He shoved his hands in his pockets instead.“That bad?”
“Productive, but everything I didn’t want to hear.”
Concern blotted out the flare of lust.“Is it something I can help with?”
“It’s personal.”
“And?”Cam stepped closer.“We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Nic’s eyes darted to his, darkening, and Cam’s lust crept back in, but then Nic cast his gaze aside and opened the door.“It’s fine.”
Cam paused over the threshold in front of Nic, the tight squeeze forcing his gaze again and drawing out a sharp inhale.“If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
A door clicked open across the bullpen.“We’re ready,” Lauren called from the observation room.
“Coming,” Cam replied, only to have his step falter when a light hand brushed over his lower back, Nic’s soft “Thank you” floating past his ear.
He was thrown further off-kilter in the interrogation room by Lauren’s voice in his ear and by Nic’s one-eighty in demeanor.He’d turned off the tired, worried man, stowed the boxing gloves, and was all charm and patience, greeting Abby warmly.
“I’m sorry for having to bring you back in here.”
She wound her earbud cord around her thumb.Nervous, put on alert by the change in schedule.“What’s happened?”
“Something we hope you can help us understand,” Nic said.
Was this how he manipulated suspects and witnesses on the stand?How he got them to do his bidding for him?How he got a jury to eat out of the palm of his hand and give him the conviction he wanted?
Presently, though, his palm was literally held out to Cam, eyes on the folder of redacted bank account ledgers Lauren had passed him on the way in.Cam handed it over, and Nic opened it on the table, pushing the top sheet toward Abby.“This is from a bank account ledger we discovered this morning.”
She pulled the paper closer.“For Rebecca...Oh.”Her eyes widened, locked on the top right-hand corner where the account holder’s name was printed.
Beside him, Nic slid back in his chair and gave him a small nod.Time for him to play bad cop.Normally, Cam was the charm to Aidan’s Irish fury, but in this case, Nic needed to maintain the rapport with his potential witness, leaving Cam to press to determine if she was also a potential suspect.“When did you and Becca set this account up?”Cam asked.
Her head whipped up, dyed curls bouncing.“Me and Becca?”
“Are you playing us, Abby?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m starting to wonder if Becca is still your number one priority.”
Her fiery gaze darted to Nic.“He does know I’m the CI, right?”
Cam propped his elbows on the table, leaning forward.“Because Becca sent you in here.She set up that third-party rip-off during our raid.Perfect chaos for her cover.And you were in a position to know all about it.”
Abby angrily jabbed a finger at her chest.“I could have been killed in that chaos.Becca may still kill me for turning on her.Idid notset it up.”
“Then why is this account in both your names?You’re both listed as beneficiaries.”
“I don’t know.”
Cam reached out in front of Nic and pushed the second page from the folder over to Abby.“And why are there deposits from Friday for twice as much money as Scott received?”
Her eyes grew impossibly wider, taking in the amounts.“I had no idea about this.”She looked back up, first at Cam, then to Nic.“I had no idea she was going to turn on us.”
“Biometrics say she’s telling the truth,” Lauren reported in his ear.
Cam’s gut reported the same, at least about the account.
