Page 49 of Losing Kyler
I snort, throwing my head back. “You’ve got to be kidding me?” I send an incredulous look across the table. “They were recording me without my knowledge, and I was trying to get my hands on Jeremy’s cell so I could delete it. It turned a bit messy, and we all ended up on the floor.” I point at my face. “I got injured too.”
James curses, leaning his elbows on the table and cradling his head in his hands.
“What?” Ky roars, jumping up out of his seat. He starts pacing the room. “They were going to rape youandrecord it?” I open my mouth to explain, but his pacing picks up in earnest. “I’m going to kill those sick fucks!” he yells.
Brad settles his hand on top of my clenched fists, squeezing lightly as he misinterprets my expression. Keaton looks like he might cry, while Kal still has his head bent, and I’m not entirely convinced he isn’t asleep sitting up. I slump a little in my chair, terrified to confirm how the fight is actually all my fault. That it was a misunderstanding and if I’d only explained that then maybe we wouldn’t be here right now.
Dan is astutely watching me. “Several witnesses have said they saw you willingly enter the room with Mr. Edwards. Can you please explain how you came to be in that room and what exactly happened?”
I shift uncomfortably in my seat. “I did go willingly with him,” I admit, lowering my eyes. I can’t say this while looking any of them in the face. “And, eh, what we were doing was consensual.” I slink a little lower in my chair, and Ky stops pacing. I daren’t look up at him. “But I didn’t know that Jeremy was hiding in the corner recording everything.”
A chorus of expletives emit in the room. “He’s dead,” Ky snarls. “That fucking son of a bitch is so dead!”
“Mr. Kennedy!” Dan shouts. “Sit back down and ziplock your lips. Do I need to remind you we are in a meeting room in a police station? Although we are supposed to have client-attorney privilege, I have no doubt there are people listening in. You cannot make idle threats like that, even if they are all bluster.”
Dan slams his fist down on top of the table. “No one is to speak unless spoken to. I am asking questions to determine what happened tonight so I can extract you all from this mess. Your father is paying me by the hour, so I suggest you shut up and let me do my job. Is that clear?”
Several reluctant heads nod, and he’s got a new fan in me. I admire his no-bullshit attitude.
“What happened after you discovered Mr. Roberts was in the room?” Dan asks, returning to his mild-mannered tone.
My brow furrows as my alcohol-addled brain struggles to remember the exact course of events. “Jeremy flipped on the light and said he wanted to see every inch of me while Edwards … you know …” There’s no way I’m repeating what Jeremy said verbatim. Not in front of my uncle and the solicitor. “And then he taunted me with his phone and said he’d delete the recording if I got behind a threesome.” I slip farther in my chair as I practically whisper the last word.
The table rattles as Brad’s entire body jerks in his seat. Ky curses, and they exchange a long drawn-out look. Dan nods at me to carry on.
I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Edwards was trying to convince me, and when he wouldn’t take his hands off me, I reacted instinctively. I elbowed him and he went flying back into the dresser. Then I tried to kick Jeremy in the junk while I made a grab for his phone, but he grabbed my foot, and we both fell to the ground. We butted heads as he landed on top of me.”
The surprising sound of quiet chuckling reverberates in the room, and I look over at Kaden. His entire body is shaking with laughter. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
“This isn’t a laughing matter,” James roars. “That douche has an intimate video of your cousin, and need I remind everyone of how serious this situation is for your brother.” All eyes swivel to Kal who still hasn’t lifted his face up.
Dan frowns, pulling his glasses on as he thumbs through the file in front of him. “I see no mention of any recording in your statement.” He looks at me over the rim of his spectacles.
“Yeah, um, about that.” I grimace. “I didn’t mention it because I was hoping to use it as a negotiation tool.”
“Come again?” He stares at me in confusion.
“She didn’t want the video in circulation.” Ky speaks up for me. “She was going to use it as leverage. The video in exchange for not ratting them out to the cops. It’s an infringement of her privacy, and they can get done for that, right?” My mouth hangs open at his accurate assessment. He knows me almost as well as I know myself.
“Is that true?” Dan asks
I look down the table at Ky. “Yeah.” He stares back at me with a mixture of anger, regret, and understanding in his expression. That one look conveys so much. Addison has him by the balls—she’s forcing him to be with her, I’m convinced of it.
“Faye, sweetheart.” James reaches over the table. “I know what you were trying to do but you have to revise your statement. The police need to find that recording ASAP. The last thing you need is that turning up in the hands of the media. We’ve enough heat on us as it stands.”
“I understand. I’ll amend my statement.” I turn pleading eyes on Dan. “Just get that recording before he can do anything with it. The last I remember, his phone flew across the floor and under the bed. I doubt he’d time to retrieve it before the fighting broke out and then the police were on the scene.”
Dan stands up. “I’ll sort it. Give me a moment, please.” He leaves the room and silence ensues.
I lean my head on Kal’s shoulder, and I’m surprised when he rests his head on mine. He has yet to contribute to the conversation, and he hasn’t uttered a word since we stepped foot in the room. I’m worried about him.
Dan steps back into the room a minute later. “The sergeant will re-interview you after we’re done here, Faye. They are getting a warrant for Jeremy’s cell as we speak.”
He looks between Brad, Keaton, and Ky. “All charges are being dropped against you. There were too many involved in the initial fight and the ensuing one to determine who is ultimately at fault.”
James breathes a sigh of relief.
“Right. Moving on.” Dan opens up a new file. “Who wants to tell me about the earlier fight?” He looks to Kal first. “Kalvin? Can you explain how that came about?”
