Chapter 739 A Kid’s Outburst
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Nichs looked like the life had drained out of him. He just stood there, swaying like he was about to copse.
After a long few seconds, he braced against the wall and slumped down beside the couch.
The surveince feed froze on that image–Nichs curled in on himself, head buried low in his hands like he was trying to disappear into his own chest.
The footage was silent, but a father’s grief and helplessness still came through the screen.
Tess pulled her eyes away, but her chest still felt tight.
“Ken’s been holding all that in for a long time. But what really scares me is that someone could use him.”
Compared to Tess and Raven, Lyra stayed calm and clinical.
That made Tess frown. “What do
you
mean?”
Raven looked just as confused.
“Maybe I’m overthinking,” Lyra said. “But right now, Ken is unpredictable. If the wrong people take advantage of that, it could seriously screw things up, and it’ll slow you down, too.”
Tess <i>got </i>what she meant.
If Max or Nadine made a move on Ken, maybe tricked him with some fake promise to help Rachel, he could easily fall for <i>it</i>.
Her gut sank. She’d been so focused on Ken’s meltdown, she hadn’t even considered that angle.
“Do you
have
any
ideas?” Tess looked a lot more serious now.
“He said it himself–he’s got SATs next year. He’s already missed a lot of ss, and the pressure’s eating him alive. If we don’t do something, that kid could break down.”
“You’re right. We can’t rush things with Rachel. If ites down to it, I’ll hire a private tutor. Or find a nearby school that’ll let him transfer in.”
Tess rubbed her chin, thinking it through.
Lyra paused, then nodded. “Go with the tutor. I don’t trust putting him in school right now.”
<b>11:28 </b>Mon, Feb <b>9 </b>
Chapter 739 A Kid’s Outburst
They both agreed fast, then the conversation circled back to Nichs.
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“I don’t know if it was because of Ken’s outburst or what, but when I was there, Nichs kept grilling me about Rachel. And he made it crystal clear–if we can’t get her out, he’s not giving us anything.”
Tess frowned.
“Luckily,” Lyra said with a wink, “I still got something.”
She pulled out a voice recorder as she spoke.
“We’re going out of our way to help you here. Every partnership needs something upfront. What makes
you think
you can walk away without giving us a damn thing?”
Her voice was cold. Distant. Like a statue carved out of ice.
It was Lyra.
Tess froze for a second, caught off guard by the memory of how Lyra used to be with her.
That woman had always beenposed and intimidating, like a marble statue in a courtroom. But once they got close, she changed. She gave Tess everything.
It was like watching something frozen finally start to thaw.
Her chest warmed just a little–right before Nichs’s voice came in.
He sounded uncertain, unsure. But maybe Lyra’s icy stare got to him, because after a moment, he gave <ol><li>in. “What do you wanna know? I’ll think about whether I can answer it.” </li></ol>
“You won’t testify until your wife’s out. Fine. But you can at least give us something to work with.”
Lyra cut to the chase. “I wanna know what really happened back then.”
“Back then?”
“Yeah. When you first teamed up with Henry. When did Henry and Shannon start getting involved?”
That made Nichs pause. His face didn’t change right away, but after a beat, he gave her a weird look.
“You only get one question. That’s the one you’re picking?”
<b>11:28 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Feb </b><b>9 </b>
Chapter 739 A Kid’s Outburst
“Damn right.”
“Alright. I did work with Henry. But I didn’t know him that well outside of business<b>. </b><b>The </b><b>day </b><b>he </b>first reached out to me, Shannon came with him. They asked me to find a woman’s body <b>to </b>swap in for hers, and I was the one who burned it. While we were going over the details, <b>I </b>started getting a bad feeling. Didn’t trust Henry one bit. So I used the time to snoop around <b>his </b>ce. Or I guess it was more like a shitty little rental. There was a photo under the ss of an old writing desk. Just one. A boy and a girl. I figured it was Henry and Shannon when they <b>were </b>kids.”
Lyra’s eyes widened. “You think they’ve known each other since they were little?”
“No clue. That’s just a guess. One photo doesn’t mean much. But it looked like they were living there together, just the two of them. And honestly, Shannon came off as bossy and loud. The kind of woman who wouldn’t let her man keep a picture like that unless she was in it.”
Nichs’s voice was steady and clear. Tess followed every word.
Her fingers clenched. What she thought she knew suddenly felt like smoke slipping through her hands.
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<strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.