Page 33 of Cruel Abandon (Fallen Royals 5)
“I’ll be here,” I murmur.
She follows him into the back, and I resist the urge to fidget.
“Hi, are you Skylar?” A new detective approaches. Her light-blonde hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, and her face is makeup-free.
“Yes?”
She sits beside me and sticks out her hand. “Detective McAdams. My partner is talking to Whitney. She’s your roommate, right?”
“Yeah, I offered to come with her…”
My stomach flips. Why do they want to talk to me?
“How well did you know Natalie?”
Did? That isn’t good. The past tense, I mean. Have they given up on finding her already?
An imposing man sweeps into the lobby from the parking lot, with Liam right behind him. I automatically straighten.
“Detective,” the man barks.
McAdams flinches, rising to face him.
“I take it you didn’t read the case notes,” he says lightly. His gaze goes to me. “Skylar Buckley?”
I stand, folding my arms over my stomach. “Yes.”
He grunts. “Get out of my sight, McAdams.”
Liam watches me.
“I’m Captain Davis. Please excuse McAdams’s behavior… she’s eager.”
“Right,” I say.
This captain just comes in here and orders one of his detectives to stop questioning me? That’s either a good thing or a really, really bad thing. I’ve heard that police will sometimes not question suspects right away when they’re strong persons of interest. It’s all a matter of not scaring them away.
I’m not scared away, but tepid fear has settled in my chest.
“Can you hold on a moment? I’ll retrieve your roommate.” A second later, the door closes behind him with a soft click.
I have too many questions for him. Like why he’s here, how he managed to bring a police captain to my rescue… “Liam—”
“Don’t,” he grits out.
Oh boy.
I fully face him, surprised at how angry he is. It doesn’t even make sense—of course I was going to go to the station with Whitney. Who else does she have?
He can’t even face me. He’s immobile in the center of the room. Even angry, jaw clenched, he’s beautiful. Loathing crawls up my throat. While his family struggled financially, he never struggled in high school. Liam and his friends ruled Emery-Rose Elite, and I guess I was expecting some sort of slide once he graduated.
Yet when I found him fighting at Howl, clearly adored by the crowd… Nothing had changed. He was still on top—albeit a bit more muscular.
Whitney is shepherded out, and I join her at the doors. Her eyes are red, and she sniffs once before meeting my gaze. Without looking at Liam, I push the door open and gesture for Whitney to leave.
The sooner we get out of here, the better.
And if Liam isn’t going to deign to speak to me, I can return the silence.