Page 13 of Unbroken

“Scared,” she finally admitted, answering his initial question. “Angry. Disappointed.”

“Disappointed?” She could feel Aiden studying her as she nodded. “Why are you disappointed?”

“Because…” She swallowed hard, the memory of leaving the coffee shop that night pressing in around her. “I should have asked Dani to stay. She never should have left alone. If she had just looked around, been a little more cautious⁠—”

“Don’t you dare take the blame for that.” Aiden’s voice brooked no argument. “He made those choices, not you.”

Maya lifted her gaze to his. “I know, but…”

Aiden shook his head. “That could have happened to anyone. Hell, it could have happened to anyone—even Dani.”

She was positive he was just trying to make her feel better, and she let out a little snort. “I seriously doubt that.”

“What I’m saying is, it’s easy to take advantage of someone when you catch them by surprise. What matters is that you escaped. You stayed strong. You never gave in.”

His dark eyes drew her in, and she was helpless to resist. “I couldn’t,” she whispered. “I knew if she stayed down there she would die. She kept looking at that disgusting mattress and wondering how many times he’d done it before. How many families are out there needing closure?”

Something flashed across Aiden’s face, and he scooted a fraction closer. “What you did is absolutely incredible. My team is working the scene right now to see if we can answer any of those questions.”

“Good. What happens next?” she asked.

He stared at her for a second, gauging her emotional stability.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “Knowing what to expect will help.”

He gave a little nod. “Right now he’s over at County waiting for his arraignment.”

“What does that mean?”

Aiden blew out a little breath. “Basically, what happens is they’ll take him to court and ask him to plead either innocent or guilty, then⁠—”

“But he’s guilty,” she cut in. “You know that. You literally saw him running away from the house.” Her voice had raised several octaves with hysteria, but she couldn’t help it.

“I know,” Aiden said, “but that’s how our justice system works. Everyone is given the benefit of the doubt. It’s going to be a long process, and it will most likely get worse before it gets better.”

“I don’t understand.” Tears burned her eyes. “You saw…”

Her voice broke, and Aiden leaned forward. “I know. And that’s exactly why I’m going to do everything in my power to put him away for the rest of his life.”

The fierceness in his tone and the promise in his eyes should have scared her. But it didn’t.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I trust you.”

Aiden’s dark gaze swept over her face, searching her eyes before dropping lower. For a split second, she thought he was going to kiss her. She watched his shoulders rise and fall on a deep breath before he sat back in his chair, and disappointment slammed into her.

It was irrational, she knew, but she couldn’t help it.

After everything that had happened, she shouldn’t want anyone to touch her. And truthfully, she didn’t. But this man in front of her was so strong, so trustworthy. She knew she could depend on him. She swore she felt something between them, but she wasn’t ready to act on it yet. Everything was still too fresh.

She swallowed down her insecurities, shoving them aside to deal with later.

“Thank you… for everything.”

An emotion she didn’t recognize darkened his eyes. She felt the slight tug of the blankets as his fingers skimmed upward until they settled on her forearm, just above the bandages. She was transfixed by the sight of his skin against hers, the heat and the feel of him.

A million emotions rocketed through her body. His fingers were long and strong, and she could feel the slightly hardened edges of the calluses at his fingertips. His touch was both unsettling and extremely comforting.

Aiden gave an abbreviated shake of his head, but his hand stayed in place. “I was just doing my job.”