Marcus handed me the cloth and water. “We’ll finish here.”
I nodded and walked around him, headed for the office and the woman.
I approached Evelyn, my hands held out. She was a huddled mass in the chair, shaking like a leaf. She lifted her head, meeting my eyes, certain of her fate.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
Her mouth opened and closed. No sound came out.
I handed her the cloth. She stared at it, making no move to use it. With a low sigh, I tilted up her face, wiping it, then her hands. Her skin was pale and her hands cold. She was definitely in shock. I tossed aside the cloth.
I set the bottle of water on the desk. “I thought you might need that.”
She attempted to reach for the bottle, but her hand shook so hard it fell over. When she finally picked it up, she couldn’t control herself enough to open the cap. The bottle fell to the floor, rolling away, unopened. She stared at it, not moving.
I kneeled and picked up the bottle, wiping it on my sleeve. I twisted off the top and held it to her mouth.
“Drink.”
She didn’t move. Her eyes fixed behind me, her gaze vacant.
Maybe I had misjudged her. Perhaps this was too much for her and I needed to rethink my plan.
I grasped the back of her neck, pressing the bottle to her mouth. “I said drink.”
She swallowed. Then again. She drank until the bottle was empty.
“Better?”
“Y–yes,” she rasped.
“What did you just see?”
“You killed those people.”
“And you’re scared of me?”
She was honest. “Yes.”
I stood. “Do you have any family?”
She bit her lip, lifting a trembling hand, pushing her hair off her face. A dark bruise skated the length of her cheek. My fists tightened at the sight of it.
“No. Not anymore.”
“No friends to miss you?”
“No.”
When they started cleaning up the bodies, her gaze shifted, and I snapped my fingers.
“Here. Me. Focus on me. Nothing else.”
Her eyes flew back to mine.
“When I’m in the room, that’s all you pay attention to. Nothing else, do you understand?”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“You saw nothing. Do you understand me? All that—” I indicated the room behind me “—was nothing but a nightmare. Nothing happened.”
“Nothing happened,” she repeated.
I kept questioning her. Asking about her life. Any ties she might have. What she had done for a living. How she got to Toronto from Alberta. The last name of her lousy boyfriend. Her replies were short and noncommittal.
Then I switched subjects.
“Where were you all night?”
“Walking.”
“What did you see?”
“Nothing.”
“Who did you talk to?”
“No one.”
“How many people did you see get killed?”
It was the first time she hesitated. Then she swallowed.
“None.”
I repeated myself, and she never faltered. Her gaze never strayed from my face. My determination grew, the inkling of an earlier idea solidifying.
“I have a problem, Evelyn.”
“Me.”
“Yes. No matter what you say, you did see something. You saw a lot.”
“I know.”
“I can’t let you go.”
A shudder ran through her. “May I please ask you something?”
I withheld my smirk. She was a fast learner. “Yes.”
“Just kill me. Don’t let anyone…”
I leaned closer. “Why are you so willing to die?”
“I have nothing left. Even if you let me go, Blaine will find me and either beat me to death or worse.”
“Worse?”
She only nodded. Without explanation, I knew what she meant.
I was shocked when she reached out her hand, touching mine. Her skin was ice-cold, and I could feel the tremors racing through her. Strangely, though, I didn’t mind her touch. I wanted to take her hand in mine and warm it.
“Please make it fast and give the money away. Don’t let anyone else near me.” A tear ran down her face. “Please, Boss.”
Something flexed inside my chest. Something odd and unexpected. A need I had only ever felt for my family and the people I worked to save hit me in the chest. Evelyn, this small, frightened woman, had become one of those people.
I covered her hand with mine, the skin of her palm even colder. I chafed it gently.
“I can’t do that, Evelyn.”
She began to shake her head, getting ready to beg. I interrupted her.
“I can’t kill you. I don’t kill innocents.” I allowed a smile. “I realize, considering what you saw, you don’t believe me, but it’s true.”
“I–I don’t understand. You can’t let me go.”
She was right. I couldn’t let her go. I could hand her over to Julian, who would find her a safe place where she could start fresh. That would be the smart, logical thing to do. But it wasn’t what I wanted to do.
I stood. “No, I can’t.” I raised my voice. “Vince!”
He appeared at the door, his massive shoulders almost filling the space.
“Is the car here?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re going to the house.”
“Roger that.”
“Call Geo and Father John. I want them both to meet us there. We’ll be leaving in five minutes.”