“Me?” A shake of Kurt’s head. “You have the wrong man. I just wanted to get back my lost love. Nash kidnapped her, and I was trying to rescue Delaney from his clutches.”
“Really? We’re going with that story?” Why? To bore her? “Delaney has already given a sworn statement about you. She told us all how you shot a man in front of her before your wedding, how you tied her up and locked her in a closet when she wanted to get away from you, how you stabbed her when she balked at walking down the wedding aisle with you.” A shake of her head. “She also told us that she willingly left the church with Nash because she was so desperate to get away from you.”
His chin lifted. “Delaney is confused. Traumatized.”
“Yeah, because of you, asshole,” Ryan snapped. “You traumatized her.”
Jezebel leaned forward. Her eyes did not leave her prey. “I think Delaney is quite the strong individual. She put her life on the line when she agreed to act as bait in order to nail your sorry carcass to the wall.” A smug smile. “And she did a fabulous job, don’t you think? She got you to confess your crimes. She got you to be directly linked to the abduction and attempted murder of both herself and of Nash Quinn. Plus, well, you’re such an idiot that you took us straight to your dumping grounds.”
One blink from him. Two.
She could smell the blood in the water. This jerk was going down. “You wanted Nash to dig his own grave. Stupid move, by the way, giving a man like Nash a shovel.” Mocking laughter. “What did your goons expect him to do with it? Did they truly think he would just meekly follow their orders?” A roll of her eyes. “I suppose, though, they were used to dealing with victims who were terrified and beaten down. Men and women who did start shoveling.” This part made her chest ache. “We’ve already uncovered seven bodies.” And it had only been twelve hours since the dramatic scene at the shack in the desert. “My investigators tell me that there are more bodies out there.” Plenty more. She swallowed. “I’m betting you were sloppy with your victims. All sorts of DNA and evidence will probably be uncovered in those graves. I’ll tie you to so many crimes that you will never see the light of day.”
“I want to see Delaney!”
“Not happening. Not ever again. But she is seeing you.” Jezebel waved toward the one-way mirror on the right. “She’s watching you right now. Delaney, and her husband, Nash. They both wanted to see the look on your face when you realized that you will never see freedom again. No deals. No escape. Just the end for you.” An end she’d worked a long time to achieve.
Typhon.
Yes, she knew that Typhon had originally been Carmello Ricci. She’d approached Nash in the very beginning after Carmello had visited the young medical student. Curiosity had compelled her to interview Nash, but once she’d met him and learned his story, then Nash had become a weapon she could use.
He’d wanted to bring down Carmello. To make the man pay for murdering Nash’s biological mother. A mother he’d never had the chance to meet. He’d learned her identity and then she’d been killed.
Nash had wanted to prevent more deaths. He’d wanted to protect his family. He’d wanted to protect Delaney. In order to do that, he’d become someone completely different.
Nash walks away.
Her gaze darted to Ryan once more. She knew what he’d meant by those words. Ryan wanted his brother to get his old life back. And it was never too late for a second chance, she fully believed that. Nash could finish medical school. He could start saving lives.
Start living his life.
“The marriage wasn’t real,” Kurt snapped.
She pursed her lips even as Ryan snorted. “That’s the part you want to latch onto right now?”
“It wasn’t real. She’s not going off into the sunset with that jackass. It doesn’t end that way.”
Ryan shrugged off Grayson’s hold. “I’m not going to attack him,” Ryan muttered. “Maybe.” He sauntered closer to Kurt. Then he smiled. “It was real. She’s the only thing my brother ever wanted. You think I wouldn’t do everything I could to make sure he got a bit of happiness? It. Was. Real. As real as the handcuffs on your wrists. As real as the fact that we have you dead to rights.”
There was no more swagger from Kurt. He seemed to fold in on himself as Ryan loomed over him.
“Thanks for helping us root out our mole,” Jezebel told Kurt. “I’d known a traitor was with us for months. So nice to have that problem solved.”
“The FBI thanks you, too,” Grayson announced, the first time he’d spoken since entering the room. “We were able to track down the rogue agents who fed you intel. I always love cleaning house.”
Kurt’s gaze jumped from Grayson to Ryan to Jezebel. “I—I have intel you can use…I want a deal. I want a deal!”
“Oh, we will be taking your intel. We will take everything from you. But there is no deal. There is only your cooperation. And you want to cooperate with the CIA, don’t you?” Jezebel asked him sweetly. “Because the alternative to that…” A delicate pause. “The alternative will truly be hell.”
Sweat tricked down Kurt’s temple. His head turned, and he stared at the one-way mirror to the right.
Kurt stared at her. Or, he seemed to stare at her, but Delaney knew he couldn’t really see through the glass. He was cuffed. As Ryan had just said, the CIA had him dead to rights. Kurt would never be a free man again.
And… “Our marriage is real?”
She turned away from Kurt. He didn’t matter any longer. He wouldn’t scare her. He wouldn’t threaten her. He would not hurt her.
Her gaze fell on Nash. A Nash who was not looking through the glass. Instead, his eyes—those beautiful, incredible eyes—were on her.
