Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“How do I know you’re not lying?”
“I’m not, man. Swear on my life. I ain’t sleeping with anyone but Sugar.”
“What about Luna?”
“What? I’ve never—”
“Why were you driving past her house late at night?” I ask, keeping my voice calm and cool.
It’s like he’s working a complicated math problem in his head. “W-What?”
“Don’t fucking lie to me.” I grind my teeth. “Luna saw your black truck with the fucking bumper sticker.”
He doesn’t budge an inch. “Is that what this is? You think I killed her?”
I lean closer. “Did you?”
“What the fuck, man? I’ve never killed anyone. Swear.”
“Why did Luna see your truck driving past her house?”
“She didn’t.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me.” I sit back, glancing at Ledger who stands behind Brandon. I know he’s lying. I can tell by his shifty eyes.
“I’m not lying. Fuck.”
I nod at Ledger, and he grabs Brandon from the booth. He holds his hands behind his back and kneels Brandon down to the ground. “Start fucking talking.”
“I’ve been seeing Stacey—I mean, Sugar—for a few months now. She’s been terrified about everything going on, so I’ve been staying at her place.”
I glance at Roman. “What do you think?”
Roman shrugs. “Not sure.”
Brandon continues, “Every night, Stacey, I mean…”
“It’s ok to use her real name,” I tell him.
“Anyway, we’ve been driving by everyone’s house just to make sure they’re safe, but Stacey didn’t know where Luna lived until she asked her the other night. So, we drove by. That was the night someone killed her. We drove by at like 2:30 in the morning, and everything looked fucking fine, so we left.”
“You left?”
“Yeah, man. We fucking left.”
“Was Luna home?”
“Her house has a garage, so there’s no way to tell. There were no lights on inside. It didn’t look like anyone was there.” He fights against Ledger’s hold on him. “When we found out she died that night, Stacey told me we shouldn’t tell anyone we were there.”
Ledger releases him, and Brandon stands.
“I’d never kill anyone,” he says, his eyes piercing right through me.
“Take the night off. Go home and let me think.”
“Dev, you have to know I’m not a killer. That was the only night I drove by her place. I didn’t know she saw me.”
“Brandon. Go home.”
He nods. “I’m sorry about Stacey. I really kind of like her, but I know the rules, and I’ll break it off.”
I shake my head. “No, don’t. And keep staying at her house until this is all figured out.”
As soon as Brandon leaves, Roman asks, “What do you think?”
I run a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I don’t know.”
“I think he might be telling the truth about not killing anyone,” Ledger says.
“Yeah, if he is, then who is killing them?”
Ledger places a hand on my shoulder. “Whoever it is, we’re here for you, Dev.”
“Yeah, man, we’ve got your back.”
“Thanks. Have you made any headway on Kurt?”
They both shake their heads. “Not yet.”
“We have to make him a priority. I’m going to call to get a meeting with his father.”
Chapter 20
Chloe
* * *
The club’s packed on a Friday night, but I’ve only got one man in my sights—Derek Matthews.
I asked Ashley why she thought Derek could be the killer and she said they had plans the night of Luna’s murder, but he never showed up to meet her. The jerk never even called my sister to say he couldn’t make it.
She called and called, but no answer.
Purely ghosted.
Then, Ashley did something completely out of character for her. She drove by Derek’s house. His car wasn’t there, so she drove to the club to see if he might be there, and that’s when she saw him in the lot. Talking to Luna.
Luna got in his car, and Ashley followed them.
They met up with another guy.
Ashley tried to tail them but ended up losing them when she hit a red light.
She tried calling him the next day, but he never answered her.
I asked her to describe the other man, but she didn’t give me much to work with. A tall guy with reddish hair is all she could see through her anger and the darkness of night.
While I busy myself serving tables, I keep my eyes peeled for Derek, but nothing yet. I haven’t seen Devereaux all night, and my nerves stand on end, wondering if he’s even here.
It unsettles me.
Why am I letting him affect me this way?
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” I ask the party of six at one of my tables.
“Fantastic,” an overweight bald man says. “We were wondering if you had a bottle of Perrier-Jouët?”
“Sure thing.” I head to the bar and wave a hand to get Raven’s attention. “Do you have a bottle of Perrier-Jouët?”
“In the back.” She jabs a thumb over her shoulder. “Can you grab it?”
I hurry down the back hallway toward the cooler. When I turn a corner, I slam into a wall of pure muscle.