Page 66 of Beautiful Lies
“Look what you did to him,” she said, giving me a sucker punch in the arm.
She cradled her injured hand and glared at me through her tears.
“Here’s a tip,” I said. “If you’re gonna punch someone, keep your wrist straight and tuck in your thumb. And here’s another tip.” I looked over at Jake, slumped over, holding a bar towel to his bloody nose. “Dump that douchebag. You can do better.”
“Shut the fuck up, Vincent.” He spits blood on the sidewalk. “I’m pressing charges. Daddy isn’t around to rescue you anymore.”
I laughed. He had no idea how funny that was. The blonde hadn’t heeded my warning. She was fussing over him, cooing soft words that agitated him rather than calming him down. I waited for him to turn on her. It didn’t take long. “Get the fuck off me,” he said, pushing her away.
Those big doe eyes of hers filled up with tears again. “Jake… I’m trying to help…”
Seconds later a police car and ambulance arrived. Fucking perfect.
“Do you require medical assistance?” a paramedic asked me.
“No.”
“Let me take a look. You might need stitches—”
I shook my head. “I’m good.”
A female officer questioned me. I remained mute. I knew her. Officer Healey. Early thirties, attractive. She’d questioned me a year ago in the hospital and had made it clear how she felt about Seamus Vincent. She thought the sun rose and set on him. I checked her left hand. The gold wedding band wasn’t there anymore. I was tempted to ask her why her marriage fell apart. If Seamus Vincent had ruined that, too. I wondered if Officer Healey had any idea that she bore an uncanny physical resemblance to the woman who had abandoned us over two decades ago.
Jake was talking shit from the back of the ambulance, telling the police officer he wanted to press charges for assault. “I was minding my own business when that lunatic attacked me.”
If he was still talking, I didn’t do a good enough job.
“I need to take you into the station,” Officer Healey said with a weary sigh when it became clear I’d stonewalled her. “Will the cuffs be necessary?”
I shook my head and ducked into the back seat of the police car. On the ride to the station, I watched the neon lights blur past the window, Jake Masters’ words echoing in my head.
My cock was so deep down her throat…
Ask her what happened behind the school.
All these years and she’d kept that to herself? Did she block it out? Pretend it had never happened?
17
Connor
“Detective Ramsey will be with you in a minute,” Officer Healey said.
“To what do I owe the honor?” I asked.
“He asked to handle this himself.” She shut the door behind her and left me alone in a small room with a metal table and a few chairs.
Handle this. Unfortunately, we had some history and I doubted it would help my case.
Five minutes later, the door opened. Ramsey set a cup of coffee in front of me and took a seat across from me.
“Detective,” I said, eyeing his suit jacket and tie. He loosened the tie and undid the first button of his shirt. If I had to name the coolest guy I’d ever met, it would probably be Deacon Ramsey. The guy was never ruffled, never fazed. Back in high school, Ramsey had been more interested in partying and bending the law than upholding it, so it had always surprised me that he’d become a cop. “Moving up in the world.”
He grinned. “Got the shiny gold badge and everything.”
“Good for you.” I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. He eyed me over the rim of the Styrofoam cup as he took a sip of coffee. “Don’t you have something better to do?”
“Slow night. You want to tell me what happened?” he asked.
