32. Chapter 32
Chapter thirty-two
NOAH
The interrogation room is dull, gray, and cold, my body shivering every few seconds.
My head is pounding, that ringing in my ears fluctuating between annoying and a dull ache that feels like I could scratch it away.
I’m still trying to figure out why I’m here, Sebastian’s words running through my head not to say anything.
I know as much but I’m still trying to understand if Kurt or Heath said something or this is just because I’m Kurt’s brother.
The two officers keep pointing at me, berating me, demanding that I give them information but I don’t have any to give.
In the last five or so years, Kurt and I really weren’t all that close.
We weren’t even in the same state most times.
My neck twitches, turning to the right a little every time they speak, straining to catch their voices over the ringing in my left ear.
The taller officer leans forward, his elbows on the table. “Why do you keep doing that?” he asks.
“There was an incident,” I mention, careful not to give any details.
“Some ringing in my ear. I can’t really hear you all that well on my left side.
” I don’t tell him it’s getting worse, that it’s spiking now, a high-pitched whine clawing at my skull, or that a headache’s blooming behind my eyes, throbbing with every word they throw at me.
I keep my face blank, swallowing the pain, because focusing on it means letting them in, and I can’t.
He tilts his head, frowning. “There’s been no reports of anything like that. What happened?”
I shake my head, my jaw locking. “I don’t feel comfortable talking to you. Not when you’re accusing me of working with my brother.” It’s still hard to say cousin but even harder to believe that someone I regarded as my brother would do all of this to me.
They laugh, a short, barking sound that grates on me as the shorter one leans back in his chair.
“Well, your brother gave us your name and then skipped town. We know he’s guilty, no question and should have booked him but his superiors were so sure he wouldn’t leave.
But you? You were a surprise. Tell us, Noah, how much did you know?
” He forces a file toward me, a thick stack of papers, tempting me to open it and scour whatever they’ve found.
I know enough that that’s the last thing I want to look at.
“I had no fucking clue my brother was a dirtbag,” I snap, my hands slamming the table.
“He’s also my cousin, not my brother, something I just found out.
He sold me to his partner, Heath, and while I thought I was in love, it was just so that man could have some ass.
He beat me, threatened me, yelled at me, and when I tried to break away, I fell into the deepest depression I’ve ever been in.
Why the fuck would I work with people like that?
People who’d use me, break me, just for their gain?
” My voice cracks, my breath coming in heavy pants, the headache pulsing stronger now, a hammer against my temples.
The tall one’s expression doesn’t shift, but the shorter one reaches for the folder and opens it, revealing a photo of me.
My stomach drops as I stare at it—me passed out on that hotel bed, whiskey soaking my shirt, a bottle tipped over at my side, the scene Kurt staged so perfect it looks real.
He must have caught it just as he finished pouring that last bottle but without the whole story, it looks like I was wasted, indulging in a poison I have since left behind.
“Care to explain this?” the shorter one asks. “Or is this just another one of your tactics? Because I’m pretty sure you’re on thin ice, Noah. Another incident with alcohol and that medical license of yours is gone or so I was told.”
I swallow, my throat dry, my eyes locked on the picture.
“That’s not what it looks like,” I say, my voice wobbling, but I stop there, clamping my lips shut.
Sebastian’s warning rings again, louder now, and I know they’re waiting for me to trip, to give them something they can twist. My head pounds, the pain blurring my thoughts, and I turn to the right, trying to hear past the noise, but it’s useless.
“I didn’t do that. Where did you even get that?
” I mutter, more to myself, my hands curling into fists under the table.
The taller officer hums his disapproval. “It’s all over the internet, Strong. Popped up this morning—socials, forums, you name it. Pair this with the fact that your cousin said you were in on it all—deployments, deals, the works. This photo’s just the cherry on top. You’re telling us he’s lying?”
“He is a fucking liar,” I spit, my voice rising again, the anger surging past the fear.
