Andy sets down his tablet, studies me for a moment. "Ms. LaCroix, I need to ask you something directly. The photographs, the surveillance footage, if this material were to become public, how damaging would it be?"
The question I've been dreading. The one that matters more than any other.
"Professionally? Catastrophic. The board is already questioning my judgment. Images of me in submissive positions would give them the ammunition they need to force me out." I don't look away from him. "Personally? It would violate every person I've scened with. These were private moments, negotiated encounters between consenting adults. Making thempublic would hurt people who trusted me, who trusted Dominion's security protocols."
"Which is why you didn't immediately go to the police when the photographs started arriving."
"I thought I could handle it privately. I thought if I controlled the situation, controlled the information, I could protect everyone involved." My throat closes. "I was wrong."
Andy leans back in his chair, processing. When he speaks again, his tone is quieter.
"You were protecting your community," he says. "There's honor in that, even if tactically it gave your stalkers more time to escalate."
The understanding in his voice catches me off guard. This isn't standard detective empathy. This is personal knowledge.
"Detective Broussard," I say carefully, "you seem unusually familiar with lifestyle dynamics and terminology."
A slight smile crosses his face. "I've done my research for this case."
"Research doesn't explain using terms like protocols and power exchange with that level of precision. Or understanding why consent matters beyond legal acknowledgment." I tilt my head. "You're not just academically familiar with the lifestyle. You've got personal experience."
The conference room goes very quiet. Luc's attention sharpens behind me. Remy's expression stays neutral, but his focus intensifies.
Andy holds my gaze for a long moment. Then he nods slowly.
"I'm a member at Dominion," he says simply. His tone stays professional, but there's candor in it now. "I understand what it means when someone violates those protocols. I understand the difference between consensual power exchange and actual violation of consent. And I understand why youdidn't immediately trust that law enforcement would see that difference."
"Because most people don't."
"Most people don't." He picks up his tablet again. "But I do. Which is why I'm telling you that I will build this case in a way that protects the community, that focuses on the criminal behavior without sensationalizing the lifestyle context. The evidence we need is the surveillance equipment, the financial trail, the pattern of escalation. Not the content of what was filmed."
My breath releases in a rush. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. We still need to prove Armand's direct involvement. Financial connections are suggestive, but we need more to make charges stick." He glances at Luc. "Your team's been working that angle?"
"Following the money," Luc confirms. "The shell corporation, the equipment purchases, the coordination. We're building the case, but it takes time."
"Time the board isn't giving me," I say quietly. "There’s a vote coming soon. Days maybe, not weeks."
Andy's jaw tightens. "I'll do everything I can to expedite the investigation, but I can't promise we'll have everything you need for the board meeting. Criminal cases move on their own timeline."
"I know." I straighten in my chair. "But at least now the truth is on record. Whatever happens with that vote, there's an official statement documenting what's been done to me."
"And when we catch them, and we will, that statement becomes the foundation of the prosecution." Andy's voice carries absolute certainty. "Julien's already paid. But Armand Deveraux will answer for every single thing he's done."
The interview continues for another hour. More questions, more details, more pieces of the timeline documented andrecorded. By the time Andy finally shuts off the recorder, I feel wrung out but also strangely lighter. The truth is official now. On record. Real.
Andy stands, extends his hand again. "Thank you for your cooperation, Simone. I know this wasn't easy."
"Thank you for understanding." I shake his hand. "Not just about the case, but about the context."
"The lifestyle's about trust and consent. What Julien did violated both. That's not kink, that's abuse." His jaw tightens. "And I will make sure that distinction is clear in every aspect of this investigation."
He nods to Remy and heads for the elevator. The moment the door closes behind him, Luc's hands find my shoulders and he pulls me up out of the chair, turning me to face him.
The worst is over. I got through it.
"You did well." He leans in, voice low and rough with approval. "That was harder than the board meeting."
