Page 43 of Prey for You

“Sir, I can shoot a man, then rush him to hospital. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t violent or an offense to shoot him in the first place.”

“I didn’t shoot anyone,” I growled. “I didn’t use any weapons on any of my clients. Ever.”

“Except Miss Reynolds?”

I glowered at him and looked at my lawyer, hoping there was a way to get out of this, but we always knew it was coming down to that night.

“That was… a unique set of circumstances.”

“Did you, or did you not bring a weapon to hunt Miss Reynolds the night you were arrested.”

“Yes, but that was only becauseshewas in crisis.”

“What kind of crisis?”

“She wanted to die. I needed to confront her with what she wanted, to show her that it wasn’t the answer. I never intended to use the knife on her—only make her believe that I would. I wanted to snap her out of that spiral. Get her fighting for herself.”

“Don’t they all fight for themselves? Didn’t you tell us that was the point?”

“Bridget hadstoppedfighting—she was trying to die. I’d been trying to convince her not to do this forweeks.”

The lawyer gave a pinched smile. “You had an agreement with her as Primal Dom that involved killing her. But when you spoke to her as a minister, you tried to convince her not to die?”

“Yes,” I said, frustrated. “I was trying to convince her that was the wrong answer. I almost got her, then something happened. I don’t know what—but it had to do with the FBI. I just didn’t know it at the time. That night I brought the weapon to wake her up. As soon as she was paying attention, I threw the knife away and showed her who I was—before I even knew the cops were there.”

The man across the table smiled and sat back in his chair, suddenly very relaxed. “I think that’s all our questions for today. Thank you, Mister Priestley.”

I was confused when my lawyer cursed. But then I sagged back in my chair as the words I’d said ran through my head.

I’d done exactly what they told me not to do: Admitted that I had come for her as Cain.

Shit.

~ BRIDGET ~

I wanted to crawl out of my own skin. I’d barely slept. I was already tense. And running late—and of course Jeremy was on my ass about that. But then I saw Sam and all I wanted to do was stare. And finally I had a reason to just watch him.

For a while it was brilliant. He did so good. And it was such a relief to be close. Right there. Hearing his voice.

When he first started talking about hunting and take downs and aftercare, all I saw was the nights he’d come for me. It made me warm and achy.

At one point, he growled like Cain and a bolt of need shot through me.

But then they made him talk about the other women and it justdestroyed me.

Suddenly, all those memories I had were replaced. Not Sam—he was still there. Still strong and clever and thrilling. But it was no longer me he was chasing.

All those frustrated desires I’d had, all the ways he’d touched me and got me off… and then later, when he finallydidhave sex with me.

Image after image. Memory after memory.

Sam and a blond. Sam and a redhead. Sam and a woman who looked like me but wasn’t me.

I could see it all in high resolution. And every time he entered her, every time her body shook, something inside me died.

By the time the questioning was over, I’d stopped hearing him. Stopped watching. I was just sitting there waiting for it to end, trying desperately to push the images away. Reminding myself that it was all before me. That I’d probably had as many partners as he had. Maybe more. I was no blushing innocent myself.

But I knew… I knew what I did with those others was simple thrill. When Sam talked about building intimacy and trust…

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