Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 235(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 235(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Good luck? Who the hell drops a bomb like that and then says good luck as if I’m going to audition to be an extra on Law & Order? My mind is racing by the time my feet hit the marble floors of the lobby and it’s so loud I can’t think of anything else when I reach my car.
I think of all the recent incidents with Jay that I was willing to brush off, but further examination paints them as suspicious. His mysterious appointments are at the top of the list, but also vanishing during the questioning of Laurel Kinney. None of it makes sense and it didn’t make sense at the time, but Jay is like family, and I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
And let’s not forget that he was at my house when it burned down.
That’s a thought too far but I have a full head of steam worked up by the time I enter the precinct. I’m not in the mood to bullshit with my coworkers the way I usually do because once again, I’m on a mission, this time I need to find my partner, my surrogate father and find out what the fuck he’s hiding from me.
“Frankie.” His face lights up the way it always does when he sees me. “What’s up?” He notices my dark expression immediately and gets to his feet inside the war room. “Is it Damien?”
I shake my head and watch Jay carefully. He looks genuinely worried about me or Damien. I’m not sure but I need the truth. I can’t afford to just wait and see. “Damien is fine,” I sigh and take my seat, folding my hands on top of the desk. “I need to ask you something.”
“Sure kid. Shoot.”
“How did you know about the fire at my house?”
His brows dip. “It came across on the radio and I rushed there after recognizing your address.”
That makes sense. “Why were you listening to the radio?” Neither of us was on shift that night. “I mean, I figured you’d be cuddled up with Cassandra.”
He shrugs. “Even a stud like me needs a night off, Frankie. What’s this about?”
I let out a frustrated sigh and keep my gaze on Jay, studying his face. “This is about lies, Jay. About me figuring out who else is keeping vital information from me.” I lean forward and arch one of my brows. “What are you hiding Jay?”
“Shit, Frankie, we all have secrets.”
That much is true. I have my own secrets that I keep for various reasons, but those secrets don’t overlap into my regular life. “Okay, what secrets are you keeping from me that I need to know about?”
He studies me, doing that quick darting back and forth thing that suspects often wear in an interrogation when they’re trying to figure out what we know. “Who’s in your head?”
“Right now? You Jay. I have a lot of thoughts in my head right now and I don’t like them. Not one fucking bit.” I stare at him until his resolve cracks.
“Damien talked, didn’t he?”
“It should’ve been you,” I answer instead of confirming or denying anything.
“I didn’t think he’d ever tell you. Shit Frankie, it’s not about keeping secrets. It’s about keeping you safe.”
I shake my head. “You know, I’m really starting to hate that fucking word, Jay. It’s not your job to keep me safe unless we’re out in the field. I expect you to have my back but not lie to me.”
“It’s not a real lie, just a lie of omission.” He tosses his pen across the desk, watching as it rolls off the desk and falls to the floor. “I’ve known Wolfe for a while. He’s one of the biggest names in the city.”
“So, this entire fucking time you’ve known that he was at Hope House? Known that his life was in danger, and you never said a fucking word?” My heart is stuck in my throat thinking about all the ways Jay has fucked this investigation. “You created months of useless work for us and why? We could have saved Zeke!”
He’s shaking his head like I’m just being some emotional woman, and it pisses me off. “Whoever this killer is, he was always gonna go after Zeke.” His words are so casual, so fucking nonchalant that it drives me crazy.
“Do you know who it is Jay?” I hold my breath in anticipation of his answer. Please don’t let him know who the killer is. Don’t let our entire relationship which expands half of my life, be a lie. If there’s any real justice in this universe, that won’t be the case.
“Do I know who’s out here dropping bodies around my city?” He laughs angrily. “How the fuck can you ask me that, Frankie?”
“What am I supposed to think, Jay? All this time you pretended like you only knew Damien from the press. You discouraged me from dating him, hell you acted like you hated him when you knew him, perhaps better than I do!” I shake my head. “Is there another reason you didn’t want me to date him?” My heart is galloping like a racehorse. “Well?”