Page 65 of True Bastard
Detective Powell’s smirk faded as he turned serious, looking from Mrs. Butler to the other officers. “Let’s keep this civil, shall we? We’ll need statements from everyone here.”
“Ma’am, why don’t you and I walk over to your house so I can get your statement?” Detective Ibanez offered kindly as the crowd murmured, shifting uneasily when the detective led her away.
I felt Firestride’s hand move to the small of my back—a subtle gesture of support or restraint, I couldn’t tell. My heart hammered, caught between the urge to strangle the woman and the hope that maybe someone, anyone, would finally listen to my side of the story.
Looking around at the brothers surrounding me, Detective Powell muttered, “Maybe we should take this inside.”
“Good idea.” Wanderer stepped forward, and I gasped.
“Oh my God! You’re...”
Before I could finish what I was about to say, a hand clamped over my mouth, silencing me.
“Inside. Now!” Firestride ordered.
Inside my house, Detective Powell didn’t waste any time. “The entire RCPD has been looking for you, Miss. Ward. Where is the child?”
My breath caught in my throat, my living room suddenly feeling smaller with the weight of Detective Powell’s question. I glanced at Firestride for reassurance, then squared my shoulders, trying to keep my voice steady. “The child is safe,” I said, choosing my words with care. “But I need you to understand why I did what I did. This whole situation is more complicated than you think.”
Detective Powell’s eyes narrowed, clearly expecting more, but I stayed silent, determined not to reveal everything just yet.
“This is a clusterfuck,” Detective Powell rumbled as he paced the small room before rounding on Wanderer. “Please tell me your club has nothing to do with these murders?”
Wanderer shrugged. “Wasn’t us.”
Pointing a finger in his face, Detective Powell sneered, “Keep it that way.”
Wanderer didn’t blink and tried to bite the finger as Detective Powell shoved him away. “Fucking pain in my ass. Keep it up, Tyrone, and I will call Mom.”
Wanderer stiffened.
“Yeah.” Detective Powell smirked. “That’s what I thought.” Turning back toward me, he sighed. “I’ve got a problem, Miss. Ward. The RCPD has a missing person BOLO on you. I need to bring you in for your own safety, but from the way that large fucker behind you is glaring at me, I don’t think he will allow that.”
“I didn’t kill them, Detective,” I whispered.
Detective Powell sighed. “Stop with the detective shit. My name is Tyrese, and I know you didn’t kill anyone. But someone did and until we catch the killer, you are still in danger.” Looking at Firestride, he asked, “She yours?”
Firestride nodded.
“Good. Then keep her hidden. I don’t want to know why all of you are in the city, but until the RCPD can catch this killer, she needs to be kept safe. Karter too.”
“Go grab what you can carry, Kitten. We are leaving in five minutes.”
“I need more time to pack.”
“Go. Now,” he stated with a firm slap to my ass.
Heading upstairs, I quickly packed what I could throw into my old school backpack. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. Heading back downstairs, I heard Detective Powell say, “The murders are club related. Something to do with the Satan’sAngels out of Birmingham. Everyone dead has a connection to that club.”
“Yeah, Nano said as much,” Carver admitted. “Any DNA evidence yet?”
“No, and you should know he’s escalating.” The detective groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.
“What do you mean?” Scythe asked.
“He just shoots the men, but the woman. It’s sickening to even think about. Kyllian was lucky. With the others, he just defiled their corpses, but Karen… What that son of a bitch did to Karen was horrendous. He mutilated her. Cut her into pieces. He made an example out of her.”
I gasped, and everyone turned toward me.
