Page 147 of Depraved

“That’s not what I said.”

“You know what? We could go on all goddamn day, pointing fingers. But that won’t help us find Alyx. So I’m going to say this one more motherfucking time. You need to let me go. In here, I can’t do anything. I need to be out there so I can find her.”

The commissioner shook his head again, and this time I slammed my free fist on the motherfucking table.

“Let me fucking go!”

“Not a chance.” He leaned forward. “Right now, I don’t trust you, so until I figure out what the hell is going on, you’re staying here.”

That was the moment I decided to play my last fucking card. “I’ll talk, tell you everything you want to know.” I leaned over the table, pulling my lip up in a snarl as I whispered. “But you better make sure those recorders aren’t on and no one else is listening in on us because I will be mentioning our business during this conversation, Commissioner. As collateral. So, if by any chance someone is listening in on us, they’ll find out how dirty you really are, and you’ll end up going down with me.”

His thick eyebrows curled up. “Are you threatening me?”

“You bet your fucking ass I am. I’ve never had any problem playing dirty. But with Alyx’s life on the line, I’m willing to go far beyond simply playing dirty. I’ll turn fucking lethal, I swear to God.”

It was a good thing they had me cuffed, or they’d be arresting me for killing the police commissioner in the next five fucking seconds.

He stared at me for a few more moments, nothing but my wild heartbeat and rapid breaths cracking through the silence.

Finally, he stood, fastening the buttons of his suit jacket. He didn’t say a word as he walked out, leaving me behind. I yanked and tugged at the fucking cuffs, but I knew it was pointless. Didn’t stop me from trying, though. “Let me the fuck out of here!”

I lifted my knee and kicked the table, sending it flying across the goddamn room. I screamed, roared like the fucking devil. My insides were coiled with the flaming chains of hell, my heart on the verge of exploding as desperation to find Alyx consumed every molecule of my being.

The door opened, and the PC appeared. “I leave you in here for ten fucking seconds and you decide to rearrange the furniture?”

“Let’s just say I’m feeling a little on edge.”

As the door slammed shut, he stayed on the other side of the room. “Talk.”

I raised a brow. “Are we alone?”

He nodded. “Say whatever the fuck you want about our business. Just tell me what is going on with Alyx.”

That settled me a little, the fact that he mentioned we had ‘business’ clearly proving our conversation wasn’t being recorded. Alyx might be his daughter, but I knew he wouldn’t risk his reputation for anything…and that included saving his daughter.

I sniffed and wiped my face on my shoulder. “Alyx was with us, yes.”

“You son of a bitch.”

“Calm the fuck down and listen,” I warned. “We found her a few days ago, but I didn’t tell you because the threat hadn’t been eliminated yet.”

“What threat?”

“The Pythons. Slither made it clear he would come for her again, so we decided to keep her at our safe house until we managed to take them out. I didn’t wanna chance it by sending her home then letting her end up in Python hands again.” God, the lie sounded so fucking real, even I would have believed it.

The PC started pacing, rubbing his chin. “So, are you telling me you had her, but you didn’t tell me?”

I snorted. “Think about, man. If you knew she was safe, if you knew we had her, you would never have been able to pull off the act of a concerned fucking daddy. Slither is sly as fuck, and believe me when I say there’s no bullshitting that asshole. We couldn’t chance it by telling you.” I rolled my neck from side to side. “I wanted to make sure Slither wouldn’t be able to get to her, so I did what I had to, to protect her.”

He kept pacing, eyes downcast, mind seemingly running in every fucking direction. The tap of his leather dress shoes on the cement floor was starting to fuck with my brain.

“Can you stop pacing?”

He turned on his heel, his eyes pinned on mine. “Let’s say I believe you. Where is she now?”

“Jesus. Do you not think if I knew that I’d fucking tell you?”

“I need to think.”