Anna had just stepped out of the police station when she halted mid-stride, sensing soone approaching with urgency. The sound of hurried footsteps reached her ears, and before she could turn fully, Henry appeared in front of her, slightly out of breath.
"He needs you," Henry said without preamble.
Anna closed her eyes briefly and drew in a steady breath, grounding herself. "We have things to talk about," she replied, her tone sharp with warning.
Henry pressed his lips together, then nodded slowly. He did not argue. He simply watched as Anna walked past him and got into the car. The vehicle pulled away monts later, disappearing down the road.
Henry exhaled deeply, running a hand through his hair before turning back toward the police station. Duty pulled him forward, even when the weight of everything threatened to crush him.
***
Inside, Kathrine paced near the interrogation room, her agitation barely contained. Every instinct scread at her to storm inside and confront Collin herself, to demand answers, to tear the truth from him if she had to. But Anna’s words echoed in her mind, binding her feet in place.
Her patience thinned with every passing second, until an officer finally approached.
"Did he say anything?" Kathrine asked, her teeth clenched as she struggled to keep her voice steady. Her eyes flicked instinctively toward the glass window.
Inside, Collin lifted his gaze and their eyes t.
For a split second, his stare turned broodingly dark, carrying the sa chilling intensity she rembered from that day. Kathrine held her breath despite herself. He had been intimidating then, and even now, stripped of freedom, that presence lingered.
She straightened, forcing herself not to look away, and then turned back to the officer.
"No," the officer sighed. "He hasn’t said a word."
Kathrine’s heart tightened. Anna’s restraint echoed again in her mind, frustrating and baffling her in equal asure. Even now, with Collin detained, Anna wanted to tread carefully.
"Let’s wait a little longer," Kathrine said at last, the words tasting bitter. "Don’t pressure him yet."
The officer nodded, and together they stepped away from the interrogation room.
Kathrine stopped abruptly when she noticed Henry standing near the corridor.
What is he doing here? she wondered.
She approached him slowly and stopped a short distance away. "Henry," she said cautiously. "Am I right?"
Henry turned and bowed his head respectfully. "Yes, ma’am."
Kathrine studied him closely. She knew exactly who he was. Daniel’s loyal subordinate. The man who moved like his shadow, handling matters with quiet efficiency. Daniel’s right-hand man.
Easy smile. Sharp mind.
Dangerous combination.
"Did Daniel send you here?" she asked, the disdain clear in her voice as realization dawned on her. "Already ddling before we could even finish?"
Henry t her gaze calmly. He noticed her disappointnt and her suspicion, but it did not faze him. Not when his loyalty lay elsewhere.
After ending the call with Anna earlier, Henry had received another call, this ti from Shawn. Shawn had filled him in on Anna’s plan and how she had maneuvered the culprit into surrendering himself.
Daniel, despite being under the influence of the drug, had been furious when he learned Anna had acted without consulting him. His condition had prevented him from coming here himself, but his anger had been unmistakable.
The first thing he had ordered Henry to do was bring him to the police station.
When that proved impossible, Daniel’s next command had been clear.
He wanted everything. Every detail. Every move. Every secret Collin Fort was hiding.
Henry straightened slightly and looked back at Kathrine. "I’m not here to interfere," he said evenly. "I’m here to understand."
And sohow, that answer only deepened the tension hanging between them.
***
anwhile, in the back seat of the car, the mont Anna climbed in, she was pulled sharply into Daniel’s arms.
Before she could even speak, his lips captured hers, hard and desperate, as if holding back was no longer an option. The kiss was fierce, unrestrained, carrying everything he had not said since the mont he thought he might lose her.
Anna gasped in surprise as he shifted her effortlessly onto his lap, one arm locked around her waist, the other cradling her head as if he refused to let her pull away. His mouth claid hers again, deeper this ti, urgent, almost punishing.
It startled even the driver, who caught the movent in the rearview mirror, but he said nothing. He only pressed harder on the accelerator, steering the car swiftly toward the Clafford Mansion.
The mont the car slid under the protective shield at the mansion gates, Dnaiel broke away just long enough to speak.
"Leave," he ordered.
The driver did not hesitate. He stepped out imdiately, shutting the door behind him and giving them privacy.
The tinted windows concealed everything inside.
Alone now, Daniel shifted, pinning Anna gently but firmly against the back seat. His presence was overwhelming, his forehead resting briefly against hers as his breathing remained uneven. He kissed her again, slower now, but no less intense, until she was breathless and gripping his coat for balance.
Then he pulled back just enough to look at her, his eyes dark with fear and fury intertwined.
"Why would you risk going to the culprit alone?" he demanded, his voice low and rough. His hand tightened at her waist, not in anger, but in restraint. In relief.
"Just like the way you risked eting Fiona alone," Anna shot back, her voice tight with the sa restraint.
Daniel frowned, his grip loosening just slightly. "But I didn’t fall for her tricks," he argued, frustration lacing his words.
Anna did not answer with words.
She grabbed his collar suddenly and yanked him closer until there was barely a breath between them, their lips brushing. Her eyes burned as she glared at him.
"I can see that," she groaned, and before he could react, she bit his lower lip, sharp and punishing, as if releasing all the fear and jealousy she had swallowed earlier.
It hurt just enough.
Daniel hissed softly, the tallic taste of his own blood blooming on his tongue, but instead of pulling away, his hands tightened around her. The pain only fueled him. In the next second, he claid her mouth again, fierce and unapologetic, as though daring her to keep fighting him.
Anna hated how jealousy twisted inside her chest and hated that Fiona’s na could still ignite sothing so ugly in her. But beneath it all was relief. Fierce, overwhelming relief.
Daniel had seen through Fiona’s plan. He had co back to her.
Their kiss slowed, deepening into sothing heavier, loaded with everything neither of them had been willing to admit out loud. His forehead rested briefly against hers, their breaths mingling.
"I need you wifey" he announced and the next thing he saw was Anna claiming his lips.
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