Paige didn't waste a second. She walked over and placed a supportive hand on my shoulder, her presence a grounding force against the sterile, cold walls.
"Sheriff, were you interrogating my client without her lawyer present?" she had asked the moment she crossed the threshold.
Stephan had let out a long, weary sigh. "This wasn't an interrogation, Paige. It was her side of what happened. I needed to hear it from her."
"Then you know that the kidnapping warrant is a fabrication," Paige said, her voice echoing with a sharp, undeniable authority. "Liam has been in the other room for the last forty-five minutes laying out every piece of evidence we’ve gathered—bank records, medical logs, everything."
Stephan looked at the digital recorder sitting on the table, then at Paige, and finally bac
