“Give me your hand,” she whispered. I did as she asked, but no matter how much she tried, my foot remained stuck. Haze tried to help, but even with all three of them pulling, I couldn’t get out.
Sirens blared off in the distance, growing with each second. And I knew they needed to leave now. “Is the BMW drivable?” I asked, groaning at how sore I was feeling.
Haze and his twin exchanged a glance that told me everything I needed to know. “Well,you”—I pointed to Haze—“can’t be here. Take him home, baby sis. Dream, too.” She nodded.
I looked up at Dream, and her hazel eyes filled with fear. “You can’t expect me to just leave you here!” Tears then fell from her eyes. “You pinky promised!”
I reached out, gently brushing her face. “Trust me, everything is going to be okay.” I looked past her to the twins. “Get her out of here.” Indigo leaned down, helping Dream to her feet. They grabbed everything from the car, leaving Haze to make sure they left nothing behind.
“Haze.” He walked over to me. “Call Hui. He’ll know what to do.” He nodded, the sirens growing louder. “Go.” My brother hesitated. “Go!”
The three reluctantly began to sprint away, leaving me behind.
At least she’s safe.
CHAPTER NINE
FELIX
My head ached,every muscle in my body tender from the car wreck the night before. I was covered in cuts and scrapes, small bruises forming all over from how hard the two cars had collided. Police arrived just minutes after Dream and the twins had left, and once EMS cleared me from any internal injuries, I was then detained and put in handcuffs. I was shoved into the back of a car that brought me here, to the local police precinct. I’d been sitting in the interrogation room for what felt like hours, a technique I knew all too well.
I scooted my chair, noticing one leg was faintly sawed down to make it wobbly—another petty interrogation tactic they were using on me. Much like the flickering lights and raised room temperature. It brought a smile to my face to see the flip side of such methods.
Petty tricks like this won’t work on me. Nah, these fuckers have no idea who they’re messing with.
I stared at my reflection in the two-way glass, noticing how fucked up I looked. I raised my arm and played with the faint waves for a bit before the door finally opened. A couple of older gentlemen stepped inside, both dressed in dull-colored suits and carrying a stack of files and an evidence bag.
“Sorry for the long wait.” The tall older man, wearing thick-framed glasses and—what appeared to be—an expression of permanent melancholy sat down, slapping the stack of files onto the table. “I know it’s been a long night for you,” I scoffed.
No shit.
The second man, stout and overweight, joined the first man. “Is there anything we can get you? Water? Coffee?”
I didn’t speak. Just stared past them to the mirror.
The two men looked behind before exchanging a look. “Before we dive in, I wanted to give you a chance to ask for an attorney.”
I rolled my eyes and turned to look at the jolly giant. “Am I under arrest?”
He made a face, scrunching his eyebrows with pursed lips. “You’re currently being detained.”
I looked away from him and sighed, shaking my head.
“Alright then, let’s just jump right in, shall we?” The tall man cleared his throat. “In case you’re wondering, my name’s Detective Freeman. I’m from the local homicide division here, and this is my partner, Detective Brookes.” He looked at me over his glasses. “I’m sure you know why we’re here?”
I shook my head again.
Detective Freeman looked at his partner before opening the thick file. “You were found at the scene of a car wreck, one that involved numerous traffic violations, damage to city property, damage to personal property, and homicide.” He looked back at me. “Ring any bells?”
I smiled. “Is that all?” They didn’t seem amused. “Look…” I leaned forward. “Aside from being in the vehicle that was wrecked, you can’t prove anything.”
Detective Brookes sighed heavily, tossing the evidence bag across the table. I rotated it, noticing it was all the stuff I’d kepton me. “Then explain the balaclava and gloves, which tested positive for gunshot residue.”
I popped the evidence bag open, then pulled out my pack of cigarettes and lighter. Both of the older men watched me in disbelief as I pressed a single cigarette between my lips and lit it up.
I took a deep breath, holding the smoke in before finally exhaling with a loud sigh. “Ahhh, nothing beats a good fucking cigarette, does it?”
Detective Freeman shook his head, his eyes narrowing. “I’m old school. A little respect, please.” He reached across and plucked the cigarette from my mouth before throwing it down and stomping on it. “There’s no smoking in here.”
