Victoria. She paused outside the door, her gaze seeming to find them. She wore the purple turtleneck and darker purple pants she’d been wearing when McCully had dragged her off to jail. Somehow, the clothes were as wrinkle-free as before, and she was as elegant and beautiful as ever.
“Victoria!” Hank jogged toward her.
Cillian’s chest squeezed as his muscles twitched. He couldn’t be jealous of someone’s brother. But he was. The run to her, the hug Hank gave her—it was everything Cillian longed to do.
Though she didn’t look like she needed it. Her spine was straight as ever, her posture perfect and strong as she walked with Hank toward her siblings and Cillian.
“You didn’t all have to meet me here.” She scanned her family with her eyebrows lowered. “You have work.” Her gaze ended its survey on Cillian. Lingered there.
Then he saw it. A hint of the expression he’d seen on the faces of trauma survivors who had developed an exterior facade that usually fooled everyone. She had been bothered, shaken by spending the night in jail. But she would hide that from her family, from the world because she thought she had to.
His gut twisted. He should just pull her into his arms right there, never mind if her siblings were watching.
“We can take off for family emergencies, Vicki.” Robert’s reply pulled her gaze away, stopping Cillian from acting on his instincts.
Vicki. So somebody in her family had given her a nickname, too. Good for Robert.
“And this definitely qualifies as an emergency. I couldn’t believe it when I heard.”
“Yeah, of all the people to put in jail.” Hank wrapped his arm around Victoria’s shoulders. “Vicki? It’s insane.” His frown and protective body language showed how much he must care about her.
About time someone in her family appreciated her. Maybe all the siblings did, since they’d shown up there. They’d better, given all she’d done for them.
“What’s that on your ankle?” Spring’s strange question drew Cillian’s attention to her. She was staring at…He followed the angle of her eyes…Victoria’s ankle?
Victoria tugged up her left pant leg slightly.
A steady light shone, a red dot in a black device wrapped around her ankle.
“They didn’t…” Cillian’s shocked statement choked on a new wave of frustrated disbelief.
She met his gaze, her cheeks flushing red. Like she had something to be ashamed of. “Wearing an ankle monitor is a condition of my release. I’m not allowed to leave the greater Chicago area.”
“They can’t possibly think you’re a flight risk?” Robert’s incredulous, irritated tone was a weak echo of the raw anger that burned in Cillian’s chest.
“They’ve gone way too far.” And Cillian needed to do something about it. McCully couldn’t monitor her movements and basically shackle her for doing nothing.
“This confirms it, you guys.” Hank shared a look with his siblings, the set of his mouth firm.
“Confirms what?” Worry lined Victoria’s forehead.
“We’ve all talked about it,” Treese answered first, “and we’ve decided we need to help prove your innocence.”
“No, you do not.” Victoria adopted a motherly tone as she stared at her family. “You’ll let the police handle this.”
“The police are the ones who put you in jail.” Treese tilted up her chin in the same stubborn way as Victoria.
Cillian stifled a smile. Treese probably had no idea she’d picked that up from her big sister.
“What she means to say, Vicki,” Robert cast Treese a tolerant, fond gaze before swinging his focus to Victoria, “is that the police seem to need help in this particular case.”
“And we are not going to sit by and let our sister be falsely accused of murder.” Spring’s tone was as serious as her expression.
Victoria opened her mouth, probably to protest.
But Spring spoke first. “Even if you don’t think you need our help, we’re not going to let you face this alone.”
Victoria shut her mouth, meeting Spring’s stare for a few seconds as they seemed to communicate something silently between them. “I appreciate that.” She lifted her gaze to scan the others. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for any of you to become involved in this.” She held up her hand when at least two of them started to speak. “But I’ll consider it.”
