Page 3 of CurVy Forever

My back straightens at the mention of Tyler, who, at this very moment, is in my bedroom, laying low.

“No.” I hit them with all my focus. “I know Tyler from back then, but I haven’t seen him. I’d like to. If you find him, tell him Vallie wants to see him.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure you haven’t seen him? The brothers are hard to distinguish apart,” he baits me.

He places an image on the table in front of me. I glance quickly at it, seeing my stunning lunatic in all his glory. “Look harder. Tyler will have longer hair nowadays, and scars, lots of them, all over his hands and arms.”

I don’t look again, holding Officer Martin’s hazel gaze instead. “I know him. And he had the scars back then, too.” I reach, and fucking hope that’s right, but I have a feeling he started cutting early in life. “But, up until last week, I hadn’t seen Donnie for years. And we barely spoke even then. We just fucked a lot. He must have seen Oliver hit me, and he must have recognised me. I don’t know... Maybe it was residual affection from back then. You’ll have to ask him why.”

I deadpan, then I quickly touch my jaw, running my fingers along the swollen area to draw attention to it. I’m a victim here. Not Donnie’s, like we planned, I’m Oliver’s.

They lean back in unison and eye me, sceptical.

“Your ex-boyfriend, Oliver,” Martin goes on, “is in a hospital because Donatello tried to drown him. That’s attempted murder in the first degree. Did you know Donatello has a clean record? Unlike his brothers, he is squeaky clean. Why would he do that for a girl he hasn’t seen in years?”

I don’t answer.

Because I know why.

Donnie didn’t do it.

His twin did.

And he loves his brother.

It’s not about me.

This is all about Tyler.

The lady officer leans forward, elbows to her knees, her strong shoulders betraying her gentle voice as she says, “Do you think he was trying to get information from you?”

I thought this would be harder. That anxiety would set in, or that my palms would sweat, but that’s not the case. I feel fine—grounded, even.

You got this, Vallie.

“Like I said, we just fucked a lot back then.” I try to make them uncomfortable with my crass response, but their expressions are schooled, reactions bullet-proof.

Bastards.

“Like a lot,” I add. “I barely remembered my own name by the time he was finished with me, let alone his brothers decades on.”

Too confident.

Calm down, girl.

That got him; Officer Martin combs my body quickly, then steels his expression when he sees me watching.

But the lady officer only smiles knowingly. “You don’t mind if we check in on you every now and then? Your safety is very important to us. And Dexter Vaughn has lodged a solid case for bail given the extended trial.”

“Is there any reason that I can’t see Tyler or Dexter? This is all a lot. I’m pretty shaken by the whole thing.” I have no idea if they are buying this. “Watching Donnie defend me like that.” I twist the perspective a little. “I’d like to talk to his brothers. I’m worried about him.”

“Just let us know if you see Tyler. He may know where Donnie is.” The lady sighs, her eyes rolling over my jawline. “Though, I’ll be honest, Oliver’s story doesn’t add up. You say he hit you, and I can see the bruise. Oliver says he was yelling at you from a distance. I don’t like men who hit women.”

I hold her gaze; a silent moment between us lures me to trust her a little. “Neither do I. I’ll give Dexter and Tyler your card if I see them, but I can’t be mad at Donnie for defending me.”

I stand up to encourage the conversation to end. “I’m really tired. I need to sleep. I don’t have any further information on where Donnie is.” That’s not a lie.

I walk to the door and open it, leaning to the side. “Please. I’m so tired.”