The word makes my hands clench harder.
Barnett’s voice comes back to me—violence, assault, abuse.
I don’t know what’s true. I don’t know which parts of him are fact and which are fear.
But I do know one thing: he came here. He walked into my office. And now he’s looking at me like I can save him. Like I’m the judge. Like I’m the one who decides whether he gets to breathe.
“You’re saying the police are wrong,” I accuse.
“I’m saying they don’t care if it’s me or not,” he answers, and his eyes flash with something that isn’t fear. It’s resentment. “They need someone. They need something to show they’re doing their job, and I’m right there. I’m the easiest one to point at.”
My teeth grind. The sick part is… I can hear it. I can hear how that happens. I can hear how a department under pressure starts squeezing whoever they can squeeze hardest.
And I hate myself for the flicker of doubt.
Because I don’twantdoubt. I want certainty. I want a target. I want a name I can hate without guilt.
He takes another step forward, hands trembling now. “Please,” he says. “Please, Mr. Reign. I know you don’t know me. I know you think I’m a monster. But I didn’t do it. I didn’t.”
My chest rises hard. My body is buzzing. A thousand thoughts collide, and I can’t grab a single one long enough to make sense of it.
I want to hit him.
I want to drag him into a chair and interrogate him until his voice breaks.
I want to throw him out.
I want to lock the door.
I want?—
A controlled knock interrupts everything.
My assistant cracks it open, careful. “Nathan? Your next appointment is here.”
The man freezes. Like he just remembered where he is. His face drains. He looks at me, then at her, then back at me. “I’msorry,” he says quickly. “I just needed to tell you. I swear. I didn’t do it.”
Before I can respond, he backs toward the door.
“I’m sorry,” he repeats.
And then he’s gone.
The hallway swallows him.
My assistant looks at me, confused. Concerned.
“Cancel it,” I say decisively.
“Your appointment?”
“Yes.”
She nods and disappears.
I grab my phone. I don’t hesitate.
Barnett answers on the second ring. “Detective.”
