“Claiming that you were there alone is a terrible lie, Shay,” KC said mildly. “You’re better than that.”
“Not only did you pay cash when you usually put things on your card, but you hid the receipt,” I pointed out. “It screams that you’re tryna hide something.”
“I didn’t try to hide it!” At last, he let out some of his frustrations. “Jesus Christ, you should take a look at my other books. I use all kinds of shit as bookmarks. I didn’t hide the receipt in that book, goddammit.”
Now we pushed. We had to keep his emotions running. At this point, if we were angry, he would get angry too. And when he got heated, he made mistakes.
KC didn’t hesitate. He rose to his feet and planted his hands on the table. “If you didn’t hide it, why didn’t you tell your Owners about it? They didn’t know you had lunch there until River stumbled upon the receipt in the first place. Yet, you had no issues giving him a full recounting of the rest of your day.”
“There’s something about that lunch,” I stated. “You can’t deny it.”
“Yes, I fucking can, because nothing happened,” Shay snapped. “I fucking felt like going there, and I was fucking hungry. Sue me. Have you never had two burgers before?”
“Oh, I’ve had three and four too, but why buy two sodas?” I shot back. “You too lazy to get up for a free refill?”
KC chuckled, looking every bit as arrogant as he was trying to be. “Maybe he was tired from carrying all that spray paint.”
“Is that it, Shay?” I got up too, ready to circle the table. In my periphery, I saw Jordan, cowering in the corner, staring at us, taking things in like a tennis match he couldn’t look away from. “On that note, how much is a can of spray paint? Five bucks?Ten? Fifteen? Should we go through your bookcase and see if we find more receipts?”
It fueled me to see Shay’s breaths come out a little faster.
I stopped behind him and gripped his shoulders. I dipped down.
“Did you have to search a long time for paint that washes off in the rain?”
He clenched his jaw. “I didn’t fucking do it! I was just as surprised as everyone else when Reese and Colt stormed out and bitched about the graffiti!”
“That’s a lie,” I seethed. “I saw you. You tried to hide it, but you got spooked for a second. When you saw your Daddy angry, you were worried that you’d gone too far.”
“I didn’t?—”
“Have some integrity, boy,” KC snapped. “We already know it was you.”
I tightened my grip on his shoulders. “What we need to know is who your friends are. Who did you plan this with?”
“I’m not involve?—”
“Tell us the truth!” I growled.
Before Shay could raise his voice further and continue with his feeble defense, the door shot open, and Penelope stalked in.
“That’s enough!” She fired off a glare at me. “This interrogation is over, and you won’t get my girl in that seat either. You’re way out of line, boys.”
I narrowed my eyes.
The way Shay’s shoulders sagged with relief was damning in my eyes.
“What makes you say that?” KC turned his interrogator brain on her instead.
“Oh, knock it off, Hayles.” Pen dismissed him and headed straight for Shay. “Let’s go, sweetie.”
“No, you actually have to explain yourself, Pen.” That was Reese. He appeared in the doorway with River. “Why is their interrogation withourproperty over?”
Shay swallowed hard and remained seated.
“Because you got it all wrong!” She threw out her arms. “He’s not involved in some stupid prank—he’s protecting a secret of his own.”
I cocked my head. River and KC were observing her too.
