It sounded like Clio was fine, and Patrick should have known she could hold her own against Nicholas. He felt momentary guilt for briefly thinking otherwise, followed by an overwhelming amount of adoration for his girlfriend for taking someone in even after all that.
"I understand, Clio." To Nicholas he said, "she's correct when she says what you did isn't right. Do you feel regret?"
Nicholas swallowed roughly and he nodded. "I feel...so much regret it's hard to breathe."
"Good," Patrick nodded. "That's good. It shows that you know what you did was wrong." He inched his chair closer. "Do you know if what you did was reported to the police?" If it had been, Patrick was not going to keep him away from the law. He planned to encourage Nicholas to turn himself in.
"I...I don't know. I don't think so," Nicholas said with a shrug.