breath I had left. I was fighting for air, scratching at his wrist in an attempt to get him to loosen his hold. And then he did, and he left.
“Angela?” Nick impatiently asked again when I remained silent.
“He never laid a hand on me, but he always looked as if he could at any moment. It was the fear of that possibility that terrified me.” I paused, replaying the memory. “The night he left, he finally did. That’s when I packed my bags and left him.”
“Motherfucker,” Nick mumbled over the phone.
“I haven’t spoken to him since the day he left. I was going to wait until after he got back to end it, but after he…” I tried to swallow the large lump that lodged in my throat, hating that Ronnie could still make me feel such terror even when he wasn’t near.
Nick’s heaving breath was the only sound between us. “Baby?”
“I’m here.”
“I want you gone before he gets back. This isn’t a request, Angela.”
“I will be.”
Chapter 12
Nick
O CTOBER 2015
“You said his last name was Delton,” I said through gritted teeth.
After she shared Ronnie’s last name I’d scoured the database for information on him. Obviously, nothing came up. “You lied to me.”
“Of course not. I had no idea who he really was or who he was connected to until right before I left Ohio. Eve’s brother was helping me.”
“
I
could have helped you.”
“I didn’t know that at the time. I had no idea who you really were, Nick. You weren’t exactly forthcoming with details of your life, either.” She took a deep breath, her lips lifting into a sad smile. “We really didn’t know a thing about each other, did we, Nick?” she said out loud, but barely above a whisper.
She was right, we didn’t.
She worked a swallow in her throat. “Can I get a glass of water, please?”
I raised my hand, and less than a minute later Parks walked in with her request, placing it on the table before her. She met my gaze as it occurred to her that every word she had spoken and every tear she had shed had been carefully watched. Silently she lifted the glass and took several sips with a hurt expression on her face.
Her eyes found mine watching her. “Let’s back up,” I said, softening my voice. I stood and began pacing to channel my nerves. “How long have you been in New York?” My question had little to do with the case and everything to do with my curiosity.
She looked down at her entwined fingers as they lay on the metal table. “I got here in April.”
Her admission stopped me in my tracks. “You’ve been here for six months?”
“Yes.”
“So you ran away from Chicago to go to Ohio? Then you ran away from Ohio to go to New York? Do you see the trend here? Your brilliant answer to all your problems was to run away instead of dealing with the issue at hand?”
She cringed at my accusation. “I wasn’t running. I was surviving until I could get back to you.”
“Bullshit!” I barked with both hands gripping the edge of the table. “I feel like we’re getting nowhere, Angela!”
She unwaveringly met my glare. Confidence exuded from every cell in her body. When we discussed Ronnie or his murder, Angela would look terrified and skittish. The few times the conversation led to “us,” there wasn’t a question in my mind that she was telling the truth. Hope mixed with desire with each little tidbit she threw my way as she insinuated that she still wanted me…that was until I clearly remembered the pain that she caused when she broke my heart.
The internal battle this woman was putting me through made me want to hit something.
As I stood pulsing with too many emotions, I realized I needed to control myself. After purposefully taking in a long, deep, calming breath I took my seat again and asked much more calmly, “Did he know you were in Ohio?”
“No. He only found me here in New York.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police?”
The tears shimmered in her eyes again. She blinked quickly,
“Angela?” Nick impatiently asked again when I remained silent.
“He never laid a hand on me, but he always looked as if he could at any moment. It was the fear of that possibility that terrified me.” I paused, replaying the memory. “The night he left, he finally did. That’s when I packed my bags and left him.”
“Motherfucker,” Nick mumbled over the phone.
“I haven’t spoken to him since the day he left. I was going to wait until after he got back to end it, but after he…” I tried to swallow the large lump that lodged in my throat, hating that Ronnie could still make me feel such terror even when he wasn’t near.
Nick’s heaving breath was the only sound between us. “Baby?”
“I’m here.”
“I want you gone before he gets back. This isn’t a request, Angela.”
“I will be.”
Chapter 12
Nick
O CTOBER 2015
“You said his last name was Delton,” I said through gritted teeth.
After she shared Ronnie’s last name I’d scoured the database for information on him. Obviously, nothing came up. “You lied to me.”
“Of course not. I had no idea who he really was or who he was connected to until right before I left Ohio. Eve’s brother was helping me.”
“
I
could have helped you.”
“I didn’t know that at the time. I had no idea who you really were, Nick. You weren’t exactly forthcoming with details of your life, either.” She took a deep breath, her lips lifting into a sad smile. “We really didn’t know a thing about each other, did we, Nick?” she said out loud, but barely above a whisper.
She was right, we didn’t.
She worked a swallow in her throat. “Can I get a glass of water, please?”
I raised my hand, and less than a minute later Parks walked in with her request, placing it on the table before her. She met my gaze as it occurred to her that every word she had spoken and every tear she had shed had been carefully watched. Silently she lifted the glass and took several sips with a hurt expression on her face.
Her eyes found mine watching her. “Let’s back up,” I said, softening my voice. I stood and began pacing to channel my nerves. “How long have you been in New York?” My question had little to do with the case and everything to do with my curiosity.
She looked down at her entwined fingers as they lay on the metal table. “I got here in April.”
Her admission stopped me in my tracks. “You’ve been here for six months?”
“Yes.”
“So you ran away from Chicago to go to Ohio? Then you ran away from Ohio to go to New York? Do you see the trend here? Your brilliant answer to all your problems was to run away instead of dealing with the issue at hand?”
She cringed at my accusation. “I wasn’t running. I was surviving until I could get back to you.”
“Bullshit!” I barked with both hands gripping the edge of the table. “I feel like we’re getting nowhere, Angela!”
She unwaveringly met my glare. Confidence exuded from every cell in her body. When we discussed Ronnie or his murder, Angela would look terrified and skittish. The few times the conversation led to “us,” there wasn’t a question in my mind that she was telling the truth. Hope mixed with desire with each little tidbit she threw my way as she insinuated that she still wanted me…that was until I clearly remembered the pain that she caused when she broke my heart.
The internal battle this woman was putting me through made me want to hit something.
As I stood pulsing with too many emotions, I realized I needed to control myself. After purposefully taking in a long, deep, calming breath I took my seat again and asked much more calmly, “Did he know you were in Ohio?”
“No. He only found me here in New York.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police?”
The tears shimmered in her eyes again. She blinked quickly,
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