Need Me by Cynthia Eden Read Free Book Online

make me stay.” Her shoulders lifted in a faint shrug. “He gave me the drink, trying to get me to calm down.”
    “And…did you calm down?”
    She rubbed her temples, wishing for the hundredth time that she could remember. “I have no idea. I remember he grabbed my shoulder…” Her hand fell to her shoulder. It had been bruised the next day, bruised with the perfect impression of fingertips. The cops had said that bruise proved she’d fought with her husband—and then killed him. “I don’t know what happened after that.”
    Devlin just nodded.
    “Do you believe me?” As soon as she said those words, Julianna wished that she could pull them back. Why did it matter if he believed her? No one else—except Sophie—did. Everybody else in town thought of her as a cold-blooded killer.
    “Why were you leaving him then?” He started to pace the room. Opening drawers. Rifling through the books on the shelves. “Why that night, Julianna? What was so special about
that
night?”
    I was leaving because I knew he couldn’t trap me anymore.
Her lips thinned. She had to tread very carefully now. The wrong word would incriminate her and—
    “He had an office here, right? Show it to me.”
    She spun on her heel. “It’s not going to do any good.” His footsteps followed her from the room. “The cops took his computers. I told you that. There’s nothing here for you to find.”
    “Let me be the judge of that.”
    They entered Jeremy’s study. His desk—a big, antique desk that had cost a ridiculous amount of money—sat in the center of the room.
Jeremy had loved his antiques—he loved anything that he thought showed his wealth and power.
    She didn’t fully enter that room. She could
feel
Jeremy there. She could feel that bastard everywhere. A ghost that wouldn’t stop haunting her.
    Devlin began opening the desk drawers. His dark head bent over the desk and for a moment—just a moment—she could see Jeremy. His hair had been dark, too. Maybe a shade lighter than Devlin’s. Shorter. Jeremy had been in that office, sitting at that desk. So cold and arrogant as he told her…
    I own you now, Julianna. You’re mine, body and soul. And if you leave me, I will destroy you.
    He’d had the means to carry out his threat. He’d had—
    “Julianna?”
    She blinked.
    “What’s wrong?”
    She rubbed her arms. “This is a waste of time. There’s nothing here to—”
    He held up a flash drive. “I found this taped under the top desk drawer. The cops really should have been more thorough when they searched.”
    Her jaw dropped. Julianna took a quick step forward, then stopped, catching herself.
    “Usually, when someone hides a flash drive like this…it’s because they don’t want that drive being seen by just anybody.”
    She couldn’t take her eyes off that drive.
It was right there, the whole time!
She hurried toward him and reached for it.
    But Devlin’s fingers closed over the drive, making a tight fist. “Do you know what’s on the drive?”
    “No.” Yes. “How could I possibly?”
It has to be my drive. It has to be!
    Devlin sighed. “You know, I really hate it when you lie to me.” He put the flash drive in his pocket. “I’ll be checking this on my own. Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to let you know what I discover.”
    No!
“It’s my house. I should have that drive.” She lunged for him—very ungracefully—and tried to get her hands on that drive. But he caught her, too easily—and pushed her back. He didn’t let her go. His hands stayed locked around her arms.
    “My, my…” Devlin murmured, his breath blowing lightly against her. “Someone wants that very badly.”
    You have no idea.
“Give me the flash drive,” Julianna gritted out as she straightened.
    His eyes had narrowed as they swept over her face. “What’s on the drive?”
    “It’s not a video of me killing my husband, if that’s what you’re implying.” Her laughter was bitter. “The place is uber wired for