“Ha!” That smug grin is back on his face as he claps his hands. “I went to The Hut after work.”
Nico’s brow raises. “And you were there the whole time?”
Some of that glee dissipates. “We were there for a while.” He lifts his shoulder in a shrug. “Then we went off to Rodrigo’s to play poker.”
“And Rodrigo is…?”
“A friend,” Damien grinds out, clearly annoyed. “You can call him and ask.”
The silence stretches between them for a moment. Nico pushes from his chair and pulls out his notepad, ripping out the paper and handing it to him. “Write down his information.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously.”
Damien rolls his eyes but grabs the pen and scribbles something down before handing Nico the paper. “He’ll confirm it.”
Nico looks down at the paper. “I’ll be back in a few.”
Damien’s self-satisfied smirk only grows bigger as he watches Nico leave and close the door behind himself. Only then does Damien’s gaze shift back to the one-way mirror.
Back tome.
We just stare at one another for what feels like forever. Each second that passes makes me bristle more, and it’s like he knows. Like he’s enjoying it. Like this is all a game to him. Maybe it is.
He wiggles his brows. “I know you’re there.”
He pushes from his chair and leans against his forearms, his gaze still locked on me.
“How does fucking her feel knowing I had her first?” My fingers squeeze into a fist on the control panel, my vision narrowing as the rage inside me boils. “Did she tell you I was her first? You should remember that the next time you fuck her. She. Was. Mine. First. She will always be mine first. And you know what they say. A girl never forgets her first time. I still remember how tight she felt when I popped her cherry, such a sweet?—”
His lips continue moving, but I can no longer hear him. I whirl around, my breathing ragged. I was so focused on him; I didn’t even hear Nico enter the room.
My partner eyes me warily. “He’s just trying to rile you up so he can use it against you later. Don’t let him.”
“Would you let him talk that way about Maisie?” The muscle in Nico’s jaw twitches at my bite, his eyes going dark. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
“Be that as it may, he isn’t lying. I called Mick, and he said the dude was at the bar. He came around six with some of his friends, and they stayed about an hour before they left.”
“So he could have done it.” My heart races faster, but Nico’s face remains serious.
“I called his friend as well. We didn’t get a chance to talk much because he’s at work, but he said they were at his place the whole night, playing poker.”
“You’ve gotta be shitting me. It’s hisfriend.”
“I know, and I asked him if he would testify under oath that they were together, and he said he would. He’s going to come later to give an official statement. I’m sorry, Matthew, but there is nothing we can do. Not without more evidence.”
I glance toward the room. Damien is sitting in his chair, all smug, because he knows he’s going to walk.
“Fucking hell,” I mutter, running my hand over my face. “How is this happening?”
“I don’t know. He seemed surprised when I mentioned the flowers, but I’m not sure I believe him. Not that we can link him to it either. I called the shop the day after the break-in; they couldn’t give us any information about who placed those orders.”
“But he wasn’t at all surprised when you brought up slashed tires,” I fire back. “He did it.”
Nico nods. “Most likely. But she never reported it, so I can’t arrest him for a crime that doesn’t exist.”
“Fucking hell.” My fists flex. “He’ll actually walk.”
