Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
When the movie was over, it was late, and after a couple of lip brushes and some squeezes, Hugger sent me to my bed.
It was on the tip of my tongue to offer for him to come with me. Not jumping too far too fast, but he could sleep over the covers, me under them, and he’d get better rest.
I didn’t offer because, after Eskimo kisses and footsie and popcorn, and the brutal honesty he shared so openly with that documentary, I didn’t need the temptation.
So I went to bed alone without even a mini make out session to see me through.
It sucked.
But honestly, all that Hugger was giving told me he was going to be worth the wait.
12
AIR MATTRESS
Diana
My hip was moving, and I wasn’t doing it.
I opened my eyes to early morning sun, turned my head and saw Hugger looming over me.
Well then.
Good morning to me.
“Hey,” I whispered.
“Fucks me to wake you, babe, but Scott’s been on the phone and shit’s going down.”
I sat up so fast, I nearly crashed heads with Hugger.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
He sat on the side of my bed. “First, Madison’s people are at the police station. Probably not a surprise they’re being vocal about wanting to see her.”
“Crap,” I mumbled.
I’d hoped to have at least the morning to break the news to her and talk her into seeing them.
“And Scott told me something else.”
All sleep gone, I focused hard on him. “What’d he tell you?”
“That phone is not Imran Babić’s.”
Wait.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s his son’s. Esad Babić.”
Wait.
“What?”
Hugger shook his head. “Don’t know, Di. But Scott really wants to talk to Madison.”
There’s more I haven’t told you.
Maybe she didn’t mean what I thought she meant with that.
“Di?” Hugger called.
“I don’t know what to do with that.”
“I don’t either, but Scott told me something else.”
Fantastic.
“That being?” I asked, even if I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“There was a call during the time Madison had the phone from a number programmed in as ‘Otac,’ which apparently means ‘father’ in Bosnian. The call came in the morning after she showed at the emergency room and lasted fifteen minutes.”
“And this means she had the son’s phone, but talked to the dad.”
“I don’t know what it means, honey. I just know Scott told me that call came before the police interviewed her. So shit is now convoluted, because she named Imran Babić as her rapist, and they arrested him for that crime, but she’s got his son’s phone and shared yesterday it was the phone of the man who assaulted her.”
I made a face. “Father/son tag team rapists? Is this guy that gross?”
“Again, I don’t know, but Scott needs to, so as they investigate this, it doesn’t get fucked.”
Damn, crap, shit.
I pushed back in bed, reaching for my phone on my nightstand, mumbling, “I’m gonna call Scott.”
“You want me to bring you coffee?”
I stared at him while mentally unfurling more of the scroll on which I was writing the pro side of the Do I Want to Explore This with Hugger List.
If you’re keeping track, it was only the not-touchy thing that was on the con side, and he kept being touchy, so that was written in pencil.
“Would you?” I asked.
“’Course,” he muttered, bent in, touched my forehead with his bristly lips (another pro!) and then he left to get me coffee.
Were all bikers like this?
I really wanted to know.
I tried to decide if brushing my teeth or calling Detective Scott was my top priority and settled on the detective by a narrow margin because morning mouth was icky.
He picked up right away.
“Diana?”
“Hello, Detective Scott.”
“As I keep saying, you can call me Rayne.”
He had a really nice name to go with a really nice face.
In fact, before Hugger, he was totally my type.
But I bet he didn’t vacuum.
“Harlan filled me in,” I shared.
“Right.”
“So now I need to know what to do with Madison. I mean, can you come to us, where she feels safe? Or should I figure out how to get her to you?”
“Optimal for my purposes, if we can get her to open up, I’d want her in a room where I could get what she says recorded. But if we can get her to open up, I don’t care where it happens.”
“Gotcha on that. What about her family?”
“That’s your call. She’s not living in my space. But I’d urge you to make that happen soon. They know what happened to her and they’re coming apart at the seams.”
Damn, crap, shit.
Hugger came in with my coffee.
“Okay, give me a half an hour, and I’ll call you back.”
“Appreciated.”
“Later.”
“’Bye, Diana.”
By the time we disconnected, Hugger had handed me my coffee and was sitting again on the side of the bed.
I took a moment to sip and enjoy the view.
“Where we at?” he queried.
“Scott says it’d be better if the interview happened at the station so they can get it on tape. But I think we should let her family come here to see her.”