“He was dead when I woke up,” Julianna said. She’d told others that same line so many times.
But Devlin didn’t reply. Instead, he started opening the bar’s cabinet doors.
She frowned. The bar wasn’t so well stocked now. “There’s nothing here…no booze at all.” She cleared her throat. “The cops confiscated everything. I haven’t exactly been interested in restocking.”
Devlin nodded. “Did you have a lot to drink the night your husband died?”
Again, it was a question the police had asked her, too. “I-I remember having one glass of wine.” A glass for courage. That was how she’d remembered it.
Devlin tilted his head as he studied her. “Just one?”
Tell him. If he was going to protect her, if he was going to face the danger surrounding her, then she had to tell him a little more. Not everything, of course, but more of the truth. “That night, I was telling Jeremy that I was done. That I wouldn’t stay. That he couldn’t make me stay.” Her shoulders lifted in a faint shrug. “He gave me the drink, trying to get me to calm down.”
“And…did you calm down?”
She rubbed her temples, wishing for the hundredth time that she could remember. “I have no idea. I remember he grabbed my shoulder…” Her hand fell to her shoulder. It had been bruised the next day, bruised with the perfect impression of fingertips. The cops had said that bruise proved she’d fought with her husband—and then killed him. “I don’t know what happened after that.”
Devlin just nodded.
“Do you believe me?” As soon as she said those words, Julianna wished that she could pull them back. Why did it matter if he believed her? No one else—except Sophie—did. Everybody else in town thought of her as a cold-blooded killer.
“Why were you leaving him then?” He started to pace the room. Opening drawers. Rifling through the books on the shelves. “Why that night, Julianna? What was so special about that night?”
I was leaving because I knew he couldn’t trap me anymore. Her lips thinned. She had to tread very carefully now. The wrong word would incriminate her and—
“He had an office here, right? Show it to me.”
She spun on her heel. “It’s not going to do any good.” His footsteps followed her from the room. “The cops took his computers. I told you that. There’s nothing here for you to find.”
“Let me be the judge of that.”
They entered Jeremy’s study. His desk—a big, antique desk that had cost a ridiculous amount of money—sat in the center of the room. Jeremy had loved his antiques—he loved anything that he thought showed his wealth and power.
She didn’t fully enter that room. She could feel Jeremy there. She could feel that bastard everywhere. A ghost that wouldn’t stop haunting her.
Devlin began opening the desk drawers. His dark head bent over the desk and for a moment—just a moment—she could see Jeremy. His hair had been dark, too. Maybe a shade lighter than Devlin’s. Shorter. Jeremy had been in that office, sitting at that desk. So cold and arrogant as he told her…
I own you now, Julianna. You’re mine, body and soul. And if you leave me, I will destroy you.
He’d had the means to carry out his threat. He’d had—
“Julianna?”
She blinked.
“What’s wrong?”
She rubbed her arms. “This is a waste of time. There’s nothing here to—”
He held up a flash drive. “I found this taped under the top desk drawer. The cops really should have been more thorough when they searched.”
Her jaw dropped. Julianna took a quick step forward, then stopped, catching herself.
“Usually, when someone hides a flash drive like this…it’s because they don’t want that drive being seen by just anybody.”
She couldn’t take her eyes off that drive. It was right there, the whole time! She hurried toward him and reached for it.
But Devlin’s fingers closed over the drive, making a tight fist. “Do you know what’s on the drive?”
“No.” Yes. “How could I possibly?” It has to be my drive. It has to be!
Devlin sighed. “You know, I really hate it when you lie to me.” He put the flash drive in his pocket. “I’ll be checking this on my own. Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to let you know what I discover.”
No! “It’s my house. I should have that drive.” She lunged for him—very ungracefully—and tried to get her hands on that drive. But he caught her, too easily—and pushed her back. He didn’t let her go. His hands stayed locked around her arms.
“My, my…” Devlin murmured, his breath blowing lightly against her. “Someone wants that very badly.”
You have no idea. “Give me the flash drive,” Julianna gritted out as she straightened.
His eyes had narrowed as they swept over her face. “What’s on the drive?”
“It’s not a video of me killing my husband, if that’s what you’re implying.” Her laughter was bitter. “The place is uber wired for security, but the system wasn’t on that night.”
His hold tightened on her. “There are cameras inside the house?”
She’d distracted him from the flash drive—good. She would be relieving him of that prize very soon. “Yes. I told you, Jeremy was always watching. Me. His house. Everything he owned.” A furrow appeared between Devlin’s brows and she mentally cursed herself for that slip. “He had extra security features installed at the house.” So he could watch me and make sure I didn’t leave. “But the system wasn’t turned on that night. I checked. The cops checked. Nothing was recorded the night he died.” Of course, she knew the cops just suspected that she’d destroyed any recordings, but she hadn’t.
They would have proven my innocence.
Right?
“Oh, Julianna…” He said her name almost as if it were a caress. She shivered. “Why are you hiding secrets from me? I want to help you, but you’re making it so difficult.”
Her heart was racing in her chest. ??
?Please,” Julianna said, aware that she was nearly begging. “Just give me that flash drive.” It had been right there, all along. Dammit!
“Give me the truth,” Devlin ordered.
She couldn’t, wouldn’t give it to him. It wasn’t just her life hanging in the balance.
“Baby,” his voice roughened. “I’m going to look at whatever the hell is on that drive. You can’t hide from me forever.”
No, no, she couldn’t. There was nowhere to hide. There was—
Julianna didn’t pull away from him. She pressed closer. She put her body right against his and her hands rose to wrap around the back of his neck. Rising onto her toes, Julianna put her mouth to his.
It was a wild, reckless move. A desperate act to stop his questions.
It was…
What she wanted.
Because Julianna knew that once Devlin learned the full truth, he wouldn’t want to be close to her. He wouldn’t want to kiss her and touch her and caress her. He wouldn’t want to help her.
He’d turn from her, and she’d be on her own.
But I have him now. I can seize this moment—right now.
He was tense, his muscles locked, as he growled against her lips, “What are you doing?”
Screwing everything up. She’d thought that when she kissed him, he’d react—he’d let the desire he felt pour out, wild and hot. Julianna had rather hoped they’d be clawing each other’s clothes off in that moment and that all of his questions would be forgotten.
That wasn’t happening. Heat stained her cheeks as she eased back enough to admit, “I want you.”
“You want the flash drive.”
She shook her head. “That wasn’t—” No, I wanted you, before you learned the truth about me from the flash drive. “Forget it.” Could her humiliation get any worse? Probably not. She turned from him and headed for the door.
“You can’t leave.” Flat. Hard.
For an instant, past and present merged. Jeremy had told her those words, too, right in that same room. Right before he’d shown her the files on his computer. Files that the cops had never found—because they hadn’t recovered the flash drive.
Something broke inside of her. Anger and fear and too much pain. “I can do any damn thing I want.” She ran, rushing out of the room. Julianna was sick of that place, sick of the memories, sick of the way her life had gone to hell.