Series: Shame On You Series by Willow Winters
Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51495 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51495 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Mauer is a bigger prick than I could have imagined. There’s a slight yellow tinge to his teeth that reminds me of my father’s friends growing up.
The question that irritates me the most is how the hell did I not know about this fucker?
With reddened cheeks that hang just slightly with his older age, and dark bags under his eyes, Mauer looks like shit. Sleepless nights and anger coat his expression. He narrows his eyes, “You’re not going to get away with it.”
Heat licks across my skin as anger threatens to come to the surface. Half of his notes had whereabouts for meetups with our business partner N. Half were about Scarlet and my Braelynn.
Scarlet was his informant but she knew shit she shouldn’t have. There are two possibilities:
There’s another rat, which is what my gut is telling me.
Someone gave Scarlet information…which could have been my unsuspecting Braelynn.
I swallow thickly as I lean back in the metal chair. The two front feet come off the ground just slightly and I let it fall back down to the ground recklessly.
“Get away with what exactly? Suspicion of arson is what you got me on…which is weak as fuck. Given I have a solid alibi and you just decided it was me—” I lean forward, clasping my hands and giving him a look of pity as I add, “That’s not how the law works.”
I shouldn’t be saying shit, but I’m pissed.
Today was all for my girl. To give her the world and spoil her and make sure she knows she’s protected. And then this dumb fuck showed up…rage simmers in my blood.
“Listen here you little shit. I know every fucking move your family has taken. Every associate, every dime that’s been funneled and washed, every time you pieces of shit jaywalked,” he huffs in a rushed breath to practically sneer, “I only let it go so I could get to the bigger fish.”
My lip quirks a twitched smile, I know he’s full of shit. There is no bigger fish and both of us know it. We own the whole fucking coast. If he knew everything, he’d sure as fuck know that.
I let my knuckles rap on the table, finding myself falling into Carter’s habit. His gaze flinches down to my hand. He’s nervous. The detective shows signs of spiraling. Either from having a personal loss, or maybe from losing his book of bullshit on us. Maybe, like the two cops who worked for him, he might be losing the case.
“I really wish I could help you, but I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about,” I tell him, sitting back in my seat once again.
He rolls his shoulders and the wrinkled suit stretches over his broad frame. Mauer takes a moment to crack his neck and all the while I wait. If his clenched fist is anything to go by, he’s going to punch me.
That would be all too easy for me though. A restraining order against him would seal the deal. His gaze meets mine, narrowed and enraged, telling me he’s all too aware of that fact.
He’s yet to sit. Leaning over the table, knuckles of both fists against the metal, he tells me, “We know the money coming into that bar isn’t the money going out.”
My heart beats all wrong once and then twice. He’s referring to the info from Braelynn. Or at least information only she was supposed to have. I swallow thickly, trying not to think of that right now.
“All you have are theories and made-up evidence. My lawyer alerted me to those numbers and they don’t match what’s filed.”
He only grunts.
“Your detectives should have done their due diligence, none of that information matches what was filed.”
Heat coats my skin as I realize, had I given Braelynn the real numbers, I could be locked up for evasion, fraud, and laundering. More than once in the last decade I’ve narrowly escaped hard time. Never due to a woman I loved though. Hell…I’ve never loved a woman. I’m out of my depths.
“Mr. Cross?” his hardened voice raises and I’m brought back to the present. Back to being irritated and wanting nothing more than to get the fuck out of here.
“What?”
“You really think you’re going to get away with this?”
“Away with what exactly?”
“With everything you and your brothers have done. It’s going to catch up to you sooner or later and you’re all going down.”
I crack my own neck, more irritated than anything else. “Do you have any actual fucking questions for me?”
“I didn’t bring you in to talk,” Mauer tells me before standing up straighter. “You’d plead the fifth in any deposition like you have before. No fucking use.”
My brow cocks as I wait for him to tell me whatever the fuck it is he wants to get off his chest.