# Noah Lancaster's POV#
I can't stop staring at my phone. The detective's words replay in my mind like a broken record. Two hours. Locked door. Drawn curtains.
My hands shake as I dial Chloe's number. I need to hear her voice. I need her to tell me there's some innocent explanation for why she's been alone with Gabriel Donovan for two hours in a locked hospital room.
The phone rings four times before she answers.
"Noah? Is everything okay?"
Her voice sounds breathless. Guilty.
"Where are you?"
A pause. Too long of a pause.
"I'm at the office. Working late on the Henderson account."
The lie hits me like a slap. "You're at the office?"
"Yes. Why? You sound strange."
I close my eyes, feeling something die inside me. She's lying to my face without hesitation. No guilt. No conscience.
"How's Gabriel doing?" I ask quietly.
Another pause. "I wouldn't know. I haven't seen him since... since what happened."
Another lie. So easy for her.
"Is he still angry? About his hands?"
