Page 79 of Cain
Without saying a word, she scurries to the bathroom. After a few seconds to catch my breath, I zip up my pants and go to answer Grayson.
“What is it?”
“The cop wants to talk to you,” Grayson attests, giving me a solemn expression. I know that look on him. He’s worried about something. “I’m sorry, Cain. I couldn’t do anything else.”
“It’s okay, buddy.” I pat his shoulder. “I’ll deal with him myself.”
I walk out of her room and lock her in. With a slow breath, I straighten my shirt, roll my shoulders, and step toward the front door.
Let’s see what kind of bullshit they think they can pin on me this time.
I open the door and see them standing. Waiting. They’re stiff, eyes sharp, hands twitching too close to their holsters. I guess they know exactly who I am. They just haven’t decided if they’re stupid enough to push me.
I lean against the doorframe, arms crossed, a smirk just barely curling my lips.
“Yes?”
One of them clears his throat, but his voice is steady and controlled. “A woman went missing a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Katerina Ružicková.”
I stare at him silently. People disappear all the time. Some more permanently than others.
“And?” I ask, without moving a single muscle.
The other cop steps forward, shoulders squared, eyes locked on mine like he’s daring me to flinch. “Herroommate recognized you from TV. She said she saw you that morning, and you were flirting with the missing girl.”
I tilt my head slightly, my gaze turning ice cold. “And?” I repeat slower this time.
The first cop exhales steadily, like he’s bracing himself. “She hasn’t used her phone or credit cards since that night. No calls, no sightings. She just vanished.”
His partner doesn’t react. “And her roommate says she saw you talking to her that morning.”
We established that.
I don’t speak, and the awkward silence swallows them.
I watch the way their shoulders stay tight and their fingers hover just a little too close to their guns. They’re waiting for a reaction. If they only knew.
“Talking,” I repeat, rolling the word around on my tongue. “Is that a crime now?”
The bolder cop doesn’t look away. “Where were you that night?”
I tap my fingers against my arm, pretending to think. “Busy.”
His jaw tightens. “Doing what?”
My smirk sharpens. “You really want me to answer that?”
The first cop stiffens and is uncomfortable, but the other one doesn’t back down. He stares at me like he thinks he can make me cave. Like he doesn’t know whose house he’s standing in.
I step outside the doorframe, walking closer to the brave one. “If you had something on me, you wouldn’t be wasting my precious time by standing here asking mestupid questions.” My voice drops. “So unless you have a warrant, get the fuck off my property.”
The first cop swallows hard. The second gives me an infuriated look. I guess I hit a nerve and proved how stupid they are.
For a second, I almost hope he pushes. I nearly catch myself wishing they’d give me a reason to expand my collection of heads.
“Fine.” He rubs his chin. “We’ll keep an eye on you.”
“You do that,” I murmur, my voice dripping with amusement. “But you won’t like what you’ll see.”