I can’t hold back the truth anymore while they’re blaming me for Kurt’s wrongdoings.
“He set me up. He’s the one who did this to me—held me down, poured that shit on me, fired blanks by my ear to fuck with my head.
He’s been trying to ruin me since I was a kid apparently, and now he’s using this to finish it. I didn’t know anything about his shit.”
“Interesting story,” he muses. “But we’ve got his word, this picture, and a trail leading back to you. You’re not giving us much to work with here.”
“I’m not giving you anything. You want to pin this on me? Prove it. I’m not saying another word.”
A knock cuts through the haze, my gaze snapping to the door as it swings open. An older guy steps in, his suit crisp but worn, his hair graying at the temples, a grin tugging at his lips. “Afternoon, gentlemen. I’m Noah Strong’s counsel.”
There’s a couple moments of tense silence before the officers grumble their way out of the room, leaving me alone with the older gentleman.
“I don’t have a lawyer.”
“But Maura does, and she’s definitely sweet on you.
Name’s Ed. Logan called her, she called me, and here I am.
” He plops into the seat across from me that the shorter officer was just sitting in.
“You’re not under arrest. What they’ve got is word of mouth from your brother—cousin, whatever—who took off earlier today.
That’s it. No hard evidence, just his name-drop and the picture stirring up noise. ”
“So, they have nothing?”
“No, they have you,” he pushes out, his tone leveling. “They think pressing the right buttons will drag Kurt back here, make him slip up. They’re fishing, Noah, and you’re the bait.”
I scoff, bitter, my hands twisting together. “We’re not close like that. He hates me. Always has.”
“I’m aware,” Ed says, nodding slow. “First thing is to get you home, out of this room. They’ll still have questions, reach out later, but right now they’re out for someone to pin this on, and you’re the easiest target.”
“What about that picture?” I ask, pointing at the folder, the image taunting me from the table. “I was incapacitated during that. I was barely conscious. He forced—”
Ed holds up a hand, cutting me off, his eyes flicking to the corners of the room. “Not here, Noah. You can tell me all about it when we get home, but right now anything you say here isn’t safe. Walls have ears.”
He stands, smoothing his jacket, before walking back over to the door and banging on it.
It swings open, the older gentleman picking up a completely different persona than the one he had with me.
“Either charge my client or we’re going home.
Unlike his brother, there’s no need to run, because my client’s innocent. Excuse me.”
The officer’s jaw tightens, but he steps aside, gesturing us out. Ed claps a hand on my shoulder as I approach, guiding me past the officer. I keep my head down, my breath shallow, the ringing drowning out the murmurs around me.
“You’re free for now,” Ed mutters as we hit the parking lot, the cold air slapping my face. “But that picture’s a problem. We’ll deal with it—Kurt’s the one who’ll hang for this, not you.”
I nod, my hands shoved in my pockets, my stomach churning. “It’s everywhere. He wanted to ruin me. He did ruin me. My license, my job—everyone’s seen it.”
“We’ll fight it. Get in. Logan and the others are waiting. We’ve got work to do.”
***
I drag myself out of the passenger seat as Ed pulls up to my place, the lawyer following me up the steps. Just opening the door brings back the warmth the station stole, Logan, Sebastian, Declan—crowding the entryway, their faces tight with relief.
Sebastian’s on me first, his arms wrapping around me, pulling me into his chest, and I sink into it. Logan’s next, his hands soft on my shoulders, a quick kiss brushing my forehead, and Declan shoves in, his lips finding mine, before he steps back to give me space.
Ed clears his throat and I pull away, my face heating as we shuffle to the kitchen table. Logan claps Ed on the shoulder. “Good to see you again, man. Sorry it’s not under better circumstances.” We sit, everyone’s eyes drifting to me before falling back to the lawyer.
“They’re putting pressure on Noah because they think he’s a lead to Kurt,” he offers. “There’s heat on Heath too, but it’s gonna get messy. They’ve got no solid evidence—just Kurt’s word and that picture stirring up shit online—but they’re desperate for someone to crack.”
