AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If she knew how often I lay awake and watch her sleep, she’d probably call me weird.
“I would’ve preferred to be at the waterfall swimming with my husband.” Then, opening her eyes, she locks a steely glare on me and sends a lick of adrenaline bolting through my blood. “The guy the cops are looking at for the little girl’s murder has done it before.”
“Who?” I ask. “Who is he?”
“Laramie Fentone. He’s nearly fifty, and he’s spent about eighty percent of his adult life behind bars. Not always for sex crimes, but often with an element of it. Cops think this one was him, too, and they figured him for one last year, but he had an alibi that wouldn’t budge.”
“They often do,” I grumble. “Does he have an alibi for this one?”
“Mm. But the guy covering for him is an old cellmate, and not exactly a pillar of society himself. They’re both scum,” she spits out. “So Detective Franklin is chasing them down and working to destroy those alibis. If he breaks one, he can put two of them away.”
“Sounds like Franklin’s a solid cop,” I concede, though the thought of her working with someone else burns me up. “I hope he catches his guy and finds justice for the little girl.”
“Hmm…” She closes her eyes again, but this time, a sweet smile follows. “Me too. Fletch has been helpful. Pulling files for me.”
“On the organ harvest case?”
“Fentone’s files,” she counters gently. Maybe evenwhimsically. “He was a little grumpy about it when I asked, but he agreed and ran the guy for me.”
“But why do you need Fentone’s files? Why Fletch? I thought you said Franklin’s working the case.”
“He is,” she sighs. Sleepy. Sleepy. Almost asleep. “But I can’t ask him for confidential files like that. I don’t even know the guy.”
“So why are you asking Fletch?” I want to tap her shoulder. Poke her. Wake her up and demand she make sense. “Minka? Why’d you ask Fletch for Laramie Fentone’s jacket?”
“Because if Detective Franklin can’t break those alibis and secure a conviction, then I wanna make sure I have all the information before I make a move.”
“What?” I shove up in bed, tweaking my healing shoulder, and shake my phone like an idiot. “Minka? What move are you making?”
She smiles in her sleep. Dreaming. Happy. “Justice has to be served,” she mumbles. “Justice will be served.”
ARCHER
“Wake up, soft cock.”
I startle awake to sunlight pouring through my bedroom windows, and Felix’s stupid face leering over me as he eats a sandwich and drops crumbs on my bed.
When our eyes meet, he takes another heaping bite, and winks. “Time to get up and work.”
“It’s too early.” I turn away with a groan and drag the covers over my head to block out the harsh sunlight. I scrunch my eyes closed and search for sleep. For rest after a restless night. My head thuds and my eyes burn, but already, thoughts of Minka drag me closer to consciousness. “It’s still the middle of the night in Copeland.”
“It’s six in the morning in Copeland.” Setting his boot on the bed, he kicks hard enough to jolt the entire frame. “That’s way past the middle of the night, pussy. Get up.”
“Fuck off.” I turn to my back and use my arm like a hammer to slam against his thigh. Then, while his breakfast explodes over my sheets and he drops his hand to furiously rub the ache from his leg, I curl in on myself and squeeze my eyes shut.
Sleep. Sleep! Go the fuck back to sleep.
‘Justice must be served.’
“Goddammit.” Flopping over again, I throw my covers off and sneer at my worthless brother. “Dammit, Felix! Why’d you wake me up? I only just closed my fucking eyes.”
“You’ve been in here like seven hours,” he chuckles. He eats sandwich fillings straight from my bed, picking them up like I wasn’t sleeping and sweating on the sheets all night long. “Seven hours is plenty of shuteye for a young, healthy, robust guy like you, right?”
“Robust?” Disgusted, I push off the bed and stomp toward the attached bathroom so I can piss. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Wha’?”
“Who saysrobust?”
