Chapter 7
ADRIAN
Fuck me, I rub my eyes, fatigue riddling my body as we near the end of the day. It’s been a day since we ran into Liliana and Alice at the bar, and I’m pretty sure that Parker and Alice have had more than one go at it since then.
I shudder at the thought of that. Disgusting.
“Find something good?” Parker asks me, raising his brows from across me, where he, too, is working through files on the case.
“Nope,” I mutter, shaking my head. “Nothing good at all.” I purse my lips as I turn back to the computer, Liliana Wilson’s family history popping into view in my email. I double-click the thing sent by one of the interns, and then narrow my eyes as I start scrolling through.
Liliana Julia Wilson.
DOB: 02/03/1993
Parents: Julia Marie Wilson (04/15/1967) and Richard Lenard Longley (11/04/1960)
Her father is currently incarcerated at North Willard County Penitentiary for first-degree murder. He’s serving three life sentences.
“What the fuck…” I can barely process what I’m reading. I raise my brow at the information, clicking the link to the information about her father. I don’t have to click the provided link to know precisely who she comes from.
No wonder she hates law enforcement.
“You look perplexed,” Parker chimes, clearly unable to focus on himself in the moment. “What’d you find?”
“Just that Liliana Wilson has a dad in prison for murder,” I say the words flatly, as if I didn’t unlock a treasure trove of fuckery. “She’s…” I run a hand over my face, still trying to comprehend it all. “She’s the daughter of Richard Longley.”
“Whoa…” Parker’s face mirrors what I’m feeling. “I guess she really rose from the ashes.”
“No shit.” I double-click the link, recognizing the prolific serial killer as soon as his photo pops up. “Goddamn.” I barely see the resemblance between Liliana and the sick fuck on the screen, but… It’s there.
“You know,” Parker leans over the back of my chair.
“Even though this is completely crazy, I think looking into her is moot. She’s a tiny little thing, and I don’t think she packs much of a blow—not the kind that puts Victor Blueson down.
I think it has more to do with someone else he was associated with?
Maybe they were meeting up at the gallery for cover? ”
“Could be,” I say, shrugging. I know I should follow his train of thought and dig deeper into the theory of Blueson being connected to someone else, but I can’t look away from Liliana.
And I know that’s getting personal.
Could she have followed in her father’s footsteps?
“He killed one of her friends.”
“What?” I crank my neck to look at Parker, not following him. “Blueson?”
He shakes his head. “No, Longley. His last victim was his daughter’s high school best friend.
Murdered her and left her body in the cellar behind the house.
The daughter—Liliana Wilson—found her. They did their best in the investigation to protect her, but she was traumatized by it.
It was used as a case study my last year of school. ”
I wonder what weird fucking daddy kinks that all led her to.
I push the thought away as soon as it comes. I’m borderline disgusted with myself for even thinking that way. Liliana clearly went through hell, and while I’m a nasty motherfucker, I do have some semblance of integrity.
Besides, I have a family member in prison, too.
And I know what that’s like.
Fuck you, Mom.
Parker pushes back off my chair. “I think we should hold this close to the vest. We don’t want to leak this kind of information. It could ruin the poor woman’s business.”
“Or draw a bigger crowd,” I point out.
“The gala is tonight,” Parker says, absentmindedly changing the subject. “We should probably have a presence there. I know the story hit the news already. It’s bound to draw out the crazies, and we need to be there if there’s any with some relevance.”
“We’ll be encroaching, but it sounds good.”
Parker nods and then goes back to whatever he was doing, while I turn back to the screen, flipping through the digital files that were sent over.
His last victim was his daughter’s high school best friend. I read the words in my head, trying to process just how devastating that would be for Liliana—no wonder she’s so odd. I can’t even blame her for that.
I continue through all the allegations of abuse, mostly domestic toward her mother, who appeared to have left the relationship after he was arrested.
Was Liliana kept safe with her mom? I chew on the inside of my cheek, this strange protective need filtering into my chest. I’m not the kind of man who gives a flying fuck about people and their safety.
I know I’m supposed to, given my job, but honestly, I need everyone to keep being stupid so I can stay employed.
But Liliana? I swallow the burn simmering in my body, my mind playing back to the alleyway incident. I nearly came un-fucking-glued when I heard her scream. I barely know her, but I just knew it was her.
I could’ve murdered the man who had his hands on her, but by some miracle, I didn’t—primarily because of the CCTV cameras watching me like a goddamn hawk.
But now I know what you’re hiding, Liliana.
And it’s more of a whammy than I thought it’d be.
