Page 73 of Explosive Union
I’m led outside to the waiting car, and I push out the angry words coming from my family. They’re worried, I get that, but right now there’s nothing that can be done other than ensuring Annemarie is at the police station.
“I’m gonna get you the fuck out of here,” Rocco promises me as I’m put into the back of the police car. “Trust me,” he tells me.
“I do,” I whisper. “I’ll see you soon,” I promise him.
Some of the anger leaves his eyes. “Bet your ass,Principessa. We’ve got plans tonight.”
Relief washes through me. He’s not giving up. He expects me to be home soon. Good. His eyes harden once the detective closes the car door.
I just pray my family calms the hell down and nobody does anything stupid. The very last thing I need is for one or both of my brothers to fuck up and land themselves in jail.
The ride to the police station is quiet, and the mood is somber. I have a feeling I'm being arrested for the murders of those bastards that raped me. But I have no idea how the cops would have found out it was me. I never told a soul, other than my family, what had happened to me. I doubt the COs bragged about what happened. Either way, I'm going to get to the bottom of it today.
Once I'm processed, I’m brought into an interview room. The detective from earlier is sitting in front of me. It suddenly clicks. His surname is Barker, and those misty blue eyes of his are so much like the Cos Barker. Damn it, I should have known. This is personal for him, which makes this a hell of a lot worse for me.
He’s the only person besides me in this room. I’m still waiting for Annemarie. She should damn well be here by now. Where the fuck is she?
“Miss Gallagher, do you know why you're here?” Detective Barker asks me, his voice growly and his eyes raging with anger.
I shake my head. “Not a clue,” I respond nonchalantly. I will not be giving these bastards anything. “All you've said is that you are arresting me on suspicion of murder. I've been very cooperative so far. So, I would like to know whose murder I've been accused of.”
The detective's lips thin as he pushes them together. “We have reason to believe that you are responsible for the deaths of John Rice, Colin Barker, Justin Jones, and Lincoln Andrews.”
“Who?”
His smile is taunting. “Now, Miss Gallagher, you should know these men. After all, you were incarcerated and these men were the correctional officers that were stationed in your cellblock.”
Oh, he thinks he’s so smart. Asshole. He has no idea who the hell he’s playing with.
I tilt my head to the side. “Which would they be again? I mean, I was incarcerated for five years. There were a lot of correctional officers. As you probably know, I was a model inmate. I did my time without any trouble. I didn’t get to know many of the COs.”
“Bullshit,” he fires back, his body jolting further so he’s leaning over the table. “You knew these men. What happened while you were inside, Miss Gallagher? Hmm? What the fuck did you want revenge for?” He reaches for the folder that’s beside him, pulling out photo after photo of all four dead men.
I flinch when he puts them in front of me. That’s what a normal person would do, right? Flinch away from something horrific? I advert my eyes, playing the innocent victim. All the while I want to smile. These bastards deserved everything they got and a whole fucking lot more.
“These four men are dead, Miss Gallagher. I don’t believe in coincidences, and I sure as fuck don’t think that you being released, and the very next day, these men start dying, is a coincidence. So, how did you do it?” He gets to his feet and crosses his arms over his chest.
I laugh. Does he really think he can intimidate me? I’m a motherfucking Gallagher. There’s no such thing as intimidating one of us. But he’d best be careful, or he’ll be next on my hitlist. “You think me, all five-foot-three of me, is capable of murdering them?”
His eyes narrow as he moves around the table so that he’s towering over me. The fucking ass. “I know you did it.”
I raise a brow. “Did what exactly?”
His hand slams so very close to my own on the table. “We both know you killed these men, Jade. What happened? Did they do something to you?”
Oh, this prick has to know exactly what his brother did. There’s absolutely no way he doesn’t. Why would I be here otherwise?
I blink innocently at him. “As I’ve already said, Detective, I don’t know these men.”
He inhales deeply, his nostrils flaring as his brown eyes rage. “Lies,” he hisses.
“Really now, Detective, is this how you treat all your suspects? Badgering them until they give a false confession?” I ask sweetly. I’m annoying him, and I’m enjoying it. This fucker knows damn well what’s happened and he wants a full confession. Well, he can go fuck himself on a stick. It’s never going to happen and there’s no proof I did, in fact, kill those men. If there were, this charade he’s playing wouldn’t be happening.
He storms out of the room, and I lean back into my chair, my gaze fixed firmly on the two-way mirror. I’m wondering where the fuck Annemarie is. This is why no one trusts her fucking ass. She’s not here when we need her.
The door opens and bounces off the wall, and Detective Barker storms in, slamming the door closed behind him and flipping the lock. Oh, someone is definitely in a bad mood. He strides toward me, his steps purposeful. He doesn’t hesitate; he raises his hand and viciously backhands me. Pain erupts from my cheek as the force of the blow takes me from my chair and I fall to the floor. I don’t make a sound as his foot lands on my midsection. He lands blow after blow to my body, every single one of them at his full force.
“Admit that you killed him,” he snarls. “I know he fucked you. You were begging for it.” Spittle flies from his lips.