Blaze glanced at me, then the door, before returning her focus to Rue. “Um… It’s been a while. I try to avoid him.”
“Can you be more specific?”
“M-march.”
“So, near the end of the school year last year?”
“Yes.”
“You haven’t seen or talked to him this semester?”
“Seen him? Yes. He’s not supposed to be on campus, but he still hangs out. Have I talked to him? No.”
Rue checked her notes, but I already knew that March was when Blaze had dropped the charges against Jesse. He was kicked out of school a few weeks later.
“I’m given to understand you and Jesse dated for a time. Is that correct?”
Blaze nodded, her chin lowering, gaze fixed on a tassel she wrapped around her finger.
“Did you break up in March?”
“No. January.”
“How long did you date?”
“About eight months.”
“Can you tell me what happened?” Rue asked. “Why did you break up?”
Blaze rubbed her lips together, tiny creases appearing beside her strained eyes. Her shoulders rose and fell with a hitching effort as she took shallow breaths. “He… He wasn’t a nice person.”
“What does that mean?”
“He—”
The door to the apartment flew open, smashing against the wall, and a menacing, barrel-chested man charged into the room. Instinctively, I stepped forward, blocking his path with a raised arm. “Whoa. Easy there, my frie—”
The man swatted my hand out of the way and moved to bully past me, but I rooted my feet and used my bulk to press him against a nearby wall. “Stop.”
Ignoring me, the man pushed and shouted, “Blaze. What the fuck? I told you to wait for me. I told you not to talk to these motherfuckers alone.”
I shifted, putting my face in his way and blocking his view. “Your name, buddy. Right now.”
The man’s nostrils flared as he sized me up and down. “Neo. Neo Freely. Now get the fuck out of my way.”
“Freely?” Frowning, I glanced over my shoulder at the cowering girl on the couch.
Rue shrugged, expression unreadable as always.
“Do you know this guy?” I asked Blaze.
She nodded. “He’s my brother.”
“And she’s had enough fucking problems with bullying cops trying to manipulate her, so you aren’t talking to her without me present. Got it?”
Neo stopped fighting, but his size and the heat of his anger filled the room. He was a big guy. Not tall but thick and muscular. I saw the resemblance now that I knew who he was. He shared Blaze’s hair and eye color, but his complexion was a shade darker, his face wider. I couldn’t tell if he was older or younger, so I assumed they were close in age.
I stared at Neo but spoke to Blaze. “Do you want him here, Ms. Freely? I’d be happy to escort him out.”
