“She’s in shock, Ronan. Give her a second to breathe.”
I clench my jaw as I swallow a retort, but before I can push Mila further, she speaks up softly.
“It’s okay. If it helps you find who did this to Max… I’ll talk.”
I notice Ciara’s hand tighten on hers, but she doesn’t stop her.
I meet Mila’s gaze in the mirror. “I’ll do everything I can to catch them.”
She nods before taking a deep, shaking breath.
“I went to Max’s place. He hadn’t been answering my messages or calls, and I figured he just passed out or something. So, I took the spare key and decided to let myself in?—”
Ciara and I stay quiet, giving her the space she needs to compose herself before continuing.
Her voice thickens with tears. “I found him. He was on the floor covered in…blood. There was so much?—”
She inhales sharply, and my chest tightens as I think of the role I played in her brother’s death, of the memory of him bleeding on the floor that will forever be burned into her mind.
A sob cuts through her. “He was already gone. I-I think I screamed, but…”
I frown. “But?”
I meet Ciara’s gaze in the mirror once again, and her green eyes are filled with unshed tears.
“After that, I don’t remember much.”
“Nothing at all?”
“No… I-I must have blacked out or something.”
“What’s the next thing that you remember?” I feel bad for pressuring the girl to relive such a traumatic memory, but I need all the information I can get if I’m to find out who did this.
And Mila had a front-row seat to it, after all.
“The next thing I knew, I woke up, and I was tied to the chair.”
Mila’s voice breaks again, and Ciara wraps an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close as her body shakes with the force of her sobs.
Ciara is running her hand through Mila’s hair. “I heard screaming. Did they hurt you?”
“I-I’m fine.”
I keep my eyes on the road, but my hands tighten around the steering wheel like a vise as rage simmers under my skin.
“Chloroform. It sounds like they knocked you out fast because they didn’t want you remembering too much.”
“I didn’t see who it was.”
I force my voice to stay calm. “That’s okay. You’ve told me more than enough.”
It’s a lie, but I know it will help Mila feel better to think she’s been helpful.
But truth is, she didn’t witness the murder itself. She didn’t see who was the one to slice through Max’s throat, which means the trail is still cold. Unless, of course, Brennan manages to get the guy back at the warehouse to speak…
Even if he doesn’t, I won’t stop until I find out who did this. I owe Max that much, and I owe Mila more, considering the fact I was the last person to see her brother alive aside from his killer.
Chapter Three