I’m amazed at how much information Ed has been able to pull together since he was called. Then again, my men might have given him the rundown on top of whatever information he was able to research on the way over.
Declan slides my phone across the table, his fingers brushing mine.
“Kurt sent you this. No idea what it means, but it seems like it could be the reason behind all this bullshit.” I frown, my stomach twisting as I press play, the speaker crackling as Kurt’s voice spills out.
He’s obviously furious but I still don’t understand why.
“You deserve to die for making that phone call, Noah! You didn’t even know what was going on, didn’t know you just ruined an entire life.
All you saw was something you didn’t like, and it condemned me forever!
” He rants on, his words slurring with rage, and I sit there, frozen, my breath catching as a memory creeps in, sharp and sudden.
I’m six, crouched under the office table at my aunt’s house, playing hide and seek with Kurt.
His footsteps thud upstairs, and I hold my breath, the game forgotten as voices filter through the door—my aunt and uncle.
Words my mom always says were bad spill out: kill, murder, then my aunt’s laugh, a cold, evil sound hitting my ears.
We weren’t supposed to be in the office.
It was off-limits but it was also the best place to hide.
My parents weren’t going to be home for hours, calling them wasn’t an option because I couldn’t remember their number. I always asked my aunt for help. But Mom always told me, “Call 911 if you ever need help.”
So, I did. The moment they left the room, telling the guy on the other side of the phone that my aunt and uncle had said bad words.
I blink, the memory fading, and look up, realizing what Kurt actually blames me for.
“I called it in. My call to 911 helped the investigation—that’s how they caught Kurt’s parents.
Holy shit. It makes sense he’s mad at me,” I say, frowning, “but I don’t get why he’d do all this just to get back at me.
Most of what he’s done—fucking with deployments, the system—it’s got nothing to do with me.
Bullying me as a kid or hurting me would’ve been faster.
Hell, once he got old enough, he should have known that his parents were going to jail anyway, that they broke the law. ”
Ed hums, tapping the table. “I’m not sure understanding Kurt’s motive will help us much.
He’s already in too deep but it does explain why he’s targeting you or at the very least why he dropped your name.
My only job is making sure you stay outside of jail.
Maura might have threatened me a little and I quite like my job.
She said, I’m fired as the family lawyer if I don’t keep her son-in-law out of jail. Her words, not mine.”
His words lighten the mood as my face flames, heat rushing up my neck, and I hide it in my hands, the words ‘son-in-law’ running around in my head.
“She’s not wrong, Bunny,” Logan muses and I groan, peeking through my fingers as they all crack up, the tension breaking for a moment. I want to sink into it, the comfort of them, but the message replays in my head, a reasoning I never saw coming.
“What now? That picture’s out there. Kurt’s gone. They’re still looking at me. Why the fuck would they have let him leave? They have actual evidence on his dirty dealings.”
“And that’s where the problem lies,” Ed begins. “Because Kurt is not the entire operation. Neither is Heath. There are several of Kurt’s superiors involved, some of which I’m sure are actively on the case.”
I frown at the multitude of knowledge Ed has absorbed in the last hour or so. “How do you know so much?”
He throws me a sheepish grin. “Because Maura called me the moment you showed up at her house. Said that I might be needed. Mentioned Kurt’s name and I did a little digging.
There’s way more out there than is currently just circling the web but it’s damning.
The only reason Kurt isn’t currently in jail has to be because someone’s looking out for him.
This is going to be a big case, Noah, probably as big as his parents.
And everyone involved doesn’t want the limelight.
For now, you four, stay put. Don’t do anything stupid.
If an officer shows up at the house, call me. ”
“So… we just sit here?” I’m not sure I’m okay with that. I tilt my head, lightly rubbing at my ear before focusing on Ed.
“Yes, sit here. Enjoy the silence because it’s about to get really fucking messy.”