His eyes met hers again. “I’ll see you soon, okay? Stay safe. And if I don’t get out… don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself.”
Tears flooded her eyes and she shook her head. “No way. We’re a team.”
He leaned down and kissed her once more. “I love you, Joey.”
Her eyes flew open and she watched helplessly as he stepped out of the stall. She wanted to respond, but she was speechless. Love? Was it too soon? Maybe he was just saying that because he was soon to be on trial for murder.
She shook her head. There was no way.
Cole Kensington?
She buried her face in her hands and held back the laughter.
“Hello? Is someone in here?” The deep voice came from the stall next to hers.
She lifted her head. Ooops.
“Oh dear,” she exclaimed in an exaggerated southern accent. “I thought this was the little girls’ room!”
Then she rushed out the door and left the courthouse, praying desperately for Cole’s hearing.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
“Your honor,the district attorney’s office requests no provision for bail. The brutal murder of Laura Conwell must be dealt with strictly. Furthermore, this man is one of the richest in America with no familial ties. He has the means to post even the highest bail without hardship.”
Cole held perfectly still, despite the way he wanted to jump up and argue just why everything the district attorney said was complete nonsense. He’d never leave, even if it meant going to jail. While it still seemed completely impossible, he knew it wasn’t. The detective seemed so sure of himself, and Cole couldn’t figure out why. The worst part was that they thought Joey had something to do with the whole thing.
“My client is an upstanding member of society, with a business and a charitable foundation to his name that he would never dream of leaving behind. He maintains his innocence and has cooperated with the police at every step of the process, despite their hostility toward him. Mr. Kensington has obligations to fulfill that cannot be dealt with from behind bars. He is also willing to relinquish his passport as a sign of good faith if it would please the court.”
Cole took a deep breath. It seemed that Bankston was worth every penny of the very fat retainer he’d already been paid.
“I see the point the district attorney is trying to make,” the commissioner started, and Cole’s heart sank. “But I have to agree with Mr. Kensington’s lawyer. There is no reason to believe he is a flight risk. That being said, I’d like to give him a strong incentive to return to court at the appointed time. Bail is set at ten million dollars.” The gavel hit the sound block.
Cole jolted at the sound. Following the back-and-forth interplay of arguments between the lawyers had been fascinating and anxiety inducing. For a moment, he’d been sure he was going to spend the next several months in custody, waiting for the trial and helpless to do anything to clear his name.
Bankston clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s get the paperwork done and get you home, Mr. Kensington.”
Cole smiled. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank your little friend with the hookup in the court system.”
Cole raised his eyebrows. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Bankston nodded. “If you say so. But a friend in the clerk’s office told me that schedules don’t just change like this unless someone pulls some major strings. It would seem you’ve got friends in high places, Mr. Kensington.”
Cole smiled as Bankston led the way to the commissioner’s office where he would fill out the bond paperwork and get the money wired. He wasn’t sure he’d call Joey’s dark computer cave “high places,” but he was sure glad she was his friend.
And more.
He groaned at the way he’d admitted his feelings for her. In a bathroom stall, while she was wearing a ridiculous disguise to avoid getting arrested. What was he thinking?
He hadn’t been, to be honest. He’d been so grateful to see her and hold her and that she had set aside her other important work to focus on him. So much emotion had welled up inside him, and he didn’t know how else to express it.
He loved her.
And now he just had to clear his name, catch the culprit, and save his company. No sweat.
When he left the courthouse, a handful of reporters waited to ambush him. They hurled questions at him, rapid-fire, without waiting for a response before asking another.