He was so close to blowing their subterfuge. For a blinding moment he couldn’t think of any reason to continue with it. Almost he opened his mouth to spill everything and lay claim Molly and the baby. It would feel so damn good to finally say it.

If he did, it would shoot him to the top of Frank and Rubio’s suspect list, but who the hell cared? He had alibis all over the damn city with the emergency responders he’d talked to throughout that endless Saturday night. He might need to go on administrative leave until he was cleared, but the DA position didn’t mean shit to him anymore.

Both he and Molly were already in danger. They should be together. Face whatever came next together.

One thing stopped him. His injuries, and the subsequent healing, had taken every ounce of stamina he had. He was only standing out of anger, fear for her safety, and sheer, bullheaded determination.

And while the danger to him had made its presence known loud and clear, so far only he, Frank, and Rubio knew that Molly had returned to town.

Trust me, she had said, but damn, that was hard to do when her life, along with the life of their baby, was at stake.

“She’s right,” he said to the detectives. “This has gone on long enough. Wrap it up for tonight. Will you give her a ride to wherever she’s staying?”

“Yeah, we can do that,” Frank replied.

Josiah pivoted to confront her angry, exhausted face. “If you can provide us with a copy of the Seychelles bank statements, I’ll consider that enough cause to believe there’s a credible threat to your safety. Can you do that before you go?”

Her mouth tightened, but she replied readily enough, “Absolutely. Like I said, I’ve got copies stored in a zip file in my email account. All I need is a few minutes with internet access.”

Frank said, “We’ll stop at my desk on the way out.”

Josiah reached out telepathically. <I’ll get a new phone first thing so I can apologize for being an asshole. I’ll use the same number.>

Her expression softened, and the damp sheen returned to her eyes. <Forget about the damn phone for now. Just go somewhere safe so you can get some rest. It hurts to look at you.>

<I would not leave you, milaya.> Josiah held her gaze. <Not for anything, except right now you’re better off without me.>

Her mouth worked. She shook her head but didn’t try to argue.

“Are… we done?” Rubio asked, looking cautiously from one to the other.

“We’re done,” Josiah said. “At least for the moment. After you get a copy of the zip file and verify everything, have a squad car stationed outside wherever she stays tonight. I want a police presence on her twenty-four seven. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” replied Frank.