Asshole.
Kira’s voice was soft when she spoke again. “I told you it was nothing...”
I wanted to believe her but also knew tripping wouldn’t leave a perfect bruise on a cheek. “I’m sorry.”
Kira smiled but it wasn’t as bright as it could’ve been. “Everything is okay. Okay?”
I decided not to push the subject and smiled faintly. “Okay...”
Her attention drifted in the direction of the couch, where a tissue box sat on the coffee table beside the half-empty ice cream tub. And discarded tissues littered the floor. Whether or not it was a welcome subject change, she asked about it all anyway.
“Is everything okay with you?” Her voice was careful as a frown creased her brow.
The question alone was enough to pull those raw emotions back to the surface. The lump in my throat formed first, and then more tears. I shook my head and covered my face. I crumbled from the inside before Kira pulled me into a hug.
“Oh my god, Lily. What happened?”
Chapter 64
Lily
An entire week went by before I even realized it. The entire thing was like a horrible dream that left me functionless. My days blurred together. The sudden radio silence from someone I had given my heart to put a stark view on what I knew. I had left his world just as fast as I fell into it.
And now I was sitting down to lunch with my family on a sunny Saturday afternoon. They all knew what happened between Dean and me but never broached the subject. Meanwhile, I was just trying to feel normal again, or at least pretending to.
There was no surprise when Dad's choice of lunch conversation moved on to the investigation into The Den. He spearheaded the movement that night, questioning the owner of the club himself. He didn't mention Antonio's name, keeping it classified for our protection.
He told us he planned to work through each one of Antonio's business locations. Some of those locations he already visited in the past month where he gathered the information needed to build a case.
I schooled my features into an expression of shock and interest while listening to his story. Pretending I had no clue of Antonio's identity. My stomach however was twisting into a knot so tight I lost my appetite for the garden salad and chicken on my plate.
“The owner of the fight club seems to have gone underground since,” he added, grinding his jaw slightly before taking a sip from his glass of water.
“What about the fighters?” Jane asked, popping a cube of cheese into her mouth. “Have you tracked down any of them?”
“Don’t speak with your mouth full,” Mom muttered sharply.
Jane rolled her eyes, but Dad continued regardless.
“Unfortunately, no. There were no records of them kept on site. Unless those were burned in the fire.” For a moment his eyes drifted to me, and I straightened slowly, holding my breath as I waited. For what? I didn’t know. But he knew something or had figured something out based on that look alone. It was like he was waiting for me to add more to the topic.
“There were photographs,” he continued, turning his attention to Jane and Mom.
I froze but kept my composure. Mimicking Jane’s interest as best I could.
“It seems they were kept on a corkboard, but they were too melted from the fires to actually pick up any details in the images.”
The tension in my shoulders dropped just a little.
Mom shook her head in disgust as she refilled our glasses with the water from a jug. “Such a shame those low lives could get away with this.”
“They won’t get away with it,” Dad said pointedly. “I’ll make sure of it.”
When his eyes came back to me, my throat bobbed dryly and I quickly pulled a question from my head. “Do you have any leads on others involved?”
“We do have someone in police custody.” He steepled his fingers as he leaned on the dining table. “An ex-MMA fighter named Jack Murphy. We’re holding him on suspicion of being involved with underground fighting. He was hospitalized the night we arrived at The Den.”
“What happened to him?” Jane asked.
