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Then, as had been his custom in the past, she made a fist and slowly raised it to her chest and then pressed it against her heart, knowing he would recognize the gesture i
He blinked in surprise and then his eyes brightened and what looked like delight flashed momentarily He didn’t smile back He couldn’t be that obvious But he sent her a ser, want and need Oh God She couldn’t take this a ot the distinct iinally planned or rehearsed Originally he’d thought to crucify and vilify her despite his clai just the opposite But whether it was the silent invitation in her eyes and the intiesture known only to the two of theirl he’d known as Melissa Caldwell, he changed his direction cohty in his portrayal of her
"I don’t blame or fault Miss Caldwell for what she did She did as right, and she should be coe when she was only a child She saw a crime and she reported it and then she testified in court in her attempt to see justice served Without a doubt, she had the best of intentions, and she should be admired for that Unfortunately, she misidentified me as the ainst those poor woruesome scene she inadvertently came upon that she identified so that it was me she saw that day It was an unfortunate mistake, but an honest one I do not believe for one minute that she maliciously launched her accusation at e for iven her just as I have forgiven the police officer who tampered with evidence in order to make it impossible for me to receive a fair trial and so was subsequently convicted It is my desire to put this entire ordeal behind me and move on with my life Quietly and peacefully I would respectfully request my privacy not to be disturbed I think I am owed that much and it is all I ask I have turned down the state’s offer of restitution for wrongful ieful man My only desire is to start my new life as a free man and not have my privacy or life intruded upon"
Eliza could stomach no more, and she needed to leave, now, before he concluded his nauseating play for sy the entire asse their minds about him He’d solidly put the blame on her shoulders and had blatantly insinuated that she was an obsessed, psycho, scorned woe and because of her, an innocent man had been jailed while the real killer was still out there, free
He’d reversed his position and changed his story after the odd exchange between thee had already been done, the seeds already planted She needed to get out ahead of the crohile they were still absorbed in his hu out of his hand Otherwise, it could get ugly very quickly for her It only took one person bold enough to decide she needed to be taught a lesson and the rest would follow like sheep And if that happened, her team would be forced out of surveillance to save her ass, thus sending a huge, blazing neon sign to Thomas that she wasn’t alone and she had badass backup
Shecautiously, careful not to draw undue attention, halting her progress when there was a ain when all attention was riveted on Tho on to byalike
She wasn’t the only one who’d spent years honing her skills While she’d been working diligently to strengthen her mental barriers so they were impenetrable and not vulnerable to a psychic attack, Tho hier threat He held the entire crowd in his thrall, had the out of his hand They looked at hiht up any injustice to hilared and even booed when hesent to prison
When she was finally clear of the crowd lining the very front of the gathering, she expelled a sigh of relief but didn’tshe was out of the woods yet She still had to make it to where she’d parked her car and that was a quarter mile away
Head down, the hood of her jacket pulled over her hair, she strode in a straight line toward her vehicle She should have felt jubilant and wildly victorious but her victory was hollow She’d held her own against athe He’d tried twice to slide into her mind and he’d failed both times The second time, he’d used a hell of a lot more power and had doubled the intensity of his attempted assault Her head ached vilely fro him off and from the sheer force of his second attack
But she’d won She’d defeated hier a weak, powerless pawn he used with little effort Never again would she be anyone’s puppet She’d die before ever allowing anyone so ht or action
TWENTY-ONE
THE door opened before Eliza was close enough to put her hand on the handle to let herself in Wade was there, his gaze fixed intently on her, worry reflected openly in his eyes Without a word, he pulled her into his ar her in his war, he hadthe door behind theled inches from the floor so he could carry her farther into the house
When they were in theroom, he eased her down until her feet were planted on the floor and he palazes met
"You okay?" he asked quietly
She closed her eyes, holding theht theemotions and tried to process and prioritize the infor his thumb down her lips
She forced her eyelids open and stared up at hith from the silent support so visible in his eyes Then she took a deep breath
"There’s so in"