Page 139 of My Damaged Protector

“I'm sorry, before you said he's an old friend, now you're saying he's a good friend. Which is it?”

Shaking my head, I swallow the frustrated groan that's trying to leave me.

“Both!”

He stares at me hard enough to see through my soul, but I give him nothing.

Nodding, he starts to ask me another question, but he's cut off when his partner enters, Peter behind him with bruises on his face.

I shoot upright, surprised and ecstatic at the same time to see him. Thank God, Ian didn't kill him.

“Peter!” I say cheerfully and go to hug him. Although surprised, he hugs me back.

“You tell these people Ian kidnapped you and you can kiss goodbye to me saving your father, Kyle or not,” I hiss into his left ear.

He nods and then releases his hold on me. I step out of his touch and let him address the detective.

They shake hands. He introduces himself, and he's asked to sit.

“Mr. Brown, can you tell us where you've been in the past hours and what happened?”

“I was with my friend, Ian. He's a friend of my sister, too. We're sorry to bother you officers. It's all just a joke gone wrong.”

“A joke gone wrong?” both cops ask in surprise.

I'm as surprised as they are, but I'm not showing it. All I care about is that he's not throwing Ian under the bus.

“Yes, we're so sorry. We didn't think it'd be taken this seriously. If we knew it would go wrong, we wouldn't have tried it.”

“Peter, right? Can I call you Peter?” the second officer speaks.

“Yes.” Peter nods.

“If this really was a joke gone wrong, why do you have a swollen nose and bruises all over your jaw?”

His nose is swollen?

I didn't notice. Okay, maybe I did. I just don't give a fuck what injury he sustained so long as he's alive. It's not like he doesn't deserve it.

“Like I said officer, it went wrong. Things didn't go like we'd planned. I can't tell you anything more than that.”

“Where's this Ian guy now?” the detective asks.

“At home,” Peter responds.

“Can you give us his house address?”

Hell, no.

“Sure,” Peter says like he has it.

“No!” I snap.

Both officers look at me, and I quickly look away.

Peter proceeds to give them whatever bullshit address I know is definitely not Ian's, because I know there's no way he has Ian's house address. I've been to his house, and I don't even know his address.

Soon the officer leaves, and it's me and him again. I'm on him immediately.

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