Page 100 of When He Defends
But she didn’t get to dive deep into that revelation because Justin the bellhop—and serial killer—began to shudder and heave.
“Dammit!” Emerson cried out. Her fingers slid into the open wound on his chest.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Believe me when I say…even wild horses wouldn’t be able to drag me away from Emerson.
Been there, done that shit. One star. Do not recommend.”
– Gray Stone
“I havenothingto say to you,” Hannah McIntyre snarled. She sat at the interrogation table in the FBI’s Atlanta office. Oh, yeah, he’d had her brought in, complete with ankle and wrist shackles and with an FBI escort in the form of a currently glowering Malik Jones. “I know my rights,” Hannah huffed. “I want a lawyer! I want bail! I wantout of these damn things!”She tried to lift her wrists, but they couldn’t raise too high, not with the way the shackles connected to her ankles.
“Relax,” Gray advised.
She did not, in fact, relax. Instead, Hannah emitted a guttural scream.
Right. Gray quirked a brow toward Emerson. “She’s not relaxing,” he noted.
“Nope,” Emerson agreed. Her hand rose to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.
Her fingers weren’t covered in blood any longer. They had been, back on Sea Island when she’d literally had to shove those fingers into Justin McClintock’s wounds in order to stop his blood flow and keep the bastard alive. Emerson had stayed with the wounded perp while he was airlifted and flown for treatment. She’d been in the ER with him. Been there when the guy finally opened his eyes.
Of course, Gray had been there, too. Justin had been damn grateful to be alive. Grateful people tended to be very, very chatty.
Gray settled more comfortably in the stiff chair as his attention shifted back to his prey. “I thought you might want to know that your latest boyfriend turned on you. Instantly.” Mostly because the guy knew Emerson was the only reason he had survived. “Said everything was your idea. You were the mastermind. Justin was just following orders because he was in love with you. Wanted to make you happy.” Sure, why not kill people to make your girlfriend happy? Like that crap was rational. “He’s going to cooperate fully with our investigation.”
Hannah wasn’t screaming any longer. Good, his ears could use a break.
“You said you want a lawyer. Stellar idea. You’re going to need one.” Gray inclined his head toward her. “If you were my client, I’d advise you not to speak, and, hey, you know your rights…You totally have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be held against you and all that. By this point, I’m sure you’ve heard this spiel a few times.”
Rage swirled in Hannah’s eyes.
“So you should probably just listen,” Gray continued. He was highly conscious of Emerson standing near the one-way mirror that was positioned on the wall to the right.
Emerson. She said she loved me.
She had said that, hadn’t she? He had been suffering a concussion at the time. One of the horse’s hooves had clipped him on the side of the head at some point.
He’d gotten trampled in the back, luckilyawayfrom his spine. Gotten hit in the leg. Once on the shoulder, too. Plus, the head snap. Not his best of days, but, honestly, it could have been one hell of a lot worse. All things considered, he’d been really lucky. He’d had to fake being knocked out for a moment while Hannah made her confession and while he waited to catch her unaware so he could attack.
But there had beenno wayhe would let the woman shove horse tranq into Emerson’s veins. So he’d fired.
Emerson followed orders for once.She’d dropped. He’d gotten the shots off at Hannah and at Justin. The bad guys had been captured.
Now it was time to make sure neither one got out anytime soon.
“Listen to what?” Hannah snapped. “You ramble? You two make me sick! You think you love each other? You think you’re going to walk away from this and live happily ever after?”
Sounded like a plan to Gray. “What do you think, Emerson? You in the mood for a happily ever after with me?” She wasn’t wearing her wedding ring any longer. Maybe he could change that…
“I—” Emerson began.
“Thereisno happily ever after!” Spittle flew from Hannah’s mouth. “It’s a lie. No one gets that.”
“Your father was a mechanic,” Gray said. His fingers tapped on the edge of the narrow table. “Justin told me that your father trained you in his garage when you were a kid. That was how you knew how to sabotage the brake lines. You were the onewho came up with the method of murder for Kris and Wendy Prichard.”
Hannah’s lashes flickered.
