Page 19 of Redemption's Inferno

“I…I have to tell you something and I need you to listen and not say anything. I just, I need to talk to someone who won’t judge me or try to change my mind.”

“Of course.” Karl’s voice softened. “What’s wrong, älskling?” Honey.

She told him everything that had happened with Adam, the nightmares that began after Simone was born, the demise of her marriage and her ever-increasing need for pain and humiliation. Finally, she told him about her plan to turn herself in to Scotland Yard.

“Oh, Emilie.” Karl’s voice seemed thick with emotion. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

“You’re my big brother! I didn’t want to tell you what a mess I was. I mean, you saw some of it when Therese was blackmailing me, but I was already feeling bad enough about that, how could I tell you it was even worse than you knew?”

“Because I’m your big brother,” he responded gently. “It’s my job to protect you when I can and be there for you when I can’t—like I did when I finally realized what Therese was doing to you. What can I do, Em? Do you need me to come to England?”

“No.” Her voice broke slightly as she basked in his acceptance and instinctive need to protect her. “I’ve promised Chains seven days to try to dig up the details of what happened and then we’ll decide on the best way to handle it.”

“Just promise me one thing.”

“Of course.”

“You’ll allow me to get you the best possible lawyer—even if you’re guilty, I want you treated fairly and to be kept out of the press as much as possible.”

“I promise,” she said softly.

“We’re supposed to go to Ottawa tomorrow,” he said. “The sentencing will be any day now and we want to be there with Jamie and Viggo, but I can come to England from there if you need me to.”

“Let’s talk after the sentencing,” she said. “Jamie might need you more than I do, depending on what happens.”

“All right.” He paused. “I love you, Em.”

“I love you too.” She disconnected and put her phone in her back pocket, jumping when Chains’ deep voice broke through the stillness of the night.

“Dinner’s ready.”

She put a hand over her heart. “You scared me!”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I was coming to get you and it didn’t seem prudent to interrupt.”

“You could have just gone back inside,” she said, sticking her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

“I’m a spy,” he laughed. “I spy on people. It’s instinctive.”

She rolled her eyes. “Lovely. I’ll be sure to remember that when I’m in the shower.”

“Love, if I want to see you naked, there won’t be any spying—I’ll just ask you to take off your clothes.”

She leveled her gaze at him. “We discussed this already, didn’t we?”

“We did, but we’re going to be sharing a bed for the next six or seven nights, so we should verify the ground rules.”

“No sex,” she said automatically. “No more examples of the so-called chemistry between us.”

“What if you change your mind and attack me in my sleep? Am I to turn you down?” His face was serious though his eyes twinkled with mirth.

She shook her head in exasperation. “If I find myself unable to control the raging passion within, and I attack you as you sleep, be prepared to find yourself bound and gagged.”

He arched a brow. “Promise?”

She rolled her eyes and strode past him towards the house but he snaked out a hand to grab her arm. “Em?”

She glanced over her shoulder at him.

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