“The media isn’t a jury.” She leans forward. “I won’t lie to you, this is going to be messy. Your dual identity is out there now, and that means scrutiny. On you, on your business, on the club. But if you’re innocent—”
“I am!”
“Then we prove it.” She glances at Sin. “After what you all did to help take down Rourke and expose the Alliance, you’ve earned the benefit of my doubt. I’ll run this investigation by the book, but I’ll run it fairly.”
Some of the weight on my chest lifts. Not much, but enough to breathe a little easier.
“Thank you, Captain.”
She stands. “I’ll need formal statements from you and anyone else who saw Fletcher at the scene. And I’ll need access to Ghost’s digital findings, properly obtained ones, at least.”
“Ghost will work with you.”
“Good.” She moves toward the door, then pauses. “Your grandmother, she’s a fighter?”
“The strongest person I know.”
“Then believe she’ll pull through.” Her voice softens just slightly. “But prepare yourself too. Pneumonia in older patients…” She doesn’t finish the sentence.
She doesn’t need to.
After she leaves, Sin sits in the chair she vacated. “Maria’s good police, brother. If anyone can nail Derek for this, it’s her.”
“I know.” I run my free hand over my face, feeling the grit of ash still embedded in my pores despite the nurse’s attempts to clean me up. “Doesn’t make waiting any easier.”
“No,” Victoria says softly from where she’s standing near the window. “It never does.”
Marley stirs beside me, her eyes blinking open slowly. She looks confused for a moment, then awareness crashes back. Her gaze immediately goes to Queenie.
“Any change?” she asks, her voice thick with sleep.
“No. Still the same.”
She sits up straighter, wincing as her neck cracks. “How long was I out?”
“Couple of hours.”
“You should’ve woken me.”
“You needed the rest.”
She gives me a look that says,‘We’ll argue about that later,’then notices Sin and Victoria. “Hi.”
“Hey, Marley.” Victoria offers a small smile. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m not the one who needs to be held up.” Marley’s hand finds mine again, that automatic gesture that’s becoming as natural as breathing. “Any news?”
Sin fills her in on Maria’s visit, the investigation plan, and the media circus we’re walking into. With each word, I watch Marley’s jaw tighten.
“Derek needs to pay for this,” she says when Sin finishes. “Not just for the fire. For everything. For the people who died, for what he’s doing to Nitro’s reputation, f-for…” Her voice cracks. “For Queenie.”
“He will,” Sin promises. “One way or another.”
There’s something in his tone that makes me look at him sharply. A darkness that reminds me why Sin is president, why people fear crossing him.
“Don’t do anything that’ll make this worse,” I warn.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, brother.” But his smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “We’re playing this by the book. Maria’s handling it officially. Ghost is gathering evidence legally. We’re being model citizens.”
