Page 25 of Sweet Like a Psycho (Secrets of Suburbi 2)

I ran straight into someone. No, not someone. Detective Reed. I knew it before I even looked up. The smell from his coat was all around me now, invading my air supply.

“Are you okay?” He gripped both sides of my face. “Is Zeke okay?”

I wanted my skin to hate him as much as my mind did. Instead, I melted into his touch. And I hated how weak that made me feel. For just a moment, I tried to savor this feeling. I tried to hold on to what it was like to be cared for. And then I shoved my feelings aside and did what needed to be done to end this before anything got worse.

“No thanks to you.” I pushed him off of me.

“What?”

He looked truly confused. And upset. And I had no idea why he was going on with this charade like he actually cared. The game was up. And he won. He made a fool of me. “Seriously, they sent you?” The force he worked for was completely inept.

“And me,” said another detective standing at the bottom of my front porch. He walked up the steps and put his hand out for me to shake. “Detective Torres. It’s nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Clark.”

The way he spoke to me made me even madder. Damien Torres. I had seen him around town. Everyone knew everyone around here. And if I knew his name, he most certainly knew the rumors about me. He knew I wasn’t married. He knew everything. “Miss Clark. But we both know that you already knew that, Damien.” I didn’t offer him my hand.

“Tucker has told me all about you, but he failed to mention that you’re a little feisty. I can see why…because that’s usually more my type.” He winked at me.

The fact that Tucker had told him about me stung even more. Just laughing at me behind my back like everyone else in this stupid town. “Well I hate to ruin your day, but neither of you are my type. At all. So you can both turn your asses around and get off my front porch.”

“Whoa.” Detective Torres lifted his hands to his side. “Ma’am, we received a 911 call that you were under duress. We’re only here to help you…”

“I don’t need your help. Or anyone else’s. That call was a mistake. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself without the help of two meatheads. I’m not going to ask you again. Get off my property.”

“Are you threatening us, Mrs. Clark?” Detective Torres asked.

He was trying to make me lose it. He was trying to see if the rumors were true. I bit the inside of my lip three times.

“Would you stay out of this?” Detective Reed said in a tone that even made me feel like telling him every one of me secrets. He turned back to me. “Violet what happened? The dispatcher said someone attacked you…”

Attacked? They really hadn’t listened to me at all. “No one attacked me. Like I said, the call was a mistake. So you can both just go.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what happened. Did someone try to hurt you?”

The way he was acting so innocent made me want to cry. I felt tired and defeated. “Yeah, and you succeeded. In humiliating me in front of your friend too. You’ve had your fun like everyone else. Please just leave me alone.”

He shook his head. “What are you talking about? I’m here because you called the police…”

“On you! You looked around my house without a warrant, Detective Reed. You took advantage of me. We both know why you were here last night. And whatever you were looking for? I hope it was worth it.” I knew it wasn’t. The pistol was long gone. He had nothing.

He

shook his head again like he couldn’t comprehend what I was saying. “I didn’t snoop around your house.”

I was good at spotting a liar. After all, I was one. “Don’t bother lying. It doesn’t matter anyway. But drugging me?”

“Whoa.” He sounded just like his dumb friend.

And his dumb friend had the audacity to laugh. Like my whole life was a joke to them. I blinked back my tears, keeping my emotions locked inside.

“Wait in the car, Damien,” Detective Reed said.

I was surprised to see Detective Torres nod. “Good day, Miss Clark. See you around.”

We both knew he wouldn’t. But then I thought that maybe he meant it a different way. Like he knew he’d be seeing me again soon. Like I was in some kind of trouble. I glanced past him and the car down to the lake. How could they possibly know?

Detective Reed took a step toward me, too close for comfort, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I didn’t drug you, what the hell are you talking about?”

“The Nyquil.”

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