Glaring, I focused my eyes on Miller. Who did this guy think he was? Did he really think he could talk to me like that and get away with it?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I growled. “I don’t know anyone in New York and I haven’t left Vegas for weeks. You can ask my staff here at the casino and my men, they’ll all vouch for me.”

Now it was me who was grinning. I’d covered my bases before I left Vegas. I’d used an alias name when traveling. I used a private plane, and I had plenty of alibis already set in place. They could look anywhere they wanted, but they wouldn’t be able to tie me to this.

“Well, let’s start with your staff, Jake. We’ll see how many people you’ve paid off and see if one of them will crack.” Miller smirked before he and his officers left the room.

Rico followed them out before coming back into the living room.

“Holy shit, boss. They moved fast. If they know your name, then that means....” His voice trailed off.

“It means my girl’s alive or that she told someone about me,” I finished the sentence for him.


REED

MY PHONE vibrated and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Robbins calling.

"I'll stay. You go take that," Lexi said, glancing up from the book she was reading.

When I stood up, I instantly felt the soreness in my shoulder and in my ribs.

Taking just a few steps away from where I was sitting, I answered, "Tell me you found him." I didn't even bother saying hello. My patience was all run out, and I was too eager to hear what he had to say to me.

Holding my breath, I waited for his reply. I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand knowing that asshole was out there living while Emily was lying in a hospital bed.

"We did," he said finally, and I sighed loudly. "Mr. Terrell returned to his casino in Las Vegas just a few minutes ago. The cops showed up not long after him, and they have been inside with him ever since. What do you want me to do?"

What do I want you to do? I wanted him to kill him. I never wanted to give him the chance of hurting her again. I didn't want him to breathe another breath. I wanted him to pay. I wanted him to feel the pain that she'd had to feel.

Squeezing my eyes tight, I knew I couldn't have all of those things, not right now at least. "Keep me updated. Let me know when the cops leave. They better leave with him in cuffs."

The day went by without any change. It wasn't until the next morning that they allowed me to see her again. She looked the same but had a few more wires hooked up to her. The doctor made a few more rounds during the day but didn't have anything new to say. We were still waiting for her to wake up. I wanted to scream at him and ask him what the fuck that meant, but I knew it wasn't right to take my anger out on him. The only person that deserved my rage was Jake. I was getting anxious because I still hadn't heard back from Robbins. I was expecting a phone call that he had been arrested. That we were finally getting some justice.

"Mr. Alexander." A younger nurse, one that I hadn't seen before, poked her head into the room. "There are a couple of detectives out here to see you."

My heart pounded. The first thought was that they got him. They arrested Jake. Eager to hear the news, I made my way to the door and only half stepped out. I didn't want to leave Emily alone.

"Mr. Alexander, my name is Detective Palmer and this is my partner, Detective Wallace. We questioned you a few days ago."

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, we have a few more questions for you, if you have a moment."

"I already told you everything I know."

"Yes, well, we have some new information and we'd like to discuss it with you. It should only take a few minutes."

Turning my head, I glanced back and looked at Emily. My heart ached seeing her lying there motionless.

"I'm not leaving her right now." I looked back toward the detectives. "You'll have to wait until my sister gets here. She's on her way in now."

They nodded. "We can wait. The hospital has reserved a room for us to talk in. It's down on the second level, room 208. Just head down there when you can."

19

REED

I SAT in a small, simple room with three black, metal chairs and a matching metal table. It looked as though the detectives had taken over an unused office in the hospital, turning it into their interview room. There were no pictures on the walls, making it feel even more unwelcoming. My right knee was bouncing up and down as I waited for the detectives to come in. The nurses down the hall told me they had gone to get some coffee and would be right back.

The longer I waited, the more frustrated and angry I got, knowing that Emily could wake up at any second and I wouldn't be there. As much as I wanted to say screw it and go back to her, I wanted to hear what the detectives had to say. They told me they had new information and I fully expected them to tell me that Jake had been arrested. I wanted to know what the hell was going on. Why it was taking so long. Why they didn't have the asshole locked up yet.

If the detectives didn't do their job and he walked, he'd just come after her again, and this time, she might not be as lucky. I had already made a decision that there wouldn't be a next time. I wouldn't give him the chance to come for her again.

The door opened and Detective Palmer, along with his partner, Detective Wallace, walked into the room. They were both older men. Detective Palmer looked healthy and still had a headful of brown hair, with only the tips of his sideburns showing grey. Detective Wallace, on the other hand, was overweight with grey hair. They were both dressed in fancy suits and both wore serious expressions on their faces.

Detective Palmer set a cup of coffee down in front of me. "Earlier it looked like you could have used one of these," he said. I glanced at the coffee, not saying a word. These guys were still the enemy in my eyes. They hadn't arrested the bastard yet. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I've been better." My voice was short, clipped.

Detective Palmer nodded as he opened up a notepad. "Well, I just have a few more questions about the night of the accident. Can you go over what you remember with me?"

Is he frickin’ joking? "I've already gone over it with you. I told you everything a few days ago." My heart started to beat hard in my chest. This is what they wanted? For me to go over the same crap again? This is a waste of my time.

"We like to question the victims the moment they wake up so the information is fresh, but we also like to wait a few days and then question again, just in case the victim remembers something new. It helps to fill in the holes if there are any."

Holes? What the hell is he talking about? I told them everything—everything that I remembered. There hadn't been any new revelations on my end. As I sat there and looked at the detectives, I wondered if they had a few new revelations of their own, ones they were keeping from me.

"I don't remember anything new." My voice was flat, uninterested. Now that I knew this was going to be a waste of time, I just wanted to get back to Emily.

"Just tell us what you remember again. You may be surprised," Detective Wallace spoke up.

My glare moved from Detective Palmer to the man sitting beside him.

Everything from that night was still a blur, but I went ahead and told them everything again.

Detective Palmer flipped a few pages and looked up at me. "So Emily had been running from this guy, Jake Terrell, for a few months. Is that right? And she used to live in Las Vegas before coming to New York?"

"Yeah, that's right. Emily didn't get a chance to explain everything to me before the accident, but Lexi can tell you more. Emily told her some other stuff. I thought you interviewed Lexi, too? Didn't she tell you what she knew?"

"Yes, we did interview Lexi," he said. "We're just trying to get the story straight."

Get the story straight? What is he getting at?

"And you and Emily are together… a couple?" Detective Wallace asked.

I didn't like his tone. My eyes narrowed on him. He was making me feel like I was the perpetrator.

"Yes, we are together," I answered sternly.

"And you've been together for a few months now? And your sister and Emily met at a self-defense class?" It started to feel like he was insinuating that either Lexi or I was lying or keeping something from him.

"If you have something to say to me, say it. I won't sit here and let you treat me like I'm the criminal when the asshole that did this to us is still out there."

Both detectives looked up at me, surprised at my words. I wasn't in the mood to deal with this.

"Well, here's the thing," Detective Palmer said. "I've spoken to the police in Las Vegas. They finished interviewing Jake Terrell, and he was confused and shocked by our allegations. He has five people that all say he has been in Las Vegas at his casino the days of the accident and afterward. They said there was no way he could have been in New York. We've checked the flight logs for all the major airlines and didn't see his name on any of them. We're in the process of checking private flights, but that information will take a little longer to get back. Right now, we’re stuck in a difficult spot until we can talk to Emily and get her account of the events. So we only have you and your sister saying that you think it was Jake, based on what Emily told you. Neither of you saw him personally, so you can see where we have a problem."