Simon Says Die

voice was thick with unshed tears, her eyes watery. “I shouldn’t have let him in, but I was distraught, and so angry. I’d just found the pills, and I had to know . . . had to know if he was the one who’d put them in my purse, and why, and if he’d killed . . .” She shook her head. “I let him in. We argued. I showed him the pills. I told him I thought he’d done something to cause my dad’s heart attack. I accused him of murdering my daddy. He . . . saw my computer screen, and he knew what I’d been doing.”
    The thought of her alone with Damon, telling him she believed he was a murderer, had cold chills running up his spine, just thinking about what could have happened to her. “What did he do?”
    The tears she’d been trying to hold back started running down her face. “At first he denied it, but when he realized I didn’t believe him . . . he was furious. He said I’d ruined everything. He admitted the pills were his, that he’d thrown them in my purse because someone saw him with them, and he’d hoped to get them back later, but I’d refused to see him.”
    She beat her fist against her thigh. “He admitted he’d killed my father, as if it was nothing, as if he was discussing a new suit he’d just bought.”
    Her eyes squeezed shut, and she let out a choking sound.
    Seeing the pain on her face made Pierce want to pull her into his arms, but he didn’t have time for that now. The best way to help her was to get her to tell him everything. He gently brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Did he explain what he meant when he said you’d ruined everything?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œGo on, Mads. Tell me the rest. What happened after that?”
    â€œIt was cold that day, and he was wearing gloves. I didn’t think anything about that, until he grabbed the bottle of pills from me. I never saw that bottle again. But I . . . I knew what he’d done. My fingerprints were on the bottle of pills used to kill my father, my prints, no one else’s. I couldn’t tell anyone, especially Logan, because if I did . . .”
    â€œYou actually thought he’d think you’d killed your father?” he asked, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.
    Her brows scrunched together and she shook her head. “No, no, of course not. Logan would never think that of me. But he was already grieving my father’s death. I didn’t want him to go through the pain I was going through, knowing his death could have been avoided, knowing the evil man I’d brought into our lives was the one who killed my dad.”
    â€œMads, you can’t blame yourself. And you should have told Logan. He would have helped you.”
    â€œHow? How would he have helped me? By trying to bury the evidence if that bottle ever showed up? I honestly don’t know if he would do that, even if he could, but I couldn’t take that chance. Law enforcement is his life. It would have killed him inside if he turned against everything he believed in and suppressed evidence. I couldn’t do that do him, couldn’t force him to choose between his integrity, and protecting his sister.”
    She shrugged, looking defeated. “Not that it matters anymore. The police have the bottle, and my computer. There’s nothing anyone can do now. I’m going to prison, and the man who killed my father is still out there, free to destroy another family the way he destroyed mine.” She choked on the last word and buried her face in her hands.
    Unable to bear seeing her in so much pain, Pierce reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. He hugged her tight, rocking her against him until her shaking began to ease. “Why didn’t you tell me this from the beginning?” he whispered.
    â€œAfter the way I’d hurt you, I didn’t know if I could trust you. I thought you’d tell Logan everything. I couldn’t risk that.”
    A week ago, he might have told Logan everything. But now . . . hell, he wasn’t sure what he would have done today. That choice had been taken away from him the moment the police found that bottle of pills.
    The door opened, and Alex stepped into the room.
    Pierce glanced at his watch. “Has it been five minutes already?”
    â€œIt’s been ten.” He pulled out his chair and sat down. As if suddenly noticing the