Page 100 of Rival's Pledge
“Keep her safe. She has no part in this.” Whether Thi knows whatthisis or not, his grip clamps down around mine and he tugs me aside, pressing our backs against the far wall just as the police surge into the room. They move like a swarm, black uniforms flooding the office and securing every corner before their lead officer steps inside. He’s older, broad-shouldered, with an expression carved from stone.
“Master Calloway,” he states calmly, as if he’s done this a million times before. “Come with us, please. We’re going to have a little chat about the disappearance of Laura Hopkins.”
My heart drops through the floor.Laura. All rational thought in my mind fractures as her name detonates through my ribs. Oh god, they know. They know what we did, what we tried to do. They know she’s still lost, and we might have killed the only person who knows where she is.
I’m so caught up in the sensation of my chest collapsing in on itself, that I almost miss that the officers who have stepped forward are clasping Reid’s arms. He doesn’t resist. His head dips, white hair falling forward, defeat hanging from him like a cloak. My mouth parts, but nothing comes out. Beside me, Thiago goes unnaturally still. Everest shoots to his feet, holding his hand up to halt the officers at work.
“My brother won’t be going anywhere with you.” His voice cracks with enough authority, the officers pause. His hoodie is still twisted, lips still red raw, but his expression has gone terrifyingly blank. “Cody is in recovery from rehab and cannot be questioned without a full psych evaluation. He also doesn’t have any information for you. I can answer your questions.”
“Everest,” Reid/not Reid says, warning threaded through the single word. Everest cuts him off with a green-eyed glare.
“Stay here, Cody. Call Dad and have the attorney meet me at the station.”
My mind starts to spiral, the room around me blacking in and out. My next door neighbor, the man who’s sent me reeling with his loud music and broodiness, isn’t Reid Wilder. He’s Cody Calloway. Everest’s brother, but also, Everest’s lover? The delayed dots start connecting one by one, each thought more nauseating than the last, but they still don’t make any sense.
Everest is escorted away from the desk, his shoulders square, his face unreadable as he tries to pass without even looking at me. Absolutely not. My hand slips out of Thiago’s before I can think better of it, and I weave through the bodies, planting myself directly in Everest’s path.
“What are we supposed to do?” I ask quietly, although everyone in the room can hear me. I need direction. I need to know how to help. Without stopping, there’s a miniscule shake of Everest’s head that shakes his messy blond hair, a silent caution to simply stay out of it. His shoulder brushes mine as he continues past.
That’s all I get. No explanation. No apology. No answer for the police, for Reid or the kiss, or whatever family melodrama is happening here. Everything I thought I knew is a lie, and he’s had so many opportunities to be honest with me.
For one insane second, I want to grab and shake him. I want to scream. I want to demand he turn around and tell me what the hell is happening before the officers drag him out of my reach.
But I don’t. I just stand there, watching Everest disappear down the staircase with the police at his back. Preempting my legs giving out, Thiago’s arms catch me, lowering us both to the floor. Another thud sounds just after, Reid sliding down to lean against the desk, his head in his hands.
“Don’t you have some calls to make?” I ask without fully looking his way. My voice sounds hollow, even to myself, and Thi’s arms tighten around my middle. It’s a sweet notion, but it doesn’t stop the taste of dread from tainting the back of my throat. Everest has been taken away for questioning. My future is in his hands, yet Reid is the one who releases a shaky breath, silently breaking for the brother that’s been torn from his grip. All of which leads me back to…
What the fuck are we supposed to do now?
