, but not murder, and certainly not something you should rot in prison for.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she whispered.

“Look, let’s find out the truth,” he suggested. “Let me try to find out his name and get the autopsy results. I don’t think it’s smart to turn yourself in without having some facts first. You blacked out for part of the incident, so we don’t want them to say you did something you didn’t.”

“But I did—”

“You didn’t murder him—you were reckless, but that’s not a first-degree murder charge! This was an accident and if you’re determined to go to the authorities about the incident, let’s make sure we have it under control.”

“But wouldn’t they do that anyway?”

“You were 19, so how long ago was this?”

“Eight years.”

“They’ve most likely closed the case, especially if there was no sign of foul play. If you left him restrained—”

“I didn’t,” she interrupted. “I didn’t want his parents to be told that he was found…like that.”

“So you left fingerprints.”

“Most definitely,” she said. “I was all over that room and I just ran when I realized what had happened. I told Therese…” she trailed off, embarrassed just saying it out loud. What had she been thinking? That her brother’s ex-girlfriend would somehow protect her? She’d been an idiot.

“And what did she say?”

“She told me to forget about it. She went down to the hotel and talked to people, but the word on the street was that it was an accident. I left England, though, and this is the first time I’ve been back since then.”

“Eight years since you’ve been here?” He was surprised.

“I lost myself in kinky sex and my ill-fated modeling career.”

“Why ill-fated?” He couldn’t help but smile. “You’re beautiful.”

She smiled, her cheeks growing slightly pink as she dropped her gaze. “Thank you. But I’m too…bland? So pale and blond, not very shapely—”

“Not shapely?” He actually scoffed. “Bloody hell, woman, your body was made for—” He stopped abruptly. “Well, you know, looking at you as a red-blooded male, I think you’re very sexy. A bit skinny for my tastes, but not a damn thing wrong with you.”

She was still smiling, though she didn’t look at him. “You’re very kind. You don’t have to say those things.”

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