Page 32 of Finn (Dirty Misfits MC 6)
I turned back around and stalked into the suite. “Then, start acting like it. Because right now, you’re just like them. You’re just another cop acting before you have all of the facts.”
I expected her to rebuttal, but she didn’t. She did follow me into my room, which I didn’t like, but then again I’d been following her around so at least I understood how intrusive that had become. I ripped open the mini fridge and grabbed a beer before I saw her dainty little hand appear in my field of vision.
And after she grabbed herself a beer, I slammed the door closed.
“What happened that night?” she asked softly.
Her voice had taken a completely different tone and it made me sick. “Don’t.”
She cracked open her beer. “What?”
I peered over at her. “I’m not one of your perps. I’m not some asshole you’re interrogating. Lose the fluttery voice.”
She took a long pull before she righted her voice. “Fine. What happened that night, then? I’m all ears.”
I opened my own drink. “You questioning me like a suspect in the case? Or, are you asking me as the grieving boyfriend?”
Her face fell. “You two were dating?”
I took a long pull from my beer. “Yep.”
Her face softened. “I want to understand. Help me understand what happened, and maybe I can put some things at rest while I’m trying to dig my sister out of trouble.”
“You’re here to help all of us.”
She shook her head. “Make no mistake, Finn, I’m not here to help you guys. I’m here to help my sister and to keep my niece out of harm’s way. And if that means helping you guys by proxy, then that’s what I’ll do. But, I’m not here for you, or your crew. I’m here for Summer and my own family. That’s it.”
I walked over to the living area of the suite and flopped down in a chair. “Defending family no matter the cost. That, we can both agree on.”
She came and sat in front of me. “So, what happened? What happened leading up to her death?”
I gazed into her eyes and I no longer saw the hardened detective that had blown in here on the cusps of the northern wind. Instead, I saw a curious woman who was genuinely worried for the person she was staring at. And while I would have never opened up to anyone else, if she was telling the truth about trying to figure out what happened, then I could save her some steps.
Because I already knew what had happened.
I sighed heavily. “Fine. I’ll explain what happened. I’ll even tell you what I know happened, even though you probably won’t believe me since I don’t have proof. But, you can’t jump to conclusions, and when I’m done filling you in we’re done talking. Got it?”
She nodded. “Got it.”
So, I drew in a deep breath. “Melody and I had been dating unofficially for a while. Her stepfather wasn’t a big fan of mine, probably because I rebelled at such a young age and he considered me a terrible influence on her. But, we were as in love as two sixteen-year-olds could get, so we snuck around. Sometimes I’d rearrange my school schedule to get more time with her, and she’d lie about after-school extracurriculars just so we could walk up to the coffee shop and hang out for a while.”
“What happened after that?” she asked.
I clicked my tongue as I let my memories wash over me. “I don’t know, honestly. Her stepfather started acting strange one day. Just out of the blue. He was acting all creepy around Melody and hovering a lot. I figured it was because he knew we were still seeing each other so he was trying to keep tabs on that, but when Melody started trying to elongate our moments together after school I quickly picked up on the fact that it was because she didn’t want to go home.”
She nodded slowly. “What did you guys do?”
I shrugged. “I finally got it out of her one day during lunch that her stepfather was making passes at her. Making her feel uncomfortable. One night, she even woke up and saw him standing at her door just staring at her. She called me crying that night.”
“Jesus,” she whispered.
I snickered. “Oh trust me, it gets worse. I overheard him on the phone one day complimenting her tits and how they were filling out while she was sneaking a phone call to me on her cell phone, and the next school day she came to school in a long-sleeved shirt when it was seventy degrees outside.”
She gripped her beer bottle so hard that her fingers turned white. “I already want to kill him, you know.”
I clicked my tongue. “Well, I tried to get her to tell someone about it. Anyone. My parents. A guidance counselor. Her teacher, for crying out loud. But, she wouldn’t do it. She was so scared of what he’d do to her if he ever found out and that fear was enough to keep her silent.”
