Page 93 of Wrecked By a Devil

This time he kisses me like we’ve got all the time in the world, there is no trace of rush or uncertainty behind it, as if he’s finally let his truth out. I kiss him back like my life depends on him, likehe’s my whole world and I don’t want to even imagine spending a day without him.

CHAPTER FORTY

Ezekiel

“We’ve gotta stop meeting like this,” Detective Salvatore is leaning back in the chair as my brothers and I walk into the conference room, a large smile on his face.

“Well, you’ve gotta stop thinking we are the main suspects for every little thing that goes wrong in the city,” I sit in my chair at the head of the table, not bothered to pretend that he’s welcome.

I notice that he came without his partner, detective Burgess. Instead, there is another familiar face seated next to him, his focus on the file in front of him. Detective Gerrard, Cain’s friend. The sight of the two men together makes my blood freeze for a brief second before I put my poker face back on.

“Michael,” Cain greets him taking his seat at the table.

Gerrard just nods without lifting his gaze, making me wonder what is in the file that has him so captivated.

“I didn’t realize you two were on a first name basis,” Detective Salvatore points out, curious about the brief interaction between my brother and Gerrard. I shoot Cain a look, wanting to scold him for being so reckless.

“We have worked together in the past,” Gerrard explains finally lifting his eyes to look at the senior detective.

“Right,” Detective Salvatore clears his throat as he turns to face me. We are all ready to hear the update on the Eden’s future. “After speaking with the rescued girls and checking the presented evidence, the Eden Club is no longer being treated as a suspect in human trafficking.”

A sense of relief washes over me at those words. It’s been a long and tough road and it almost ended my family.

“The girls each gave their statement,” Gerrard speaks. “We have enough evidence against Ronan Devlin and Cohen Banks to officially clear the club from the further investigation.”

“Good,” I nod, leaning forward, my elbows resting on the table. “I’m glad that this is has finally been cleared up.”

“You don’t look too happy for someone who’s just been told that they’re no longer a suspect in a case,” Detective Salvatore narrows his eyes, studying my face. I miss Detective Burgess, sheseemed to have him under control. Without her being present, the old man is becoming a pain in my ass.

“You wouldn’t look too happy either if someone has been taking your employees and selling them overseas,” I snap back.

“Okay,” Malachi cuts in before I say something that might harm us further. “But what about the events that happened at the port? A lot of men lost their lives.”

Thankfully, no one on our side, but I don’t say that at loud. Detective Salvatore looks like he couldn’t wait for me to give him another reason to start a new investigation on my family.

“You’re not going to be charged for that,” Gerrard explains, his expression cold. “Those deaths were self-defense and will be ruled as such.”

“Right,” Detective Salvatore nods, pulling one of the files from Gerrard. “Ronan Devlin and his men were armed at the time from what we managed to confirm, and they were actively trying to move the girls. We also came into possession of evidence that this wasn’t the first time he was doing it.”

“We will need you to come to the station tomorrow to fill out some of the paperwork since Cohen was your employee,” Gerrard’s eyes meet mine for the first time during this meeting. “But aside from that, I’d say the Eden can put this issue behind it.”

“Thank you for coming,” I get up from my chair and the two detectives follow my lead. “And no offense, but I hope not to see you again around here unless it’s for a fun night out and to grab a drink.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Detective Salvatore laughs.

After the two men leave, I head back to my office. While the Eden’s name might have been cleared, I still have a lot of work to take care of so my brothers and I can fix the damage all of this did to our reputation.

Levi knocks on my office door, cracking it open and sticking his head inside before I even answer. “Care some for coffee?” I notice he’s carrying two large cups in both hands already.

My youngest brother he places the cup on the desk in front of me. “So, what are working on?”

Riley

“Are you going to take that?” Lexi glances at my phone on the coffee table that has been vibrating for a while.

Zeke insisted I take a few days off to recover after everything I’ve been through and my roommates decided to keep me company. We spent the entire afternoon binge watching movies and eatingcheap delivery food. I have to admit it feels nice not having to do anything, but it’s a feeling I don’t want to get used to.

“Wasn’t planning to,” I admit, not willing to explain anyone why I ended up on the news. I had a few of my classmates call me earlier this morning to ask if I was okay. It was exhausting having to explain what happened to each one of them.