Page 49 of Beck

“Always.”

Despite knowing the bike still made Kole a little uneasy, Beck roared off, delighting in the tightening of Kole’s arms and the slight noise he heard before the wind whipped it away. Beck kept to the speed limit through the streets of London, weaving his way to the police station. The closer they came, the more his stomach churned and his chest ached. What had they found?

It took every ounce of stubbornness to stop the bike in the car park and not carry on until he reached the ocean. Breathing deeply, he turned off the bike, holding it steady while Kole climbed off, and then kicked the stand into place. He gripped his helmet tightly, feeling the sturdiness of it beneath his leather gloves, before locking it and Kole’s to the bike so he didn’t have to carry it.

“I’m here, Beck. Whatever they say, I’m here.”

Beck stared into Kole’s eyes, immediately feeling grounded. He cupped Kole’s jaw, brushing his thumb over his cheek. “I willnever understand what I’ve done to deserve you giving me your time,” he whispered.

“You must’ve been a saint in a previous life.”

It took a second for his words to sink in, but then Beck snorted a laugh. “I must’ve been.” He dropped his hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re extremely welcome. The bill is in the post.”

Beck shook his head, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face. It was so much easier to face the police with Kole by his side. Why had he not done it before? He shoved that down, grabbed Kole’s hand and strode for the doors. His heart skipped a beat when he entered, but he ignored it and stopped at the counter.

“I’m here to see—”

“Mr Cavanagh, this way.”

Beck looked to the side where Detective Haynes stood. Tightening his hand around Kole’s, he led the way. Haynes paused outside a door, glancing at Kole.

“He’s staying,” Beck said before the officer could object.

Haynes hesitated but nodded, opening the door and gesturing for them to enter.

“Give us a couple of minutes,” Haynes said.

The detective closed the door behind them, leaving Beck standing in the centre of a windowless office. Again. Not for long, though.

Conrad entered before Haynes and closed them in again. “It’s good to see you again, Mr Cavanagh.”

“Beck, please.” Conrad nodded. “What is this about?”

“Have a seat. We have a bit of information to share and then a request.”

Beck swallowed and let go of Kole’s hand. They settled into chairs, and he said, “What’s happened?”

Conrad leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. “As I mentioned, we were going to look into Drake Price’s past. Well,we did, and what we found was a trail of people. Some of whom are also willing to testify.”

Beck covered his mouth, staring at Conrad. He wanted to ask who but knew that was confidential. The only other thought that kept going around his head was, “How many?”

Conrad’s expression softened, as much as it could. “Seven.”

“But we think there has been more,” Haynes added.

“Don’t forget, if you tell anyone about this, I’ll find a new playmate. Maybe Rebecca or Sarah. Maybe even Allan, if I’m feeling generous,” Drake sneered, his face too close for Beck to focus on fully.

“I won’t,” Beck said, swallowing the sob that wanted to escape. If that happened, Drake would make things worse.

“Good. Now be a good boy and turn over.”

Beck returned to the room with a shaky inhale to find Kole rubbing his back and a glass of water clasped in his hands that he didn’t remember reaching for.

“How are you doing?” Kole asked.

“Just peachy.” He coupled it with a small smile to show he wasn’t as far gone as they probably thought he was. “How did you find so many so fast?”

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