Sweet Seduction Shield(51)

"Well, that's a good thing. One less obstacle to tackle," Dominic pointed out. "But there's always the fact that you held onto the book. Clearly you understood what was inside it, therefore legally you had a responsibility to hand it over to the Police."

"She couldn't plead ignorance?" Pierce asked, finally taking his intense gaze away from me.

"She was married to someone who, from all accounts, was openly involved in a drug lord's activities." Dominic shook his head, and then directed his next question to me. "What exactly did your husband do for McLaren?"

I couldn't stop the tremors that snaked up my arms, tingled in my hands, sent my back rigid. I'd never openly discussed Rick's involvement in that world. He and I argued over it. Constantly. But I'd never told another person. A natural born instinct of self preservation. Talking about it could only ever lead down a very nasty path.

Even now, knowing McLaren was behind bars. Aware that Pierce was trying to protect me. I had to battle the urge to clam up. Silence had been my protector. Confidence my shield to hide behind. Together both had meant our survival; Daisy's and mine.

I stared at the man sitting opposite me, then flicked a gaze towards Pierce. It was time to stop shielding. Time to face up to what Rick was and who he did it all for.

He sure as hell didn't do it for me.

Pierce reached over and grasped my shaking hand, offering warmth, a soft squeeze of reassurance, letting me know I wasn't alone anymore. I held his gaze for the longest time, then forced myself to turn and look at Dominic.

"He handled McLaren's accounts. His books and financials." I sucked in a deep breath and added, "He helped him hide money offshore, evade tax, and launder his profits."

So much to be embarrassed by. So much to make me feel shame. Rick had never pulled the trigger on a gun, but his crimes were just as heinous.

My hand came up and covered my mouth, the need to let a sob out was too great. I'd enabled Rick. I'd argued and fought over what he was doing, but in the end I still let him do it. I'd loved him. So, I'd buried my head in the sand, gone off to my staid, boring, legal job, while he cavorted with criminals, maximising McLaren's coffers, allowing the drug lord to do more harm.

McLaren became a very rich man because of my husband, but in the end even the money Rick had made him, couldn't save his life.

Dominic sat back in his chair and sighed. "It's quite simple, Pierce. She'd be considered an accomplice, regardless of her hands remaining clean. She knew what her husband was doing and for whom, she even had the evidence of some of his crimes in her possession. But she never did a thing to thwart it. Guilty by association and inaction. She could even be considered guilty of perverting the course of justice. It's a bit of a long shot, but with the right judge and a determined Crown Prosecutor, she could be charged and sentenced accordingly."

I leaned forward and placed my head in my hands, trying to still the nausea that rolled through me. I'd stolen the ledger to do just that, thwart Roan McLaren, stop Rick's involvement. My intentions had been noble, but I hadn't been able to follow through with them. McLaren killing Rick in front of me had been a good enough message to halt me in my tracks.

I'd never given the ledger back, I'd lied that it had been destroyed. Rick had backed me up, even going so far as to say he'd been the one to do it. Impulsive reaction to seeing it on our bed at our home. But it wasn't destroyed, it was just hidden. Waiting for what?

I lifted my eyes to the lawyer, held his gaze, let him see my regret, my guilt, but also my desperation. I didn't ask for any of this. And maybe it was all my fault, but now I had no choice in the matter. Now I either ran and continued to let myself down, to let the memory of Rick down. To let my beautiful daughter down. Or I...

What? Give myself up along with the ledger? Sacrifice my freedom, making sure Pierce saw to Daisy's safety from here on in? Is that what it had all come to?

"Fuck," Dominic suddenly muttered. "This is screwed up."

"We forget the ledger," Pierce said resolutely, making me suck in a breath of surprised air and Dominic simply gape at the man, as though he thought he'd gone mad.

"That's not who you are, Ryan," Dominic said very slowly and very carefully. Realising just how close to the edge Pierce was.

Ryan shook his head and stood up, starting to pace across the far side of the room.

"No, Dom. It's exactly who I am." His deep bottomless brown eyes came up to look at me. "Handing over that ledger doesn't bring justice," he said softly. "It might be what the law requires, but it is not just."

Dominic swore again and threw up his hands in defeat. "I can't help you if you walk this path. In fact, I should just leave now so I don't hear anything else." He stood up smoothly from his chair, but didn't walk out. Just stood there and stared at Pierce. "Look," he added, "I get that Marie did what she needed to do to survive. Nobody would doubt the fact that she needed to run from McLaren after witnessing her husband's death. I understand it. But you know as well as I, Ryan, that is not always enough to convince a jury and judge. Law is not justice."