Page 41 of Fractured

“We’re sorry to hear that, ma’am. Unfortunately, the suspect didn’t divulge any answers,” Monroe tells me.

“And he never will, either,” Cooper mutters under his breath.

“What?” I gasp, not entirely faking my surprise.

Monroe shoots a pissed off glare at his partner. “The man who attacked you was found dead in his cell last night. We can’t say more on the matter since it’s still an ongoing investigation.” He pulls out a small notepad and a pen. “Can you tell us the details of your attack?”

I turn to Vander and lean against his chest, adding to the show of being distraught over the whole ordeal. Vander stiffens for a beat before running a soothing hand against my back, deciding to play along. I wonder how much affection I can get out of him if he thinks he’s just playing along with me…

The recounting of my attack only takes moments for me to impart. It’s so quick that Monroe doesn’t even write anything down on his pad even though his pen stays poised to write down any new detail I might divulge. “We’ll continue looking into his motivations behind your attack, Miss Halston, but for now, we believe you are safe. If we find anything out, we’ll be in contact with you.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” I reply, not hiding my sarcasm.

“I wish we could give you more reassuring news, ma’am, but it’s all we have right now,” Cooper fills in. “We also have another case to ask you about. Do you know a Scott Turner?” He watches me expectantly. How cute, he’s testing me.

“Scott Turner? Of course I do! We went to high school together. I just ran into him at a party the other day,” I tell him. I make sure I only say enough to seem open and honest, but cut myself off before giving too many details away. The more detailed your answers, the more likely you are hiding something.

He nods like he already knew that much and I was just confirming it for him. “Are you aware that Scott Turner is missing?”

“What? No! That’s horrible! Do you know where he went?” I hold a hand against my chest and give them wide, surprised eyes. “Oh, gosh. That’s a stupid question. If you knew where he went, he wouldn’t be missing.” And with a sprinkle of stupidity, I throw them off from thinking I’m smart enough to deceive them.

The detectives stay calm, but they seem to deflate with the disappointment of another dead end. “We’ve been following his last known whereabouts which seem to all lead to the party you both attended. They said you spoke to Scott just before you left. Did he happen to share with you any details of his plans for after the party, or possibly the next day?”

I bite my lip and furrow my brow, showing them I’m trying to recall the details they’re asking for. Reaching up, I twirl a lock of hair around my finger. “I asked Scott if he would like to leave with me so we could catch up some more, but he turned me down. If he gave me any of those details, I’m afraid I stopped listening with the embarrassment of being rejected. I could only think about getting out of there as fast as possible.” I turn my head toward the ground and let my hair fall over my face like I’m trying to hide my shame at admitting those details.

Monroe clears his throat and then asks, “Aren’t you engaged to a”—he glances down to take a look at his notes—“Mr. Grayson Farrow?”

My hand goes to my throat where I play with my pendant, as I show more discomfort with the conversation. “Yes, I am. But this occurred before our engagement. Otherwise I never would have entertained such an idea.”

The detectives share a glance between them before Cooper turns to me. Looks like I was right about him being given the role of bad cop. “Are you sure you don’t remember any other details?” His voice has dropped and has a menacing rumble to it.

“I wish I could. I hate the thought of unknowingly holding something back that could help you find him.” I press a hand against my lips and my eyes well up with tears.

The older detective nods his head sympathetically, then reaches for his wallet and pulls out a business card. “If you think of any other details, please give me a call.”

“Of course, Detective. I hope you find him quickly,” I say, reaching for the card. “If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. Scott was a good friend back in high school.”

The officers turn with a hint of defeat. I’m sure the mayor is riding them hard for answers and they clearly have nothing to show for it. They exit the house on their way to find another lead, or at least I’d assume that’s what they're doing, and I shut the door behind them. The heat from his body clues me in to how close Vander is standing behind me. I pause with my back to him, waiting to see what he’ll do if I’m not facing him. His hand lands on the door and his body closes the distance between us until he’s almost touching me.

“Nightmares, huh?” he says. His breath moves the small hairs on the back of my neck, sending chills down my spine.

“Horrible, teeth-chattering nightmares, with gruesome monsters chasing after me,” I reply, leaning back against him. “Maybe you should sleep in my bed with me to keep them all away.”

His hand lands on my hip and he dips his head down to run his nose along the curve of my neck as I tilt my head to the side, giving him more access. I press my ass into his dick, doing everything I can to tease him into action. “You would like that, wouldn’t you? Having me in your bed to chase away all of the things keeping you up at night.”

“Or maybe I just want you to keep me up all night,” I say with a breathy moan.

Vander lets out a deep chuckle. “You have plenty of boyfriends to do that for you. Or is your stalker keeping them away from you? Either way, you don’t need me for that.” He bites my earlobe, sending a pulse of need straight to my cunt, and then he’s gone.

I spin around just in time to see him leave through another doorway leading toward the gym. I’m starting to get the impression that fucking asshole lives for turning me on and then leaving me hanging. Sadist.

No. Not today, fucker. I chase after him. It’s been several days since we’ve trained together. Each morning we spent together only heightened the tension between us, and without saying anything, Vander stopped showing up.

When I enter the gym, he already has his shirt off and is warming up. I might have already worked out this morning, but I was having a lazy day and put on yoga pants, a sports bra, and a racerback tank top that covers my new tattoos. He wants to fuck with my libido; I’ll return the favor. I match him move for move, getting warmed up alongside him. He raises a brow but tries to ignore me.

By the time we’re warmed up, Vander is having even more difficulty ignoring me. Purely on the fact that when he tries to move toward the punching bag, I step in his way and hold up my fists, ready to spar with him. “You sure you want to do this, princess?” he asks, purposefully grating on my nerves with the prissy nickname. “I won’t go easy on you.”

I give him a cocky smirk. “Promise?” My question throws him off, not expecting me to come back with such a sexual husk to my voice.

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