Chapter 49
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
KAI
I ’m waiting in a small interrogation room, hands linked by the too-tight cuffs snatched around my wrists. The temperature of the room is slightly above “meat-locker”, but I barely register the chill. I’ve been in here for fuck-knows how long. I know this is a tactic to make me antsy and ready to talk. Instead, I’m resting my head on the cold metal of the table, breathing deeply, trying to enter a zen-like state, desperate to keep from losing my shit over my worry for Serena. I know raising my voice and shouting my innocence from the rafters is not going to change a damn thing. I know that . But damn, it doesn’t make it any easier to sit in here, knowing she’s out there, alone with him.
The door finally opens when my fingers start to go numb from the chill in the air. A younger cop with a familiar face walks in carrying two cups of coffee. I can only assume he’s here to pull the good cop routine. Make me feel comfortable with him and get me to confess to something I didn’t do. I glance at the name on his uniform. D. Wilcox . Narrowing my eyes, I study him, trying to place how I know him. Then it hits me. He’s one of Dom’s partners who hangs around the coffee shop. I’ve seen him there together with the fucknugget numerous times. Fucking great. A vague memory of Serena referring to Dane and Eric, Dom’s partners filters through my mind. This must be Dane.
Officer Wilcox sets one of the coffees in front of me before taking his own seat. We sit there in silence, him drinking his burnt-smelling bean water, me waiting for the ass fucking that’s coming my way. I haven’t even been offered the chance to call my parents or ask for my lawyer yet. Keeping my mouth shut, I refuse to say anything until I know what card he’s going to play.
“So, Mr. Roberts, do you know why you’re here?” His voice is neutral, like he’s asking me if I’m shopping in a clothing store and not sitting in a cold as fuck interrogation room in a police station. Clenching my jaw, I remain silent, refusing to play along. Officer Wilcox waits a beat before nodding and continuing with his questions.
“According to Officer Reeves, you showed up at his home, harassed his fiancée and forced her to leave the premises with you against her will. Essentially, you’re being accused of kidnapping.”
I can’t help it. My hands ball into fists, and my face heats in anger at the accusation. Wilcox notices my reaction.
I look him dead-ass in the eyes and bite out four words. “I want a lawyer.”
Unfazed by my coldness, Wilcox leans forward on his elbows, like he’s ready to tell me a secret. “We’ll get to that part, but first I was hoping we could have a little chat, off the record.”
Off the record? The fuck we will. I sit back in my seat and scoff out, “Lawyer.”
Wilcox presses on, either completely drunk off the power his position affords him, or completely oblivious to how fucking illegal his behavior is.
“I know a lot about you, Kai Roberts. I know you still live with your parents and house sit while they travel the country during their retirement. I know you are a scholarship student at BFU. I know you volunteer at the Boys and Girls club downtown. I know you live next door to Serena Malcolm and have been friends with her for years. I know you also show up to protests and demonstrations for police justice with your camera and fight for what you believe is right. Am I wrong on any of these facts, Mr. Roberts?”
I stare at him, my eyes narrowing in suspicion, trying to figure out his angle.
“I’m only trying to establish facts. Facts that I think will prove we are on the same side on this issue.” When I remain silent, Wilcox blows out an exasperated sigh before continuing on. “I don’t believe you abducted Serena. I know you have no reason to trust me because I work with Dominick, but I am here to help you. I’ve been his partner for almost a year now, and I have seen some shit that concerns me. I haven’t been able to get any solid proof of wrongdoing on his end on my own, but I think if we work together, we can take him down.”
He has my attention now. Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on the table and give a slight nod to let him know I’m listening. I’m not gonna say a fucking word without a lawyer present, but if this guy is for real, this may be my ticket out of this situation.
Wilcox must understand my hesitation to trust him, so he presses on. “A couple of months ago when Serena was attacked by those frat bros at Mav’s, I heard Dom talking to Eric about how he wanted her to quit working there. Dom kept playing up how worried he was about her and how he just wanted to take care of her. Eric suggested maybe she needed a little scare to encourage her to give the job up. They came up with a plan for Eric to encourage those dumbasses to harass her again to retaliate against Dom, and Dom was supposed to show up and be the hero. Now, I don’t know if shooting that fuckhead was part of the plan or if Dom got carried away in the moment…” Wilcox trails off, biting his lower lip like he’s debating on saying the rest. “But he was bragging about ridding the world of a rapist piece of shit and said his only regret was that he didn’t shoot both of them.”
I am unmoved by his confession. “Bragging about shooting a rapist seems like standard cop behavior to me.” I shrug, not willing to give him more than that.
“Right, you’re not wrong. But is it standard cop behavior to set up the assault? Is it standard cop behavior to have your buddies stalk your girl and report back when they catch her out with someone else? Even if it is innocent, like running into her best friend on a sidewalk? Is it standard cop behavior to radio your partner to go pick up your girl when she leaves the house, with instructions to bring her to you at the station no matter what she says? Is it standard cop behavior to have your buddy throw her best friend in a holding cell overnight—after a peaceful protest—just to teach him a lesson?”
That part has my attention. “What did you say?”
“Look, Dom’s had his eyes on Serena for a while. He’d been going to her coffee shop, building familiarity before he nutted up and asked her out. He knew about your friendship with her and planned on doing what needed to be done to get you out of her life. I’ve seen him do some incredibly sketchy shit over the last year, and it’s escalated since he started seeing Serena. I don’t think she’s safe with him, and I think you know that.” My heart pounds in my chest at the sincerity of his words. He believes Serena. He believes us.
“I didn’t get into this line of work to harass people and abuse my power. I got into this line of work to serve the people of this community. I know there is a lot of fucked up shit going on behind the scenes, but I want to do what I can to fix it from the inside. Dom thinks I’m some dumb, idealistic, do-gooder rookie, so he’s not going to see this coming. I think if we work together, we can put his corrupt ass behind bars.”
“Let me call my lawyer, and I’ll tell you everything I know. I will do whatever it takes to bring this abusive piece of shit down and save my girl.” A slow, sad smile spreads across Dane’s face at my words.
“I was hoping you would say that.”