Page 52 of Flawless

I wouldn’t talk to anyone other than Austin about this, but he knew this guy, and he knew Rylee. And I needed his take on the situation.

“He sent me a video,” I said, low enough for only Austin to hear. “A video of he and Rylee…”

“What an asshole,” Austin said, rolling his eyes. “Sounds like something that little weasel would do.”

“It was date stamped the night of that party y’all went to just⁠—”

“That’s total bullshit.” Austin’s face was getting red and he was spitting the words out between clenched teeth. “No way would Rylee do that to you. I know that girl. She’s like a little sister to me, and trust me when I tell you, she’s in love with you. She would never cheat on you. So, I don’t know how he tampered with that video, but I can promise you it’s a fake. He’s a fake. And if that’s the reason you lost Rylee, you, my friend, are an idiot.”

“Jesus,” I whispered, swiping a hand over my face. “I wish I’d talked to you before I did something stupid that⁠—”

Rylee walked by and I reached out to grab her on impulse. “Rylee, I need⁠—”

“Take your hands off me,” she whispered, shaking me off. “You said all you had to say. And so have I. I’m done with you.”

I gave Austin a helpless look before he shrugged. He was tapping on his phone before mine pinged. “There’s the info you asked for, now get out of here.”

“I can’t leave yet. My sister will kill me.”

“She’ll kill you,” Austin said. “If you don’t find a way to make things right with Rylee. Now get out of here.”

I was taking the back stairs in his apartment building two at a time, since the main elevator was out of service. I wasn’t even winded by the time I got to the fourth floor. Running on rage and adrenaline as I pounded on the door, before kicking it a couple of times for good measure, I prayed for a little self-control when I saw his face.

“What the hell?” Dean demanded, yanking it open. Wide-eyed, he tried to close the door, but my boot and forearm blocked it. As a cop, I was used to using brute force to enter dwellings when I had to.

“You and me have some unfinished business, you piece of shit!” I slammed the door, closing in on him as he tried to run clear across the room. “I’ve got some questions. And you’re gonna give me the truth.”

I was in his face now, and I could see the terror in his beady little eyes.

“You have no right to be here.” His voice was shaky when he said, “You’re trespassing. I could call the cops.”

I laughed. “Kid, you never heard of the blue brotherhood? Who knows what I could get away with doing to you?”

He raised his hands. “Okay, maybe I crossed the line, sending you that video, but⁠—”

“Maybe you crossed the line?” I punched a hole in the drywall next to his head, making him whimper. “Try again.”

“I did. Okay, I did, I did cross the line,” he stammered. “But you gotta understand where I was coming from. Watching Rylee move on with someone else was killin’ me, man. You know how that girl can get under your skin.”

I couldn’t argue with the pathetic bastard on that one.

I was using the interrogation stare I’d perfected working as a detective when I demanded, “When did you make that video, asshole?” I raised a finger before he could respond. “And if you think about lying to me, I will burn your life down. I will unearth every shitty thing you’ve ever done since pre-school and make sure you pay.”

When he remained silent, I added, “I have forensic investigators on my payroll, so I will find out, whether you tell me or not. But if I have to come back here and kick your door down⁠—”

“Okay, okay,” he said, raising his hands. “I took it when we were together. Rylee didn’t know. I knew she was gonna dump me and I thought I could use the video to punish her. Maybe blackmail her, when her career blew up like I knew it would. But when I saw her with you, I knew I’d found the perfect way to use it.”

He glanced at the gun I’d strapped on before walking into the building. An intimidation tactic, sure. But I wasn’t stupid enough to walk into a hostile environment, with someone as unstable as this kid, without back-up.

“The question is, how am I gonna punish you now?”

I took a step back, knowing it wouldn’t be with physical violence. It would be too easy to lay a beating on him. And he deserved it. But I didn’t just want to beat him. I wanted to ruin his life the way he’d ruined mine. And Rylee’s.

“I know I made a stupid mistake,” he said, lunging for his phone. “Look, I’ll delete the videos and all the pictures and⁠—”

I grabbed his phone and threw it out the open window, making him gasp. “You’ve got them backed up. But you’re facing serious charges, man. Unlawful photographing in violation of privacy. That’s a class A misdemeanor. But when you shared it with me it became a Class E felony.” I let that sink in before I added, “In addition to doing time, you’ll be a registered sex offender.”

The little bitch actually started crying. “Please, man. I swear to you, I⁠—”