Page 95 of Slow Burn (The Boston Beauties)

I heard things start to move around, like he was getting angry, a side of him I’d never seen before. I had no idea what he was capable of. I knew he outweighed my sister and was a lot taller than she was. I didn’t think he was a violent man, but everyone had their limit.

I was already walking up her stairs when my phone vibrated in my pocket, I took it out to see a message from my sister.

JULIA:You awake?

JULIA:Get up here now

She wouldn't be asking for my help if she didn’t think she needed it. This was going to blow everything.

As I opened the door, I saw Josh, dressed and carrying his bag, walking out of the bedroom and straight for the door.

He stopped dead in his tracks. ‘Matt?’ he questioned. ‘The fuck?’ He turned around to Julia who was hot on his heels. ‘This night keeps getting more fucked up, I need to go.’

I stood in the doorway. ‘Can’t let you do that I’m afraid.’

‘Well, you’re not going to stop me,’ he snapped, taking a step forward as my sister kicked the back of his knee causing him to fall. She tossed me a roll of duct tape, as she was already trying to immobilize him, and I stood on his back.

‘Don’t put too much pressure, we don’t want bruises.’

It appeared to me that she already had a plan, I looked to her with horror in my eyes. She was quick with taping Josh up. I didn’t want to know where or how she learned that, but knowing my father, it was one of their extracurricular activities. While most fathers taught their kids how to ride a bike, apparently mine was all about the finer points of kidnapping.

‘What are you doing?’

‘He’s going to rat us out to the cops and to his family,’ she hissed at me, picking up her phone. I didn't have to look to see who she was calling, I knew it would be our brother.

She explained the story to him, and at the end all he had to say was, ‘Finish him, I don’t want any loose ends.’

Josh had heard the entire conversation. His eyes were wide and frightened. I couldn't bring myself to look at him when she walked down her stairs to the salon, returning witha needle that was used for botox injections that were done on-site, by a man who wasn’t qualified to baste a turkey let alone perform medical procedures.

She rooted through the bags until she found the heroin. I refused to do it, but I also didn’t stop her, I couldn't. Our brother was in charge and he gave his orders, but she created this. She was the reason Jean-Luc knew where we were.

‘I’m out,’ I said turning and slamming the door behind me, not able to look back, not able to see the pained look on my sister’s face or the terror in Josh’s eyes.

‘So you didn’t inject him?’ the detective asked me, bringing me back to the present, to the interrogation room at the jail.

I shook my head. I felt a tear in my eye, ‘No, that was Jules.’

‘But you were there?’

‘Not when she did it. Like I said, he was alive when I left. His body was found the next day in a motel down near the Cape. I never asked her about how it got there, I didn’t want to know. She left pretty much right after that for a while anyways.’

‘If we have any further questions, we’ll be in touch,’ the detective said, standing up.

‘What did my siblings say?’

‘Your brother said word for word what you just told me. Your sister’s story was a bit different, but regardless, that’s up to a jury to decide.’

‘A jury?’ I demanded. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Just because Jessa is alive and well, doesn’t mean that you are a free man,’ the detective said. ‘No, quite the opposite. We have dozens of new crimes to charge you with, Josh’s death just happens to be one of the most serious of the charges.’

I took a deep breath and knew it was all too good to be true.

They were coming after me with everything they had, and I would bet my left nut that Jessa was leading the charge.

CHAPTER 32

JESSA

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