“Bruce didn’t do anything, so of course the charges didn’t stick,” James states in an eerily calm voice. “We knew he was innocent.” James pulls out a drawer and shuffles something inside of it, but I can’t see what. He doesn’t elaborate or give any room to further the conversation that we should have.

“What’s done is done, and there’s nothing more to say.”

“That’s not what Sam told me. She told me she’s scared.” It’s the only reason I let her get so close. She’s terrified that the truth is going to come out. She helped me, so she’d go down with me.

“Whose fault is that?” James sneers.

“She’s your wife,” I say, pushing out the words through my clenched teeth.

“I don’t have a wife,” he answers me with a sly smile, as if he’s clean of this mess. As if it’s all on me. Deep down in my gut, I know it is.

“Ex then,” I concede and add, “I didn’t know the divorce had been finalized.” He picks up a pen and taps it against the desk but doesn’t take his eyes off me. It hasn’t gone through yet, according to Samantha. All the money needs to be split one way or the other, and neither him nor Samantha, his ex-partner in this business and future ex-wife, wants to take less than the other.

“Either way, what’s done is done and the two of you need to let it die.”

“An innocent man—”

“Got off!” He looks me in the eyes as he leans forward and adds, “And a guilty man got away.”

“We should have come forward.”

“Should have, but you listened to a shady bitch. That’s your problem, not mine.”

My gaze falls to the desk as my fingers itch to form a fist. I called him. The number I dialed that night was to his office. I had no idea she’d be the one who answered.

“I panicked—” I start to say, but he cuts me off.

“Because you fucked up. And now I have to clean up your mess and make sure you stay out of trouble.”

“Is that what this is? You doing me a favor?” I ask sarcastically, letting the memory of that night fade. I can’t quit while there’s still an investigation. I can’t bring more attention to myself or to the company. One of my clients dies and I get fired or quit shortly after? Yeah, that’ll get the police’s attention.

I wish I could tell Kat everything, but then she’d know she was married to a murderer. Even if it was just an accident. I’m a coward and I’ll never be a man she deserves. But every day that goes by, I want to be more of the man I was the day before it all changed.