“He can stay. If that’s okay.”
“See? You gonna back down, Officer?” The title was served with a side of petulance. Neo didn’t break eye contact, but I wasn’t intimidated.
All his attitude did was ratchet up my own. I had a habit of meeting aggression with aggression, and my partner knew it, so when Rue’s soft voice said, “Let him sit, Kobe,” I reluctantly released the bull of a man and stepped back.
Neo held his ground for another beat, asserting his dominance—or so I assumed—before joining Blaze on the couch. The siblings spoke quietly. Neo’s hostility vanished as he asked Blaze if she was okay. His concern and gentle demeanor werenoteworthy, and as much as the guy had pissed me off, I gave him credit for his sensitivity.
Regardless, I was done fading into the background. With Protective Neo present, I joined the interview properly but remained on my feet, hoping my height advantage would remind the brother who was in charge.
Once everyone was settled, Rue backtracked. “We were discussing Blaze’s relationship with Jesse Vargas. Ms. Freely, you stated that you and Jesse broke up in January because he wasn’t a nice person. Can you explain what that means?”
Blaze leaned against her brother’s side as she spoke. “Jesse tried to hurt me. I knew it was a matter of time before something really bad happened. He had a reputation. I didn’t believe it at first. He seemed like a decent guy, but…” She trailed off.
I glanced at Rue, but she patiently waited for Blaze to elaborate.
The girl checked in with her brother before continuing. “Jesse used to party a lot. He and his friends never missed an event. Usually, Jesse was decent, but when he drank or was high, he… wasn’t nice.”
“Can you explain?” I asked, stepping on Rue’s toes.
Neo’s nostrils flared. “Can’t you read between the lines, dumbass?”
“No. I need her to spell it out, and if you don’t find some goddamn respect, I’ll usher you out the door, like it or not.”
Blaze rubbed her brother’s arm.
Calmer, Neo said, “The guy can’t keep his dick in his pants when he drinks. Thought he was god’s gift to women and fucked anything with two feet and a heartbeat. Alcohol gave him a power trip, and the wordnobecame meaningless.”
Neo shifted his attention to Rue. “He and his posse of friends are grade A assholes. Think they can do whatever they want, consequence-free. When he was loaded, Jesse got horny,mouthy, and handsy. Any girl would do, and a lot of the skanky whores on campus would throw themselves at him. Sometimes, those skanks weren’t enough. Jesse took what he wanted. He sought out the quiet and shy girls. He’d feel them up or try to entice them into a nearby bedroom. If they refused, he got aggressive about it. He was an entitled prick. A lot of the girls caved. If they didn’t and he got demanding, someone usually stepped in and put a stop to it before it went too far. Jesse’s buddies weren’t any different.”
“Blaze?” Rue said. “Can you confirm any of this?”
“Yes.”
“What did Jesse do to you?”
“Nothing he didn’t do to a dozen other girls.”
“I know it’s not easy, but I need you to elaborate?”
Blaze closed her eyes for a moment as though gathering strength. “I didn’t usually go to parties with him. I knew what he was like, and I avoided him when he drank, but it was a friend’s birthday. Jesse was… He got drunk and obnoxious. We’d been dating for a while. I knew he cheated on me at those parties. I don’t know why I stayed with him. I tried to break up with him once, but he got mad.”
When she stopped talking, lowering her head in shame, Rue coaxed her to continue.
“That night, Jesse was drunk and horny and wanted to have sex. Since I was there… Anyhow, he started to feel me up and wanted to find a bedroom. I told him no. He was acting like a dick. Plus, it was my friend’s birthday. I didn’t want to leave the party. He… He dragged me to the bedroom anyhow. Left bruises on my arm. I fought him, but he was stronger than me. He said I was his girlfriend, and it was his right. I was to do what I was told.”
Blaze stopped talking, and in a flash, my anger flared as hot as Neo’s.
“If I hadn’t been there and seen him drag her upstairs, I have no doubt he’d have taken what he wanted,” Neo said. “I stepped in before that happened. And if the guy walked away with a fat lip, he deserved it.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Rue must have sensed my fury and held up her hand to stop me. To Blaze, she said, “We discovered that you filed assault charges against Jesse Vargas on January twentieth. It was for this incident, I assume.”
“Yes.”
“I told her to do it,” Neo snapped. “Someone needed to teach that fucker a lesson.”
Rue ignored Neo. “Why did you drop the charges in March, Ms. Freely?”
Blaze glanced at her brother, who clenched his jaw and balled his fists. He wouldn’t look at his sister. Clearly, Neo wasn’t on board with the decision.
