He pushes me up against the wall again. When my back smacks, I scream, my ribs damaged and hurting so badly. I tighten myself then, waiting for the sound of rubber snapping, but it doesn't come, so I guess the searching phase is finished.Detective Bradley gives me the command to remain and retreats a few feet.My eyes go blind from the bright light and I jerk my head away.Another command, threatening to subject me to yet another, more in-depth investigation if I don't remain motionless. Thus, I remain motionless and avoid tampering with Detective Ferdinand's subsequent photo.Detective Bradley snatches my wrist and drags me back to the metal desk, where a white sheet of paper with ten circles and a small black pad are waiting for me. Time flies by.That section seems to go by very quickly. Perhaps because I'm not the one touching the paper after pressing my finger on the black pad. There's no rushing when Detective Ferdinand, who enjoys doing everything with needless force, does tha
"So, it seems like you've made some street friends." Detective Ferdinand assumes command, sounding almost kind.I assume they aim to use this brief tape as evidence in court that they did not coerce me into making the confession they want me to make.I remain silent.It's evident. Detective Bradley scans through the file nonchalantly, resting his chin on one palm. But the green eyes he directs at me are anything but informal. "I believe a girl such as you made a lot of friends. You would frequently be discovered with them by some of my coworkers when you were supposed to be in school. Our archives span the years thirteen through seventeen, after which—well.All of a sudden, you were no longer making street pals.Though he won't say it out loud, he's thinking about calling me a prostitute. Both of them are.Nothing I say will change their opinion that I'm a whore; they've already made up their mind. I take a seat back and wait for this interrogation to end so I can be taken to a quiet
It's during moments like these that I can recall my motivation for shaving. It requires little to no upkeep.He looks so heavy-set that it seems like they could close at any moment and stay that way, and he sounds discouraged as he adds, "I even took a cab up there."I got the impression from studying him that any sleep he did get was not restorative or lengthy. He appears incredibly worn out. "You mentioned that it would be a time waster.""Yeah, I did," he concedes, sounding exhausted rather than merely worn out. Vanquished. But I was at a loss for what to do. Has Finn said anything to you?He's not giving it his all. I should have left him sleep, sh*t.I bring the bottle up to my lips. Glancing quickly at him, I ask, "Who the fuck cares?"His brow is wrinkled as he looks off into space. Though it appears that he is lost in thought, I doubt that he is feeling the same rage that is burning in my stomach. Dan is forgiving when it comes to most things, but once someone is on my "shit l
I'm not overweight, nor am I six feet tall. My quickness and my readiness to go above and beyond to defeat an opponent are what allow me to win. Fairness has never been taken into consideration.What was important was winning. Leandro's eyes are getting wary of whatever it is he sees when I'm on my feet.Finn moves in front of us. "We're short on time for this. Dan set down that bottle. Put on a shirt, Jade.Come with me.I laugh. "You anticipate us to—"He looks down at me. "I anticipate that you will comply. That's what I anticipate. This is alpha me. Not the case with you. rather than Dan.It seemed that he was near enough to hear us.Leandro whispers, "Ah, is there trouble in parad—"Finn cuts me off with a stern remark, "If you want to survive the next five minutes, Leandro," as he keeps staring me down. "I would just shut up."I get distracted by movement out of the corner of my eye. Den."What is your knowledge of Darius?" As Dan gets up and asks, he stumbles so much that he fa
Assist? I laugh to myself. Was that why, when I destroyed your picture, you were threatening to give me another, closer look? because you desired to assist me?Hours before, the smell of burned black coffee receded, but now when it nags at my nose again, I know Detective Bradley placed his plastic coffee cup to the side.When he got up at two in the morning to find some liquid refreshment to continue the interview, there was no coffee offered to me. Not that I would have accepted his offer. I would have needed to use the loo by now, given it is almost three, and I have a feeling that the request would have cost more than I was ready to pay.A moment later, I heard the rustle of paper, and then I saw a horrible snapshot that I had to remind myself not to look at. I yell at myself to shut my eyes and act as though I didn't see it.I can't, though.Some things are impossible to ignore."Now. Let's discuss a cold case that dates back three years. We think that before the couple in the nea
FinnLeandro surveys us slowly, a hint of hunger visible in the depths of his emerald eyes. So, how exactly does this sharing function? You go to bed together and see what happens, or do you take turns with her?Finn, you're a fool for bringing him here. Why didn't you take his information and run off with him?But I'm aware. Sami. I had a warning that I had to return to the city. Right now.The roaring from a huge screen TV hanging on the distant wall and the hardly audible tire squeals are perfectly muffled by his lack of effort to reduce his tone. I doubt the live portion because it's one of those "live" police car chases that focus more on theatre. Whether it's real or not, the chef, who's looking out of the kitchen hatch in his grease-stained chef whites, is mesmerized. The sound is muted, so thankfully we are spared the full impact of a man yelling his indignation at the utter carelessness of such a risky chase through the city streets.The waitress, a little blond thing, jerks
I concur that it isn't. And certainly not about the phone call that Jade needs to make in order to help us locate Amanda. Still, we're not here to converse. Since Jade is unable to sober up, we are here to help."Assault you for being in a public area?" Jade offers, grinning lazily. "Because that hasn't stopped me before, I have to tell you."I remind him, "I thought your only concern was getting Amanda back."And I believed that yours was removing her. Thus, how about we discuss that?"Who is this enigmatic Amanda?" Leandro queries.We pass him by.It was a horrible idea to come here.Short, irate steps pounded a harsh tempo toward us in the solitude, carrying with them the smells of salty bacon, buttery eggs, sweet pancakes, and maple syrup. Without saying anything, Laurel throws down four heavy dishes, turns on her heel, and walks away."Why couldn't you have told her that you weren't interested?" Dan asks, jabbing a fork into his bacon."Because I'm really worried about eating thi
Detective Ferdinand returns with my glass of water, and while we wait, Detective Bradley doesn't switch off the recorder or take his eyes off of me.The door creaks open again a few seconds later, hardly long enough for me to have come up with a story that won't land me in jail for murder. Detective Ferdinand enters, holding a small white plastic cup.I'm not going to grab the cup from him even if it crosses my field of view and hovers there, inches from my face. I break out in hives just thinking about touching him or having him touch me.I hold off on picking it up until he sets it down on the table in front of me. My palms quickly close around the plastic, still warm and sweaty from his fingers, and I instantly regret my choice.Detective Ferdinand replies as he settles into his seat, "You were telling us about how Darius stepped into the diner right after your dad knocked you down." "Let's revisit that."I raise the cup to my mouth, sipping a little water from it, and then set it