“You think that Blueson could’ve been cheating on his wife?” Parker throws out the question, blowing out a sharp breath and once again ruining my focus. “That could be a potential motive for someone, and we both know that sex is always a damn good reason for murder apparently.”
“Tends to be.” My voice is monotone and distant from my own body.
I’m still stuck on the fact that Liliana Wilson’s father brutally murdered her high school best friend, beat her mother, and somehow, Liliana is still one of the most successful artists of her generation, while also running her own gallery.
I hate to admit it…
But I’m fucking impressed.
“What about this Marissa woman? The intern? She seemed to know Blueson and danced around the subject when I talked to her. Could’ve just been the trauma talking, though,” Parker picks up his coffee mug and takes a sip right as I look over at him.
“I know it seemed far-fetched, but… I don’t know. Could work.”
I shake my head at him. “What?”
He pulls it away from his mouth. “Your brain must have vacated.”
“Something like that,” I snort, shaking my head.
“But what about the Marissa woman? I don’t think she was seeing Blueson…
Though,” I pause, mulling it over, “I suppose there could be some credibility to that. It wouldn’t be the most outlandish thing.
She could’ve danced around it to avoid talking since he’s married. ”
“But then how would she kill the guy? Bludgeoning someone isn’t an easy feat for a little woman.” Parker purses his lips, his brow creasing. “I don’t think a woman could’ve pulled that off.”
“Adrenaline does weird things to the body.” I drum my fingers on the top of the desk.
“In fact, we’ve worked cases where the woman pulls off some crazy stunt of a murder, just because the tensions were running high.
You know, those women who beat their husbands to death with a frying pan for speaking out of turn. ”
Parker makes a face. “Who the fuck does that? I’ve never heard of a woman doing that to a man for speaking out of turn. Usually, it’s the opposite.”
“Well, you clearly never met my mother,” I mutter, my stomach instantly churning at the thought. I can’t even fathom the idea of someone not understanding, but then again, you are the environment you were raised in…
Or something like that.
“I don’t think I ever want to meet your mother,” Parker hums, a frown plastered on his face with some sort of sympathy. “She seems like a real problem.”
“Yeah, I’d say,” I chuckle, shaking my head and turning back to the computer. “But I guess no one has to worry about her anymore.”
“Unless she—”
“Nah,” I cut him off, “She’s never getting out of prison. She’s where she belongs, and she knows it now.” Mostly, anyway.
Parker nods but doesn’t offer anything more on the topic. I grab my notebook and write down a few notes on Liliana. I highly doubt Miss Wilson had anything at all to do with the murder of Victor Blueson…
But it did happen in her studio.
And she does have a gnarly history.
But so do I, I think to myself. However, as the words flicker around in my head, so do all my darkest desires.
“Fuck,” I grumble under my breath, shifting in my chair as my dick gets hard. Those darkest desires typically end and begin with Liliana Wilson now, and as much as I want to explore them, I can’t…
Well, not until this case ends.
The last thing I need is to be connected to a potential person of interest with a fucking background like hers. That’ll get me fired faster than anything else.
Clicking my pen, I underline Liliana’s parents’ names, wondering if either of them ever talks to her anymore. Part of me hopes that Liliana doesn’t speak to her father, but I wouldn’t judge her for it.
I mean, I still talk to my demon of a mother.
“You think Alice is sleeping around with a lot of guys?” Parker leans back in his chair. “I don’t think I want to waste my time on someone like that. But I think I like her too much. She’s such a good fuck.”
“I think you should put the brakes on, and not start thinking about marriage within the first twenty-four hours,” I snort, pushing back from my desk and standing to my feet.
“That’s the problem with the women who are daring in bed.
Most of the time, they had to work their way through a lot of fucking men to get there.
They can’t commit to just one guy after that. ”
His brows shoot upward. “Wow, have I ever told you how twisted your views on women are? Because they are fucked.”
“Yeah, well,” I shrug, “My mother made sure to teach me that while men might just be out for one thing, women are out to strip you of everything. Not just in the bedroom.”
Parker’s face flickers with sympathy, and that just fucking pisses me off. “I’m sorry, man. I know you went through a lot—”
“I think I’m going to head out for the day and get ready for the gala,” I cut him off, not in the mood for the pity party. In fact, I don’t care ever to discuss my past. The only reason my partner knows is because everyone who works here pretty much has to know.
“You’re really taking some hard notes on Liliana Wilson,” he says, purposefully changing the subject. “You gotta a gut feeling she had something to do with it?”
I shrug. No clue, I just want to fucking wreck her more than anything else in this world.