“I don’t have any involvement in his operations.” I was still whispering.
He reached into his inside jacket pocket, pulled out a tri-folded piece of paper and set it on the table. “Search warrant. We’re searching your house, car, business premises and computers. We’ll also be taking a sample of your handwriting because someone signed your name to open those offshore accounts and they did this approximately six months ago.”
I kept staring at him then I closed my eyes and turned it away while shaking it.
Damian.
Evidence was suggesting that I would, indeed, never get rid of him.
“I don’t… I can’t…” I sucked in a deep breath, looked back at Agent Calhoun and said, “I don’t believe this.”
“If what you say is true, this will bear out in our searches however I will have to ask you to remain here until those are complete. This could take some time, Ms. O’Hara,” he stated while standing. “Can I get you some coffee while you wait?”
I had tipped my head back to look up at him, too shocked by what I’d learned to respond.
“Tess,” he prompted quietly. “Coffee?”
I kept staring at him then I shook my head sharply once and looked at the table, murmuring, “Yes, thank you.”
“Someone will be in shortly with your coffee,” he told the top of my head.
“Thanks,” I told the table.
I didn’t see him but I also didn’t feel his presence leave for several long moments. Then I heard his feet hitting the floor as he walked to the door then the door closed then I was alone in the room with nothing but the table, the chairs, the mirror and whoever was behind it.
I didn’t move and continued to stare at the table.
And luckily, when the one tear I couldn’t control fell, it coursed down the cheek that was on the opposite side to the mirror.
Chapter Two
Exit. Stairs.
I stared at the table for a long time and I kept staring at it after they brought my coffee, asked me to write my signature on a blank piece of paper, I did that, drank my coffee and then kept staring long after that.
But in my head, even with all that was happening, all I could see was my pale face in the mirror.
God, was that really me?
The door to the room opened, my head came up and Agent Calhoun was standing there.
“You’re free to go, Ms. O’Hara,” he said quietly. “I’m afraid we’ll be working with your computers for a little while longer and we’ll need to ask you not to leave town in case we have follow up questions but you can go home now.”
I stared at him a moment before I stood. Grabbing my purse they’d let me bring with me, I walked his way but he didn’t move out of the door so I stopped two feet away.
“We’ll contact you when we’re done with the computers and arrange a time to return them. It shouldn’t be more than a day or two.” He was still talking quietly and I nodded.
“You want me to call you a taxi or do you have a friend who’ll come pick you up?”
No way I was phoning any of my friends. Not about this. Not when it had to do with Damian. Not when questions could be asked and answers would be expected and lies might need to be told.
No way.
“I’ll call a taxi,” I told him. “Thank you Agent Calhoun.”
He didn’t move therefore I didn’t either.
Then he offered, “I know it’s been a long night, Tess, but, you give me twenty minutes, I can get away, take you home.”
I studied him and really saw him for the first time. A little salt in his pepper hair, not much. Tall. Broad shoulders. A bit of a belly. Nice wrinkles by his eyes saying he either needed to wear protective eyewear in the sun more often or he laughed a lot. Older than me by maybe five years, maybe more and he was good at hiding it, maybe less and he didn’t take great care of himself. No wedding band.
This was the kind of man for me. This was the kind of man who might take on that pale faced woman in the mirror and handle her with care.
Not Jake Knox.
Never Jake Knox.
Agent Calhoun was a decent looking man, probably a good man, maybe a safe man and, above all, I needed a man who made me feel safe.
But, not being a bitch or anything, he was no dream man.
I’d fucked up once, gravitating toward a man who blinded me with his charisma if not his looks.
But, if that night taught me nothing it taught me I needed to learn to play it safe in order to get safe.
Something tight and uncomfortable was sitting coiled in my belly but it was squirming like it was about to unfurl and I’d had enough experience with that poisonous snake that I knew I didn’t want it to do that. I knew it.
But it was going to happen. I knew that too.