Page 111 of Touch in the Night

“No,” Tom said. “Not in court and not with a judge—your lawyer, their lawyer, a recorder. Some questions, that’s all.”

“Well, I won’t do it.”

“You have to. It’s illegal to refuse. Don’t worry,” he said, though the set of his face didn’t make his words reassuring. “Darragh will prep you. He knows what he’s doing.”

Jesse tried to unpack the tone of his voice but couldn’t.

“This is what they’ve been waiting for,” Jesse said, stabbing his finger at the paused video on his screen. “They want to prove Emory’s unfit to be a parent. Get Dimity taken away.”

“This way you get the chance to tell them that he is fit.” He managed a weak smile. “This may end up being a good thing.”

Jesse looked away, blushing. “Is Dim okay?”

“She’s fine,” Tom said, tapping at his phone. “Joanna took her off for the ride on the moor this morning. Filip went with them,” he added, seeing the look on Jesse’s face, “and there’s no one hanging around the gate anymore.”

“I wonder why,” Jesse drawled.

“Yes,” Tom said, frowning again at his phone. “The stuff about Lucien has come out as well. An eyewitness account from someone called Tyler Lomax, claiming he was assaulted.”

“He was,” Jesse said. “Fucking psycho nearly ripped the guy in two. He might be an arsehole, but he didn’t deserve that.”

“Lucien’s not psychotic,” Tom said gently. “He’s just…remote from societal norms.”

Jesse snorted. “That’s a posh way of saying ‘psycho’.”

“Did Emory tell you about him?”

“Yeah. He did.” Jesse hesitated. “You’ve met him?”

Tom nodded. “He came by once when we lived in Vienna. He’s…complicated. But Emory means a lot to him. He wouldn’t intentionally endanger him or his case.”

“What do you call this then?” Jesse said gesturing at Tyler’s interview on Tom’s phone.

“There will be loads of this and more before this is over,” Tom said, putting his phone away. “Perhaps it’s time for everything to be out in the open—good or bad. Then people can see where the lines are.”

Jesse hesitated. “Do you think they’ll let him keep her?”

Tom’s face was grave. “I don’t know. If it were up to me, there’d be no question. I’ve seen what a great dad he is. But the world might not be ready for it…” Tom trailed off. He was frowning at his forehead. “Your head. It’s better.” Jesse clenched his jaw. Tom’s eyes widened. “Jesus, Jesse. Did Emory give you Blood?”

“Just a drop,” Jesse said defensively. “To fix it.” Then he swallowed. “Was that wrong?”

Tom let out a long, slow breath. “It’s a gray area. Let’s just say that. How do you feel?”

“Fine. Better than I have in days, really.”

“Muscles not aching, don’t feel sick?” Jesse shook his head. “Don’t feel like you want…more?”

Jesse thought for a moment. “It was good, that’s for sure,” he admitted. “But…it’s always good with him, even without that.”

“That’s okay then,” Tom said, standing. “He didn’t use too much.”

Jesse’s face heated but Tom initially just appeared to be relieved. But then his face turned thoughtful, and his gaze went to the floor.

“He really is good to me, Tom,” Jesse said in a low voice. “Goodforme. I feel so much when I’m with him, but I’m never scared.”

Tom finally looked at him. Regret and uncertainty weighed equally in his eyes. “I’ll take your word on that.”

“I swear,” Jesse said, his voice thickening when he thought of Emory’s firm refusal the night before. “There’s no risk. Trust me. I know what that feels like.”

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