Incendiary Read Online Free PDF Page B

life, so I’m accustomed.
    “First question.”
    Oh my God, I can’t wait until I see the back of this fucking jerk. Instead of allowing him to continue interrogating me, my mind drifts to another solution. “May I plead the fifth?”
    A brief moment of amusement flickers in his light green eyes before he clears his throat and turns back into a big asshole.
    “You can answer my questions here or I can escort you to the station and we talk there.”
    Every time I seize control, he snatches it back.
    “Am I in trouble?” I hate the small tremble in my voice. Hearing it empowers him.
    “What was the nature of your relationship with Sloane Mason?” he bites out, ignoring my question, aware he has the upper hand.
    I don’t relish lying to an officer of the law, but no way in fucking hell is he getting me—
    “And need I remind you the severity of punishment for perjury?”
    He’s like a mind reader. I search for an out, a plausible solution. “You can only commit perjury when you lie under oath.”
    “I’ve had enough of your bullshit pretense. You don’t know the goddamn law. You don’t know much of anything. Where do you get your bogus information?”
    Glancing down, I blink away tears of humiliation. I read about perjury in a book, although I can’t remember which one, or even the storyline. But it’s how I’ve learned most of what I know. No one listens to me when I tell them teachers go too fast for me to follow. Even tutors explain things to me, but go into little depth, listening to what Grandma says. She pays them an exorbitant amount of money to make me feel stupid.
    “If you lie to protect Sloane or win him back, you’re the one who’ll suffer.”
    His intuition pushes me steadily into a corner, closer to the breaking point. My hormones are already crazy. I’m moments away from either sobbing my heart out or yelling at him like a madwoman.
    Neither would be wise or impressive. I’m a woman. Now more than ever, Sloane needs me to be grown.
    “Answer me!” The detective barks, losing patience. “Did you have a sexual relationship with Sloane Mason?” he asks, despite my apparent distraction as I eye the buzzer used to summon servants.
    Would they even come for me?
    Frustrated with myself and the situation, I clamp my mouth shut.
    He growls and springs to his feet, bounding next to me. His new proximity removes the comfort of having a table separating my spot on the settee from his on the sofa. He should’ve asked me to sit next to him. The sofa is bigger than this thing.
    “If you’re in jail, what becomes of your baby? It becomes a ward of the state.” He leans in closer. I have no room to get out of his reach. “Do you want that?”
    Sniffling, I swipe at my tears, glancing behind him toward the door, hoping to see Grandma gliding in. It’s empty. She hasn’t returned.
    “Do you want your child to become a ward of the state?” he snarls. “Or would you send it to Sloane? The father?”
    I shake my head but refuse to give up. “This is intimidation.” The rude effect I’m striving for is ruined by my tears. “You can’t do this. I have rights. I know I do.”
    Minors have rights, don’t they? Consternation replaces his severity, and I know I’ve succeeded in hitting a nerve. We stare at one another. Long moments tick away. The moment my tears dry up, he starts talking again.
    “Sloane seduced you,” he insists.
    At the unyielding conclusion he throws at me, I scoff. He thinks he knows the ins and outs of my relationship with Sloane. “Sloane seduced me,” I mimic sarcastically. Disbelief curls around my echoing voice. I’m too shocked to phrase it as a question. Irritation finally burrows into me. For now, my emotional pendulum takes a swing in the other direction. It’s so much better than my dread. Sooner or later, I’ll milk my annoyance dry and cry again.  “Yes, Sloane seduced me!” I screech, caught up in my mock confession. “Poor Georgiana. I’m only