Devlin’s brows shot up. “I was looking after you. You didn’t know if you could trust that woman—”
Lex snapped his fingers together. “Exactly. But you know what I didn’t do? I didn’t give her some half-assed alibi when she was suspected of murder!” His lips thinned. “You don’t usually go lust blind where a woman’s concerned. What the hell is so special about Julianna?”
And then he heard it. The faintest rustle of clothing. Finally, Julianna hadn’t managed to catch him completely off-guard. He shifted position, glancing around Lex, and he saw Julianna in the hallway.
He knew she must have heard Lex’s question because her cheeks were flushed. It was rather interesting to meet a woman who could still blush, and he certainly wouldn’t have pegged Julianna as that type.
“Um, hi,” Julianna said rather awkwardly.
Devlin threw a shark’s smile toward Lex. “With all the drama last night, I don’t know if you officially met our new client. This is Julianna.”
Lex swung toward her.
“And this is Lex Jensen.”
Julianna was dressed in jeans and a shirt. He’d pulled some strings and his doorman had managed to pick up those clothes from some shop and have them delivered first thing. She looked damn good in those jeans—they hugged her body oh-so-well. Her blonde hair slid over her shoulders as she moved forward to offer her hand to Lex.
Lex’s fingers closed around hers. “You don’t look like a killer.”
Shit. The guy had zero tact.
Lex freed her hand. “But then again, anyone can be a killer. It’s all about the circumstances, right? About the things that can push us over the edge.”
She put her hands behind her back and glanced at Devlin. “Your friend is a serious ray of sunshine first thing in the morning.”
Devlin laughed. He just couldn’t help it. Her words were the last thing he’d expected.
Julianna’s lips curled in the faintest of responses.
Lex didn’t laugh. If anything, the guy just appeared grimmer.
“I’m going back to the scene of the murder today,” Devlin said, trying to draw Lex’s focus. “I want to make sure I fully understand just what went down.”
Lex’s brows climbed. “There is no way the cops will let you anywhere near Ray Holliwell’s place. You know the crime scene techs are going to still be there.”
For a while, yes, they would be. But that wasn’t the scene he’d meant. “Julianna’s house. That’s where I’m heading.”
She wasn’t blushing then. She seemed to get a bit paler.
He stared straight at her as he said, “I want to see where Jeremy died. I want you to walk me through every moment that you remember.”
She shifted a bit, moving back with her right foot. “Why? You think you’re going to magically see something that the cops overlooked?” Julianna gave a negative shake of her head. “It’s not going to happen.”
“I want to see where he died,” Devlin said again. But, more than that, he planned to search that whole house, from top to bottom. Her case was fucked up, and he had to get a handle on it, and her, fast. “Someone tried to kill you yesterday,” he said.
“Like I need that reminder.”
He wouldn’t let his lips twitch. “Don’t you want to know why you’re in a killer’s sights? Because I’m vaguely curious.”
“Hell,” Lex muttered.
“Vaguely?” Julianna said at the same time.
“We’re going to your house.” He nodded decisively. “You’ll show me where the bastard—I mean, Jeremy—died, and then you’ll give me full access to every computer in the house.”
“The police confiscated those. Nothing you can use is there now.”
He wasn’t so sure about that. “I want to see the house, Julianna. I want to see everything.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“And while we’re checking out that scene…” Devlin glanced over at Lex. “Are you up to learning more about Holliwell?” Lex had been injured—too badly—while protecting Sophie recently. The guy should probably be at home, curled in bed with the delectable Sophie, and not out hunting killers.
“Hell, yeah, I’m up for it,” Lex said instantly, but then he stalked toward Devlin. Lowering his voice, he said, “You once warned me not to fall for a client.”
Advice that Lex had totally ignored. The guy had been addicted to Sophie from the first moment.
“Maybe you need that warning, too, bro. Just because a woman looks innocent, it doesn’t mean that she is.” He backed away and inclined his head toward Julianna. “I’ll be seeing you both again soon. And, don’t worry, I know how to let myself out.”
His footsteps faded away. Julianna stood, a bit uncertainly, a few feet from Devlin. “Your friend doesn’t like me,” she finally said.
He shook his head. Devlin drained his coffee and put down the cup. “No,” he said quietly, “he just doesn’t trust you. There’s a huge difference between the two things.”
