to get all of this over with as quickly as possible.”
Lincoln grumbles and checks his phone. “Guess that’s a good thing because it’s time to get moving.”
He heads for the elevator, and I take a step toward Ari, hesitant to walk out of his penthouse because it feels like I’ll never come back again.
“Will I see you after?”
He nods. “I’ll be at your house. Lincoln will bring you to me when you’re done.”
This is awkward. Are we at a point where we give goodbye hugs? Unsure what to do, I dither in place, finally breaking free of my hesitation to march over and wrap my arms around him.
Slowly, he wraps his around me, his cheek resting against my head when I bury my face against his neck.
“You’ll be fine, baby bird. Lincoln won’t let anything happen to you.”
Except that’s not what worries me. That’s not the reason for all the anxiety racing through me.
“You’ll be at my house?”
His arms tighten around me. “I won’t leave you unprotected.”
It’s not about that for me. I need him close. Need him where I can reach out and hold him any time I want. But I’m too nervous to tell him that, to be honest about how I feel.
Instead, I say nothing as I slip from his grasp, my eyes meeting his before I turn to follow Lincoln to the elevator. The second the doors close, tears sting my eyes and Lincoln wraps an arm around my shoulder to tug me against him.
“It’s going to be all right, kid. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
Slapping the tears away so they won’t ruin my makeup, I stare at my reflection in the mirrored door, my heart flying into my throat when the elevator begins its quick descent.
Within a half hour, Lincoln and I are walking into the police station, the receptionist’s eyes widening when she recognizes my face and picks up a phone to call someone.
By the time we reach the desk, she points a finger to a set of double doors and says, “Go right through there. Detective Bishop will be waiting for you.”
I nod my head and do as she asks, a flurry of activity erupting around us as we walk through the doors to find five uniformed officers and one in a suit walking toward us.
“Mrs. Cabot,” the man in the suit says, his eyes casting a weary glance at Lincoln before landing on me. “We have a conference room where we can talk. You’ve made quite the impression on the city as of late.”
Looking him square in the eye, I round my shoulders, my voice startlingly strong when I tell him what I came to say.
“You’ve made a mistake, Detective. I wasn’t abducted from my husband’s house. The truth is I left the bastard for another man when I found out Grant was fucking his secretary.”
Ari
My little monster has grown up to be quite the impressive woman.
Adeline looks fierce as she descends the large half circle steps of the police station, her shoulders back and chin tipped high. Approaching the wall of microphones and reporters without the slightest hint of fear or aggravation, her smile is wicked, her eyes shining with the revenge she’s taking on her husband.
Watching the reports on television in real time, I also have my computer logged in to Grant’s cameras so I can monitor his reaction to the breaking news that Adeline Cabot has been found.
“Mrs. Cabot! Mrs. Cabot!” The reporters yell over each other, all jostling to be up front for their feature stories. Adeline ignores them all while stepping up to the podium. She gives Lincoln one glance as if needing the support, then turns to the microphones and cameras.
“I’ll give one statement as to the situation I’m facing at home as well as my recent whereabouts.”
My gaze flicks to the computer to see Grant standing stock still in front of the television, his expression as tight as his shoulders.
“I apologize to every person who has been burdened with the report that I was abducted. Unfortunately, my soon to be ex-husband, Grant Cabot, has lied to the entire city, for what purpose, I can’t tell you, but what I can say is that I was not abducted by Harrison Nash.”
Eyes back to Grant, I watch as the tumbler of cognac slips from his hand, the glass shattering over the white marble beneath him.
“The truth is that I discovered my husband was having an affair with his secretary, Patricia Myers. And after making the