“Give us a minute.” Aiden gestures to his mostly naked body and raises an eyebrow at me, silently asking if I’m okay with it.
My eyes fall to Aiden’s blood-splattered shirt—the shirt that the garda has thankfully not noticed yet. I don’t think; I grab it on instinct, balling it in my hands and allowing Aiden to guide me to one of the adjoining rooms.
As the door clicks behind us, I toss his now buttonless shirt at him and demand, “What the hell is going on?”
Aiden rubs his temples and sighs, “This is about those arseholes.”
“The ones who—”
“Yes,” he interrupts, glancing over his shoulder at the closed door as if he’s expecting Moore’s ear to squeeze through the keyhole. “It’s just some follow-up questions, don’t panic.”
“How does he know about me?”
I watch the man I love fold his arms across his sculpted chest and lean against the door, like he has all the time in the world to explain. “Since I was here that night,” he begins, the only one of us able to maintain steady eye contact. Dammit. I’m getting better, but I wish I could hold his gaze long enough to see if he has a tell. “I had to be struck off the suspect list.”
“That would have happened when you told them what happened, right? About the bouncers chasing them off?” Something about his movements gives me pause. He shifts his weight slightly, a flicker of unease crossing his face.
“I didn’t mention the bouncers.”
“Why not?”
“Because they’re not on the CCTV, bug, you are.”
“W-what?” I stammer, my heart pounding in my chest. “B-but you said—”
“Is everything alright in there?” Moore calls.
“In a minute!” Aiden responds, his voice strained. “Can we talk about this later, please? He’s not going to wait.” Moving to the wardrobe on the other side of the room, Aiden pulls out a fresh shirt and a jacket to cover me with.
“You lied to me.”
“I fibbed about a minor detail,” Aiden corrects, having the decency to avert his gaze. Good, he better be feeling guilty. “I didn’t want to worry you, bug. He asked where I was, and I told him I was with you all night after leaving here, which is true!” He unfastens the button on the jacket and helps me put it on.
“But the CCTV—”
“You can’t see your face, but that doesn’t mean you’re not recognisable,” Aiden interrupts. “I’m your alibi, bug. That’s all you need to remember when Moore starts trying to poke holes in what I’ve told them. You have to trust me, baby.”
I gulp; this is too much to take in at once. What the hell is going on? Did Aiden lie to protect me or himself? I nod—the only thing my body allows me to do right now.
Aiden laces his fingers with mine, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze before stepping out to meet Moore.
22
AIDEN
Moore is reclining in a leather chair, a smug grin on his face, watching as I lead Katie to my desk and offer her my seat. I stand by her side, offering her my hand to squeeze if need be. She’s already stimming, rubbing her fingertips together to soothe herself. I can see she is already flooded with anxiety, but I reassure her with a gentle smile.
“Tell me,” My gaze flits to Moore. “What’s so important that you barge into my office at this hour, disrupting us and upsetting my partner?”
Moore leans forward, his gaze on my bug. “Katie, isn’t it?”
She nods, chewing her lip and avoiding his gaze.
“Are you okay? You seem nervous.”
Oh, going for the good cop routine now?
“She’s stimming because you came in unannounced and startled her,” I interject, seeing where his mind is going. He sees Katie’s stimming and is already thinking that she has done something wrong. The only thing my bug is guilty of is falling for me. “Not everything is an automatic admission of guilt or wrongdoing. Now, please, explain why you’re herebefore I lose my patience.”
