Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 76812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
"Are you sure she wasn't telling the truth?"
I swallow when my eyes go back to the monitor.
"She didn't tell the truth the other night," I say, wishing I didn't have to share her secrets. "Her body is covered in scars. He doesn't even smoke yet she had cigarette burns etched into her skin."
The more I talk the higher my heart rate climbs.
"She tried to kill herself once with the glass from a bathroom mirror. Xan cut her arms even deeper to show her how to really get it done." At this point I'm like a caged animal, spittle flying out of my mouth as I pace back and forth.
"Okay, okay," Kincaid says, stepping in front of me and stopping me in my tracks. "We have to wait. The second she shows any sign of distress we'll go inside."
"We have protocol to follow," says the only detective from the police station who bothered to show up here.
Kincaid turns to glare at Detective Alice Calloway. The woman doesn’t back down, which says she's either incredibly brave or stupid.
"You'll have to shoot us in the back," Kincaid snaps. "If we move on that house, you're either with us or against us."
She stands a little taller, straightening the firearm on her hip the way the cops do to remind the people they're talking to that they hold all the power.
"Don't make me get a supervisor out here," she says, the warning clear in her voice.
"If any supervisors wanted to be here, they would already be here," Kincaid argues, and the man is telling the truth.
It's not only orders keeping the others away. Fear is a very real motivator. Either she wants to be here because she thinks she can be the one to finally work a good case against Adair, or she's trying not to act scared because she's been forced to be here.
She licks her lips, telling me that she's not only annoyed, but she's also feeling as if she's being backed into a corner.
She doesn't open her mouth to argue another point.
Kincaid turns back to the monitor and I do the very same, feeling completely helpless.
We don't have a good enough shot to tell if her hands are trembling, but I know she's been taught how to not look afraid. She did it when she walked into that house when Beth was being held captive knowing that there was a very good chance she wouldn't make it out of there alive.
She's brave, but she's also working with the knowledge of exactly how evil Nathan is. The rest of us can only guess and speculate. She's borne witness to his abuse for years.
They're situated at the dining table perfectly, so we can't read lips, although Wren has included software into the feedback we're getting right now to do just that if they face forward at some point. There are jammers in the house, so we get nothing but a screeching sound when we try to pull audio from inside.
"I need a breath of fresh air," I mutter, but I'm met with Kincaid's hand on my chest before I can walk out of the room.
"That's not a good idea."
I won't argue the point about fresh air. The man has never been accused of being a fool, and I sure as hell won't be the man to call him one today.
"I can't just sit here and do nothing," I tell him, and I can tell by the look in his eyes that he knows it to be true. "I love her."
Kincaid has never been the type of man who tries to prevent people from forming bonds and connections. As far as I've heard, he's been more likely to push people together than trying to gatekeep relationships from forming. He didn't push me before when he really needed information from Brielle in order to ensure Nathan stayed locked up. He didn't doubt me when I told him that there was no way Brielle was there of her own free will despite what we've all witnessed happening in the house since one of the guards pulled back the curtains.
"You're a valuable member of my team, Beck Keller."
I swallow as I nod in understanding, but I still step past him when he drops his hand.
"Where the fuck is he going?" Detective Calloway snaps. "He's going to get us all killed.
And the truth about how the woman really feels is finally revealed. I feel sorry for her. I really do. I'm sure she had all sorts of grandiose ideas about how her career as a cop would play out, and I'm sure it leaned more toward medals of valor rather than possible headlines about her death or disappearance.
I don't waste time standing on the front stoop and pretending to get the breath of fresh air I lied about inside.
I cut across the grass, walking in the direction of the house Brielle is in.