would accept you as her parole officer, she flat out refused. I tried to tell her it was that or life behind bars. I’ve got to tell you, Conlan, that is one stubborn woman. She won’t accept the deal as long as it involves you. Maybe she thinks she’s already stolen too much of your life.”
He shook his head in pure disgust. “The judges aren’t particularly happy about her lack of gratitude when they’ve bending every rule they can to set her free. I’ve convinced them to give her one more chance to accept the offer.”
“Take me to her.”
Chapter 19
Kat sat on the edge of the hard cot and stared at the opposite wall of her cell. There wasn’t much to see, just some scratches where some prior inmate kept track of the passing time. How depressing was that? It had been only two days since Ambrose had locked her in, and already she wanted to scream. Was that part of the plan? Did he think if he left her alone long enough, she’d change her mind?
That wasn’t going to happen. Couldn’t happen.
Sure, she’d love to walk out of this place. There wasn’t anything she wanted more than to return to the O’Day estate and watch Maggie and Rose grow up, no longer having to worry about who might recognize her.
No matter how hard she tried, the picture wouldn’t come into focus. Three years of fear and hiding had definitely left their mark on her. As much as she hated this place, she took some comfort in knowing that she was there by choice—the right choice.
She wouldn’t buy her own freedom at the cost of Conlan’s. Yeah, she appreciated Rafferty and his wife stepping up and claiming her as clan, and she didn’t blame them one bit for not wanting to supervise her parole. That is, if she was ever granted one. But it was outrageous of them to suggest that Conlan should get stuck with that duty simply because he was Rafferty’s head of security.
At least Conlan still had his job if he wanted it. That was something, but what she really wanted was for him to be free to make his own life choices. How could he do that if he was saddled with watching her for any length of time?
The crash of a door opening and then slamming shut echoed through the empty cell block, followed by the sound of two pairs of footsteps headed her way. She braced herself for another round of arguing with Ambrose. The only question was who he had brought along for reinforcements.
She remained where she was, staring at nothing. If she were to wait at the door, as if hoping for a reprieve, it would only give the man more leverage. That small bit of defiance was the only power she had right now, and she wouldn’t give it up easily.
The cell door opened, and someone walked in. The other person locked the door again and then walked away without saying a word. A few seconds later, the door down the hall clanged opened and closed again.
Despite her uninvited guest’s silence, despite her determined refusal to look up, Kat knew exactly who was standing just inside of her cell door. Without a doubt, it was one seriously pissed-off chancellor—Conlan Shea.
She sighed. Ambrose O’Brien might have a reputation for honesty and fair play, but obviously he wasn’t above a few dirty tricks to get his way. It wasn’t in her to ignore Conlan for long.
He stared at her, his jaw clenched and his eyes glittering in frustration—or more likely anger. She wanted to reach out to him, to find some way to soothe him, but to show any sign of weakness would be a mistake. “If you’re going be here awhile, you might as well sit down.”
The cot groaned as he parked himself at the far end. There. She’d done everything she could to be a good hostess. It wasn’t as if she could offer him refreshments or anything.
Finally, Conlan broke his silence. “I’ve got to say, Kat, that you’ve managed to impress Ambrose, Rafferty and Joss. It isn’t often any of them encounters someone who beats all three of them combined on sheer pigheadedness.”
“Thanks,” she said, although she suspected none of them meant it as a compliment.
“And just so you know, I’m not here to try to change your mind.”
“Good, because you can’t.”
She hoped she sounded more convincing to him than she did to herself. If there was some kind of