Page 71 of Billionaire Bad Boy Auction

“He hasn’t been here?” the other officer asked.

I didn’t appreciate his tone. “No,” I said, my voice tight. “He hasn’t been here. Like I said, he took off after the festival. I don’t even know what state he’s in.”

The officer gave me a long look, his gaze sharp and assessing. “Mind if we take a look around? Just to be sure.”

I stiffened, my jaw clenching. I was automatically inclined to tell him to fuck off. Something ingrained in me from my youth. I had always been taught not to trust the police. But I also knew I had nothing to hide. Assuming Seth hadn’t broken into my house and was currently hiding inside. “You got a warrant?” I asked.

“Not yet,” he replied smoothly. “But if you’ve got nothing to hide, there’s no reason to make this difficult. Save everyone a lot of trouble.”

“And you know harboring a fugitive⁠—”

“He’s not a fugitive,” Portia quickly chimed in. Her hand tightened in mine again, a silent warning to keep my temper in check. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm.

“Listen,” I said, keeping my tone even, though it took effort. “Seth’s not here. He doesn’t have a key to the house, and he knows better than to show up after the shit he pulled. I haven’t seen him, and I sure as hell haven’t been hiding him. You want to waste your time looking around? Fine. But don’t come back here acting like I’m obstructing justice because my brother’s an idiot.”

“Dean’s not harboring him,” Portia said. “It’s rude to suggest he is. Dean isn’t the one that did anything wrong. You should back off the accusatory tone.”

I glanced at her, surprised by how effortlessly she’d stepped in. Like she was already in my corner, ready to fight for me even when I hadn’t asked her to. She was fierce.

“He hasn’t answered my calls,” I said. “I’ve been gone all day. I haven’t been home. So if he’s here, I sure as hell didn’t know about it.”

“You don’t have to let them search,” Portia said quietly.

I shook my head. “I don’t care. If he’s here, I don’t want him here. But I’m making it clear I didn’t know shit about shit.”

The cops exchanged a look.

“We’ll be following you,” Portia said firmly. “And you’re not digging through his underwear drawer.”

I almost laughed. I saw the cops do their best not to laugh as well.

“Let’s go,” I said.

I walked up to the back door with Portia still holding my hand. I unlocked the door and stepped inside, flipping on the lights. The house was silent. Portia followed close behind. The officers trailed us, their boots echoing on the hardwood floor as they spread out to check the rooms.

“Kitchen’s clear,” one of them called from the other room.

“Living room too,” the other responded.

I headed toward Seth’s old room—a space I hadn’t set foot in since he’d last crashed here months ago. The door creaked as I pushed it open, but there was no sign of him.

“Not here,” I said, stepping back into the hallway.

The officers finished their search quickly, confirming what I already knew. Seth wasn’t there. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t in trouble somewhere else.

“You hear from him, you let us know,” the first officer said as they headed for the door.

I nodded stiffly, biting back the urge to argue further. The door clicked shut behind them, leaving Portia and me alone in the foyer.

Portia turned to me, her green eyes searching my face. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied, running a hand through my hair. “Just pissed. Seth’s always been reckless, but now he’s dragging me into his bullshit. Although that’s nothing new.”

“Hey.” She stepped in front of me, forcing me to look at her. “Let’s go back to my place.”

This was my chance to come up with a reason for her to go home and me to stay in my own bed. But dammit, the temptation was too strong. I wasn’t interested in sleeping alone tonight.

“Alright.”