Page 4 of Mad Love

I nodded and looked at Linus. “So, what happens now?”

He grimaced. “Now, you go to central booking. It’s Friday night, and the courts are closed until Monday morning. We have your bail hearing set first thing, but you’ll have to spend the weekend in a cell.”

I scoffed and leaned back in my seat, tipping my head back to stare up at the stained drop-ceiling tiles. “Fucking great.” I glanced back at him. “What kind of evidence do they have against me?”

Linus frowned. “There’s a witness saying someone saw you tampering with Adam Kindell’s car. Apparently it was seen at Pacific Cross a few hours prior to his accident.”

“I didn’t touch his car,” I said. It was the truth; Linc had been the one to fuck with the engine, putting in a relay switch Ash had designed to override the electrical system remotely with an app on his phone.

I had been with Maddie, helping her after Kindell had fucking touched her and left her reeling and terrified.

“Kindell was a pervert,” I snarled. “He was only there because he was a slimy dick who assaulted Maddie.”

Linus’s brows shot up. “Did she file a report?”

I gritted my teeth. “No.” I hadn’t even suggested she go to the cops, because I’d known I would handle it for her.

“There are old surveillance tapes,” Court began slowly.

“What tapes?” Linus demanded.

I sighed and rolled my neck until it popped. “Adam Kindell had been sexually abusing Maddie—Madelaine—since she was thirteen. He used to go into her room at night.”

Linus looked genuinely sick. “My God.”

“Gary knew about it,” I added. “So, if the courts think Maddie’s better off with him…”

“You said there are tapes? Proof?” Linus looked back and forth between us.

Court’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Old security tapes from when Madelaine was a kid. It shows him going into her room at night.”

“Was there anything else on the tapes? Did she ever disclose what had happened? Even to another member of the household staff?” Linus pressed.

“No,” I admitted. “But he’s a fucking grown ass man. Why the hell would he be sneaking in and out of her room when she was thirteen?”

“I looked into Kindell when I found out about this case. For many years, he was listed as a custodian for Madelaine while Gary traveled on business,” Linus began carefully.

“Meaning what?” I glared at him.

“Meaning, one could easily argue that Madelaine suffered from night terrors and he went in, as a parental figure, to comfort her,” Linus replied.

“Are you fucking serious?” I jerked, ready to throttle him for even suggesting Maddie was lying.

“He’s right,” Court interjected. “It’s what we can prove, and anything we say now will look like we’re spinning a story to villainize a dead man.”

“Fine,” I gritted out. “But I didn’t touch Kindell’s fucking car. I was with Maddie. She called me as soon as he left. I was with at least ten guys at the frat when it happened, watching the game. They saw me take the call and leave, and I stayed with her the whole damn night. Her dorm’s security cameras would show me a few minutes later, coming in. They’d also show Kindell leaving before I got there.”

It was the truth.

Linc had followed him to a gas station in town, where he’d inserted the switch under the hood courtesy of Ash canceling Kindell’s credit cards so he’d have to go inside to pay in cash. If anyone looked at the surveillance tapes for the gas station, all they’d see was the video loop Ash had inserted that made it look like Linc was never there.

We’d covered every single one of our bases.

Court nodded subtly at me, as if thinking the same thing.

Linus sighed. “Look, these charges won’t hold up. I’m going to find out who their witness is, and we’ll take it from there. Odds are it's someone who either owed Gary Cabot a favor or has it out for you. But without concrete proof, it’s a moot point. The charges will get dismissed.”

“The charges were never the issue,” I replied. “Gary set this in motion to give himself enough time to keep me busy while he takes my wife to God-knows-where. And now he’s saying I forced her into marrying me?” I let out a scoff of disbelief. Gary had some fucking balls, and I was going to enjoy cutting them off with a rusted razor before shoving them down his lying throat.

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