“Baby, what are you …?”
“It’s all over the news,” she cries. “Did Cole shoot Austin?”
“No.” I run a hand through my hair.Fuck!We thought we would have more time. “Of course not.”
“They said they have him in custody.”
Shit!Did the police come with reporters? I didn’t step outside, so I didn’t see what all was going on out there. As far as the police are concerned, I’m not involved, and I’m also not here. Cole’s car is the only one parked outside. We stashed mine back in the woods behind the clubhouse. The odds of them entering with a warrant were high, but I didn’t think they were gonna go that far this soon. They think they have this case in the bag. Boy, are they gonna be disappointed. “They do, but it’s not true.”
She sniffs. “What?”
I sigh. “I can’t explain it right now. I’m in the middle of something.”
“Deke …”
“Head to the hospital, okay? There’s something I gotta do, and then I’ll meet you there.”
I hear some commotion and then her car beeping, letting me know she’s getting into it. “Okay,” she says in a small voice.
“Shelby is working. If you speak to her, call me.”
“I will …”
I hang up. Just as I go to put it away, it rings again. “Hello?” I snap.
“Deke, man. It’s already all over the news,” Bennett informs me.
“I know. Becky just called and told me.”
“Shane called me, but I ignored it. I gotta tell him something. What if he just shows up at the hospital? I don’t want Cole kicking his ass and getting arrested twice tonight.”
I turn and jog back down the steps. “Ignore him.”
Cole and Shane were never the closest, but the tension grew between them once Austin entered our group four months ago. Shane was really close with Kellan, so I’m not sure which side Shane would pick right now. Even if he knew Kellan shot Austin, he’d be pissed at Cole for killing Kellan. And Bennett has already disposed of one body tonight; I don’t want him to have to do another one.
“What about Cole?” he asks. “Even with the evidence, they may still hold him. Especially with Kellan missing.”
I pick up Cole’s car keys off the table and run out the front door. Jumping into his car, I start it. “I’m headed to the precinct now. I called Jacob while Cole was in the shower, and he’s going to meet us there.” My father and Cole’s dad use the same attorney, and this isn’t the first time I’ve called him in the middle of the night.
“Okay. I’m almost there, so I will see you in a minute.”
I hang up, shift the car into gear, and throw gravel as I spin it around and speed down the long driveway. “Everything You Hate,” by Project Vela plays through the speakers.
When the phone rings again, cutting the song short, I growl, “This better be my sister.” But when I look down to see the number lighting up on my phone, I slam on the brakes, bringing the car to a stop in the middle of the driveway. Dust billows out from under the tires from the gravel. I let it ring a few more times and take a deep breath before answering.
Fuck!
“Hello?”
“Why in the fuck was my son just arrested for murder? And how in the hell are you involved?” Liam Reynolds snaps in my ear.
CHAPTER FOUR
COLE
ISIT IN Ahard chair in a cold and silent room. They brought me in for questioning and wanna pin me for murder. But for the wrong person. My hands are still cuffed behind my back. I barely made it out the front door of the clubhouse before they had me face down in the gravel with their knees in my back while cuffing me. They threw me into the back of a squad car. I don’t expect special treatment, but I don’t think keeping my wrists cuffed for questioning is protocol. Then they brought me in here and left me. To sit. All alone. There’s no clock on the walls, but I can hear every second slowly tick by in my mind like nails on a chalkboard. They think leaving me alone with my thoughts will make me nervous and I’ll wanna confess to them. They can go to hell.
I look around for any cameras but don’t see any. And there’s also no two-way mirrors, letting me know that no one is looking in on me. We’ll be completely alone.
