Chapter 25

chapter

twenty-five

Gage finally pulled onto a side road, turned around, and backed the car up to a swampy area. He needed to see if anyone else came down this lane.

He’d kept his eyes on the dark road as he traveled, and he hadn’t seen any headlights behind them. Unless these guys were tracking them another way—which Gage didn’t think they were—he and Nia shouldn’t be found.

All around them were miles of wetlands and a few scrubby trees. Their biggest danger should only be an alligator or two.

Being here should give them some time to talk.

Apparently, they had a lot of things to sort out.

Nia thought he’d killed Rob? Why would she think he’d killed his friend?

He was ready to get some answers.

He shifted toward her.

Before any questions left his lips, Nia faced him, fire flashing in her gaze. “Who are you? And don’t lie to me.”

“My name is Gage Pearson, just like I told you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “But who are you really?”

“I told you.”

She squinted, not bothering to hide her skepticism. “Who do you work for?”

“A computer company.”

“What kind of computer company?” Agitation rose in her voice.

“Valid question . . .” he murmured. “We do computer security.”

She continued to stare, and Gage gave her a moment to collect her thoughts. The woman was smart, and she didn’t back down. Part of him admired that. The other part wished she would back off. It would make this much simpler.

Finally, Nia licked her lips and shifted. “Listen, I saw you in Rob’s apartment. I was outside the building. I couldn’t see your face very well, but I saw your tattoo. You killed him.”

Wait . . . she’d seen him when he went to Rob’s apartment?

There was a lot he wanted to ask about that.

If Nia had seen him early this morning in Rob’s apartment, no wonder she thought he murdered Rob.

He raised his hands in the air. “I would never have hurt my friend. How in the world did you see me?”

Her jaw hardened. “That’s not important.”

Gage begged to differ.

“The truth is, I went to stay with him last night,” Gage admitted. “But when I walked into his place, I found him dead already. I didn’t kill him.”

“Then why didn’t you call the police?” Her voice cracked.

He bit down. “I did call them—anonymously. Now, why don’t you tell me why you were in his apartment?”

Her face went pale. “How did you know that?”

“I saw the security footage.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re the one who erased it?”

“I didn’t erase you .” He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. “And I found this there. Look familiar?”

Nia stared at the earring and began to rub her temples. “I can explain.”

Gage crossed his arms, curious about what kind of story she would come up with. This could be good. “I’m waiting.”

Nia finished telling Gage the story and then studied his expression, determined to see if he believed her.

His arms remained crossed as he sat stiffly in the car. “So you’re telling me that you told Rob good night after dinner, and you don’t remember anything else until you woke up beside his dead body?”

“I know how it sounds.” Nia’s voice pitched with nerves, and she tried to calm herself. The task felt useless. “I really do. When I woke up and saw he was dead, I panicked. I knew how it would look. So I ran. ”

“But you didn’t just run. You cleaned up part of the crime scene first, didn’t you?”

Nausea rose in her as memories flashed back to her. “I did try to conceal any evidence I’d been there. Only because I was freaking out. I’ve never been in a situation like that, and I didn’t know what to do.”

He stared at her.

“The killer was in the apartment with me. Took a photo of me beside Rob’s dead body. Texted it to me and said if I didn’t follow his instructions, he’d send the picture to the police.”

Gage’s eyes widened. “What does he want from you?”

She shook her head. “That’s the thing. I don’t know yet. I’m still waiting.”

Silence passed, and Nia waited to hear if Gage believed her or not.

After several minutes, he squinted skeptically. “Why can’t you remember?”

Nia shrugged then shook her head slowly as she wrestled with her thoughts. “I have no idea. I’m shaken by this whole thing also. If we don’t find the killer, then I’m most likely going to take the fall for this.”

Gage continued to study her as if trying to figure out if he believed anything she said.

But she wasn’t the only one hiding something right now. Gage had his own secrets. That was clear.

Her gaze locked with his. “Now are you finally going to tell me the truth also?”

Nia waited to hear what he had to say.

Would he tell her the truth? Or would he feed her more lies?

His next move would determine whether or not Nia could trust him.

And if she couldn’t trust him, that meant she was out here in the middle of nowhere with a man who screamed danger.