“I get it,” she said. “He’s gross and disgusting and a rodent. Although that doesn’t seem fair to the rodent. But I don’t want you to get into trouble for killing him. Please let him go.”
She was worried about him?
That was sweet and totally unnecessary.
However, he was going to let the bastard go. He just had a warning to give first.
“You don’t need to worry about me, spitfire,” he told her while staring straight at Ryan. “Because I do know how to get rid of a dead body.”
Then he let Ryan go. The other man landed on his feet, then slid to the ground, gasping for air.
Pitiful.
He hadn’t been strangling him that hard.
“I’m going . . . to have . . . you arrested . . . for this . . .” Ryan said.
Matthieu shook his head. “Seems I let you go too soon.” He crouched down in front of Ryan. “For a supposedly smart man you’re being very dumb right now. Don’t you get it? You talk and you die. It’s as simple as that.”
“You . . . you can’t do that! This is America. You assaulted me!”
“And you sexually harassed me,” Maya said from behind him, sounding harsh.
Strong.
His admiration for her grew. A lot of people would be afraid right now. They would have left by now. But not his spitfire.
Not his Bébé.
No, not yours. And you need to get that out of your head right now.
“You stalked me. Watched me undress. You think that anyone will blame Matthieu for what he did to you?”
Well, they likely would. But he was here to support her. So he kept that to himself.
“No one is going to believe you,” Ryan spat at her. “Why would anyone on the force take you seriously? Your reputation proceeds you. They will all take my word over yours.”
Fuck, he was a nasty ass.
Matthieu hadn’t really planned on killing him. But now he was rethinking that stance. The world would be a better place without this asshole in it.
But before he could figure out a plan to take him out, Maya spoke up again. “Really? You think that I would be stupid enough not to have evidence, Ryan? I filmed you. All those times in the office when you’d trap me in the corner, when you’d make those innuendos that you thought were so clever. The times that you stared down my chest. And now we have camera evidence of you sitting in your car outside my house. You might think that no one in the police force cares about me, but you’d be wrong. I have friends. And they won’t like what you’ve been doing, Ryan. Neither will your friends at the country club. Or should I say your mom’s friends?”
“You. Bitch,” Ryan spat out. “Why should I believe that these videos even exist?”
“Oh, I’d be happy to send them to you. Copies of them.”
“That . . . that still doesn’t mean that he can assault me and get away with it!” Ryan pointed at Matthieu.
“What are you talking about?” she said. “No one has assaulted you. Well, someone might have. But it wasn’t Matthieu. He and I are in the house playing Gin Rummy.”
“What are you talking about?” Ryan yelled. “You’re right here.”
“No, we’re not.”
“There’s a camera recording us.”
She snorted. “Is there? I’m pretty sure we can get rid of the last few minutes. Loop it or something. I’m no tech expert, but I know some people who can do that.”