“I’m not so sure there is.”
“Don’t worry about Lex. Sophie and I can keep him on track.” Sophie wouldn’t let the guy go after her client.
Julianna nodded. She turned to leave the room, then hesitated. “Thanks for letting me stay here last night. I appreciate your kindness, and I—”
He hurried forward and caught her arm. They needed to clear up a few things. “I’m not a kind man.” He certainly hadn’t ever been accused of that before.
She looked up at him. Unfortunately, she looked even sexier to him that day than she had before—with her hair loose, she was achingly beautiful.
No wonder Lex was warning me to be careful. Lex would be able to read him too well, and his partner would know Devlin wanted Julianna.
Too many men probably wanted her. Did she use that desire against them? Maybe. But she wouldn’t be twisting him. He could handle desire. He could fuck her all night long. And then, if she turned out to be a killer, he could still walk away.
No problem.
Lex had let his emotions rule him. He’d fallen fast and he’d fallen hard. Devlin wouldn’t be making that mistake.
“What kind of man are you?” Julianna asked him, her head tilted just a bit as if she were trying to figure him out.
He smiled at her and his fingers rose to slide over the curve of her cheek. “I’m the kind you don’t want as an enemy.” So don’t lie to me, baby. Don’t use me…or I’ll make you pay.
***
A prison had never been so beautiful. Julianna stared up at the mansion—a freaking huge historical home surrounded by perfectly groomed acres that stretched and stretched. Jeremy had believed in showing his wealth. Flaunting it. When he saw something he wanted, he took it.
Whether it was a family home that had been protected for generations…like the estate he’d practically stolen from its previous owners.
Or a business that he’d decided he should own, despite the protests of the men and women who’d grown the place from the ground up.
Or…or me.
Some days, Julianna hated herself for being so blind. So trusting. She should have learned her lesson long ago. She hadn’t.
“So, are we going to hang out here all morning?” Devlin drawled.
Julianna realized she’d been staring up at the mansion for far too long. Flinching a bit, she hurried up to the door. Once, Jeremy had kept a full staff there—maids, a cook, even an honest-to-goodness butler. But he’d gotten rid of most of the staff after her first accident.
Accident, my ass.
She’d given a severance package to the last of the employees after Jeremy’s death. She just hadn’t wanted anyone there, watching her. No, worse, she hadn’t trusted them. They’d been Jeremy’s employees. Employees who’d seen what he did to her, and who’d said nothing.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside. As always, the cavernous place felt cold to her. Icy. Rather like a tomb. She crossed the marble floor of the foyer, heading toward the large stai
rcase—a spiral staircase that curved toward the second floor.
Devlin gave a low whistle as he glanced around. “Nice place. I can see why you wouldn’t want to leave.”
His words pissed her off. There he went—making judgments about her. And the guy lived in a penthouse! Like he could really throw stones her way.
Julianna sucked in a deep breath. Then another. She wanted to tell him that she’d been forced to stay. But Julianna knew she had to play things carefully. Her life was—still literally—on the line.
Devlin approached her, and in that too big house, his steps seemed to echo. “You been staying here alone?”
“I’ve been staying at a hotel. I just come back when I need fresh clothes.” How to explain that she hated this place? That she couldn’t wait to sell it? But selling wasn’t allowed, not just yet. Jeremy’s will was being held up and Sophie had told her she had to play it cool and not do anything that would make her look guilty.
Or, rather, guiltier.
“Show me where you found him.”
Right. That’s why they were there. Julianna straightened her shoulders and headed into the den. She pointed to the right. “The giant blood stain is gone.” Thank goodness. “I had the carpeting replaced in here once the police were done, but Jeremy was there. He died there.”
“Was he face up or face down?”
She blinked. Julianna had figured he’d read all the gory details already, but perhaps he just wanted to hear her tell him about that terrible night. “He was on his stomach, but his face was turned—turned toward me. His hand was out.” As if he’d been reaching for her. She cleared her throat and pointed a bit to the left. “I was here. I mean, I woke up here.”
He paced closer to the spot she’d indicated. A positon just a few feet from Jeremy’s elaborate bar. Made of old, antique cherry wood, the bar gleamed. Jeremy had always kept that bar well stocked. And the crystal glasses that were oh-so-perfectly arranged on the bar—and on the shelves behind it—shined.
“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.