EIGHT
ARIA
As I stood in front of the doorway to the police station, the irony of the entire situation washed over me like an ice-cold wave. The reason that my ex—Jason Burke—was currently my ex was because he took this job. As I gazed up at the facade of the building, I recalled all of the fights we’d had. Arguments over the phone about him wanting to take this job and how it would desert me in L.A. for the duration of my senior year of college. Knock-down, drag-out yelling matches over how he prioritized his career over me.
“He’s going to eat me alive for this,” I murmured as I stepped onto the sidewalk.
I pulled the front door open and tried to stomach the sheer hatred I had toward police officers. To this day, I knew they had planted something on my father to get him arrested. To this day, I knew they had targeted him, determined to get him behind bars even though they didn’t have a shred of proof as to what he had been doing. My sister could believe shit all she wanted. She could side with them until the cows came home.
But the truth of the matter was that not only had the police planted shit on my father, but they covered up murdering him while he was in prison.
“Name?” the officer behind the desk spat.
I swallowed hard. “Aria.”
“You got a last name, Aria?”
And that was when I heard his voice. “Her last name is ‘Dunne.’”
I turned to face him and watched so many emotions wash over his features. The anger. The frustration. The relief. The happiness. The sadness. All of it wafted over his eyes like some sort of torturous movie. As he made his way toward me, I drew in a deep breath.
“Thank you for your help,” I said mindlessly to the officer behind the plexiglass wall.
“I have to admit,” Jason said as he held out his arms, “I’m shocked to see you here. What do you want, Aria?”
I tucked my notebook underneath my arm. “I’d like to ask you some questions about a story I’m pursuing.”
“And you came all the way from L.A. to pursue it? Must be a hell of a story.”
I cleared my throat. “Actually, I got a job with the local news station here in town.”
His stare held my gaze. “Wow.”
I sighed. “I know, I know.”
He placed his hands on his hips. “Just—just wow.”
I rolled my eyes. “Can we cut the shit so I can get to work?”
“What do you expect me to do, Aria? Ignore all of the fights we had because you never wanted to come back to this Godforsaken town, only for you to get a job here? How long have you been here, anyway?”
“A few days.”
“And you never thought to come by and at least tell me you were back in town?”
“Why would I? My life isn’t for your consumption any longer.”
He chewed on the inside of his cheek. “You look good.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m not traveling that road. I’m here for a story, and a bit of information as well.”
“Well,” he said as he slid his hands into his pockets, “you can certainly try to get me to cooperate.”
“If I can’t get you to cooperate, I’ll find another officer who will.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Look, I didn’t come here to fight. I’m pursuing a story that’s come out of a club named Heist, and—”
