Page 57 of Donut Overthink It

“Miss Burns,” he greets me. I search his eyes, looking for any sign of what’s to come, but they are void of any emotion. “Please join us.” He steps aside, and I take a timid step into the room.

He shuts the door behind me, and my chest tightens when I spot both officers standing at the end of the conference table. Asher stands beside them.

The officer who had cuffed me opens his mouth to speak. “I didn’t do it.” The words rush out of my mouth so fast it almost sounded like one word.

“We know, Miss Burns,” the officer says with a simple nod.

I let out a long breath, just now realizing I was holding it in. “You do?” I ask looking at Asher, then Aiden. Neither one of them answer me.

The officer crosses his arms over his chest. “Yes, ma’am. Yesterday we had a visitor at the station. Mr. Whales …” Nate. “Came in to speak with us. He explained his relation to you and admitted that he had been using a dating app. That was how he found you.” I nod. “He gave us the name and number to the woman who he said had offered him sex in exchange for money.”

“He didn’t do it,” I defend him.

“That is up to us to figure out.”

“He’s not like that,” I argue. “Ask the woman.” Silence follows my statement. “Did you already speak to her?” Still nothing. “What did she say?”

“We can’t discuss an ongoing case with you,” he says.

“You tried to arrest me over this case,” I snap. “And you arrested my friend.” Where is he now? Is he still out on bail? We were supposed to have a meeting with him yesterday afternoon, but I’m not sure if it took place since I left after I found out Aiden was married.

“We’re done here,” the officer states and then walks toward me to exit the door. Aiden pulls me to the side to allow them room to leave. Once the door shuts, I turn on the brothers.

“You guys have to prove he didn’t do it.”

Asher sighs. “I’m working on it.”

“Find the woman,” I demand.

“We’re trying,” Aiden answers.

“It can’t be that hard …”

“She doesn’t exist,” Asher interrupts me.

“What does that mean?”

Aiden answers me. “Nate informed me yesterday in his meeting he would go to the police station and tell them her name and number. Along with his plan …”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demand.

“There was nothing that you could have done for him,” he says simply.

“I could have told him not to do it,” I growl.

“That’s why I didn’t tell you. Nate going up there and proving you were innocent was the best thing for you.”

My mouth falls open. I run a hand through my hair. “So what is the plan?”

“We’re gonna do what we do best,” Asher answers.

AIDEN

My brother exits the conference room to go work on getting this case settled and fast while he leaves Hadley and me alone.

She stares straight ahead out the floor-to-ceiling windows. “What do you mean by she doesn’t exist?” she asks, tightening her fists down by her sides.

“The number he gave us is no longer in service. And her name is a fake.”

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