With another tap, he played the video. “He stays for about…fifteen minutes, then leaves, clutching his stomach.”
“He pulled a stitch. I don’t know what happened in that room, but I know he didn’t kill her, because she was alive when I got there…after him.”
“Buuuut you didn’t come next. We have another candidate who also couldn’t be our winner.” Alex advanced the video. “G-Force himself appears looking ready for revenge. He stays a little longer than his mini-me, but leaves looking just as riled.”
She stared at the screen as Grant emerged, his expression disturbed as he pressed a palm to his mouth before he hurried away from the apartment.
“He couldn’t have done it.” She pointed to the time stamp. “I was there after.”
“Yes, you were.” Alex played the video. “Here you come.”
Julia swallowed hard as she watched herself arrive and enter the apartment.
“And there you go,” Alex said, “after a fifteen-minute stay.”
She slid her eyes closed before she sucked in a breath. “Alex…”
“But wait, Sunshine, there’s more. The love keeps coming. After your visit, we have three more people who show up.”
He played the video. Julia’s eyebrows knitted as she leaned closer when a figure appeared on screen. “Is that…”
“Yep,” Alex said with a nod of his head, “the Gatekeeper of Harrington House. He visits for only a short period before he leaves, followed quickly by the Rideshare Rookie himself.”
“Alexander Knight,” Julia whispered as he appeared on screen, ducking into the apartment, then leaving a few minutes later.
“Wait, there’s more.” Alex played the video. Seconds later on the speeded footage, a woman entered the frame. She paused at the door before she knocked and entered the apartment.
Julia’s stomach twisted as she recognized her. “Sierra.”
“The Peak Princess is the last person to leave that apartment. I played the footage until after the news footage reporting the Wicked Witch’s death.”
Julia curled her fingers into fists as an upset-looking Sierra slid into the hall, glanced down it, and fled toward the elevator. “Oh no.”
“The evidence casts a long, unsettling shadow over the Harrington Heiress, doesn’t it? The world will believe she’s the prime suspect, but given the location of the body’s final resting place, we can only effectively rule out Grant 1.0 and 2.0. And possibly you…” He flicked his gaze to her. “So, the question is…was the Duchess of Destruction still alive when you left the apartment?”
The knot in Julia’s stomach tightened at the words. She blew out a shaky breath as she slid her eyes sideways to glance at him. Her features pinched. She had to answer him, but how?
CHAPTER 13
GRANT
The clatter of the handcuffs scraping on the metal table echoed in the cold room as Grant shifted on the uncomfortable chair. Once again, he found himself in the all-too-familiar interrogation room.
This time it felt smaller than ever, the sterile light casting long shadows that trapped him in a cage of suspicion.
He heaved a sigh as he caught sight of himself in the two-way mirror on the opposite wall. The distorted reflection amplified the tension boiling inside him.
His mind regressed to the events earlier in the evening. After his panic over nearly losing Julia in the fire, he’d confronted his ex-wife.
His heart pounded, a mix of fury and a desperate need for closure driving him forward. Memories of their shattered marriage haunted him as old wounds reignited.
“You’ve gone too far. And I’m not going to put up with it anymore. I’m going to stop you once and for all,” he said to her.
She scoffed at the statement, settling her arms across her chest. “Really? And what are you going to do about it?”
“Well, I’ve already put a stop to your little game of trying to rip my company out from under me.”
She let out a cackle. “You did or your billionaire buddy, Alex Stone did? Tell me, Grant, why do you think a man like Alex Stone would spend millions saving your company?”
