Page 178 of The Devil We Crave
I nod, not really sure what’s happening. “Y-yeah? Yeah, it’s all good. He’s my cousin…” I shrug. “Just family drama.”
The woman frowns, eyeing Jude’s face. “Family dramahave anything to do with that shiner?”
“Gosh, no,” Jude says with another charming smile, though I can see venom lurking under the surface now. “I’m justterribly clumsy.”
“Really,” the policewoman says dryly. “Well, I need to speak to Yelena. Alone. So go find somewhere else to be. Try not to trip.”
Jude smiles. “Protecting and serving. Thank you so much,chief.”
He turns back to me, giving me a look. “Tell Achilles the next time he wants to stick his nose into my business,” he mutters, “it won’t be a love tap he gets.”
He slips past me inside the house.
The policewoman clears her throat. “You sure everything is okay, Yelena?”
“Yeah, Jude is just…” I shrug. “Dramatic.” My brows furrow. “Sorry, how do you know my name?”
She finally smiles. “This wasn’t the introduction I'd planned on.” She sticks her hand out. “Mallory Cross. Acting chief of Hawthorne Hollow police.”
A shiver ripples up my spine. “Oh?” I croak.
She smiles. “Yelena, Iobviouslyknow who you and your family are. I’m not here because of any of that.” She turns and nods her chin at one of the stone benches beside Morvaine. “Can we sit?”
“Sure.”
After we get settled, she turns to me. “This will be in the news tomorrow, but I wanted you to hear it first.” Her brows furrow. “My predecessor, Daniel Mercer, has been relieved of his duties as Chief of Hawthorne PD, in light of his financial connections with Kyle Santoro, who I’m sure you’ve heard is currently missing.”
A shiver ripples up my spine. “Financial connections?”
“Look.” She levels her sharp gaze at me. “I’m not an idiot. I’m well aware of the…shall we say…family businessesthat most of the students here at Knightsblood are connected to. For the most part, my officers are happy to look the other way. Frankly, we don’t have the time, money, or shits to give about mafia-related drama at this college.” She shrugs. “Unless it spills into the streets of Hawthorne Hollow, that is. But when the chief of the local police station is on Kyle Santoro’s payroll, it becomes a problem we can't overlook.”
She fixes me with her penetrating gaze.
“Ms. De Luca, two and half months ago, you called our tipline, claiming that Kyle Santoro had evidence in his possession regarding the Jane Doe murder.”
My face goes white. “But—I mean?—”
She sighs. “I know. It’s supposed to be anonymous. But when something like this blows up in our faces…” Chief Cross lifts an eloquent shoulder. “There’s a security camera overlooking the landline at the library you used to call the tipline.”
Fuck.
As a wave of panic washes over me, she shakes her head. “You’re not in trouble, Yelena. I just want to know what you think connected Kyle to Jane Doe.”
Shit. Shit-shit-shit-FUCK-shit.
Like I’m going to tell her that I asked my cousin to steal evidence fromher ownpolice evidence locker, and then planted it on Kyle to set him up for murder?
Then again…sometimes bad things have to be done to catch bad people…
“I overheard him bragging that he knew something about the case,” I lie,waytoo easily.
But, come on, this is Kyle we’re talking about.
Fuck him.
Chief Cross frowns. “Did he say what, specifically?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m sorry.”
