Page 74 of Toy No More

The woman leans closer, her expression serious. “We have a few questions about the recent fire on 12 Fernhill Road. The neighbors claim they saw a car leaving the area near the time of the accident, and we have matched it to one you drive.”

I try my best to not show panic, but sweat already trails down between my shoulder blades. They can’t know. There were no neighbors. I parked at the back and…

A scent touching my nose completely derails my train of thought. I blink, staring at the woman. She’s an alpha. Her pheromones are faint—she’s not even releasing them on purpose, I don’t think—but they do smell of peaches, almost like peach iced tea.

My entire body tenses up. I can’t control it. I can’t think about anything else besides the fact that if she wanted to, she could bring me to heel right now. I’m already cracked, my psyche weak and tired from what happened. One deliberate wave of her pheromones and she could get me to confess everything. That knowledge upturns my stomach, and I barely suppress the urge to throw up.

“I…I’m really not feeling too good. Would you mind coming around another time?”

She makes the kind of expression that clearly says ‘damn, he really doesn’t look well’ and shares a glance with her partner, who gives a nearly indistinguishable headshake in a response.

I’m not getting out of this, am I?

“We will be brief, sir,” the man says, keeping that professional tone still, but there’s the slightest amount of pressure behind his words. “We only have a few clarifying questions, nothing more.”

Gulping, I dart my eyes to the floor. I could easily say no. They have no right to just barge into my home without a warrant, or with this little evidence. I could demand a lawyer, and they would be obligated to abide by that request. But…the paranoia brews inside my head. It bubbles like water itching to boil.

Wouldn’t it be suspicious if I sent them away? Why would a regular, innocent citizen refuse to have a brief talk if they had nothing to hide?

‘If you refuse, they’ll know you’re guilty’,a panicked voice in my mind screams. I’m not in the right headspace for this. I know that. And yet…

“Alright,” I mutter, stepping to the side.

After undoing the latch, I hesitantly allow them to enter. With those polite smiles, they both step past me, glancing around with curiosity briefly before they walk into the living room area. I motion for them to sit down on the couch and then lean against the recliner to the side, folding my arms over my chest. Partially to hide my trembling hands. Partially to let them know that this is all the hospitality they’re going to get.

“Let us get to the point. Were you in the vicinity of the scene of the crime at roughly 10 PM that night?” the woman asks, resting her hands pressed together in her lap.

“Suppose I was in the area,” I say, successfully keeping my voice firm. “I didn’t even hear about it until I got home. I’m…I’m a driver. I take clients where they need to go. I’m sure I’ve been ‘near’ plenty of crimes in the city cuz I drive around plenty of places in a day.” My tone might verge on combative, but they can’t just expect me to admit to it. Even when I’m like this, they won’t get it that easily.

The two share a glance again. “I see,” the woman, Agent Evans, says.

“So you were in the area? Have you noticed any suspicious activity?” Agent Colton asks.

I raise my brows, acting clueless. “Suspicious as in…?”

“It was a large fire, with many victims. The act would seem deliberate, so I’d say a larger group were involved.”

I take a slow, controlled breath. “I’m sorry. When I drive, I’m the sort of person to just focus on the road and the destination. I don’t look around much or study the scenery. I’m afraid it was a long day, so even if I was looking, I probably wouldn’t remember. There areplentyof other people who were in the area that you can ask, I’m sure.”

There’s a slight smirk on the woman’s face. Like she knows I’m lying. “Mr. Saber,” she says, pausing with a sigh, “let us be candid with each other. We know what you do, and we know who you work for.” Crossing one leg over the other, she gives me a look of total acceptance.

I fix my expression to be unmoving and neutral, even if my heart pounds inside my chest like a church bell.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Agent Colton chuckles bitterly. “You work as a driver for the known gang leader by the name of Jasper Zane. You are free to deny that, but it doesn’t change the facts.”

My throat keeps closing on itself. “If this is what you believe about me,” I suggest sheepishly, “then why am I not being arrested right now?”

Agent Evans smiles. For a moment, I’m not afraid of what she is and the power she holds. For a moment, she looks just like any normal woman, with clear tan skin and bleached hair elegantly pulled back into a bun.

“As I said, let’s be honest with one another. Our higher ups don’t think this is a wise idea, but the two of us believe there’s an opportunity to make everyone happy. We’ve been monitoring Zane for years. With his father in charge, there wasn’t much we could do. Solomon Zane was very smart about which powerful, influential individuals he’s kept in his pocket. Police in this city have long been corrupt, and they too will be dealt with in due time. What’s most important is that now that Solomon Zane is out of the way, we know that Jasper Zane will act without impunity. He is going to escalate. There will be more chaos, more violence, and more people that suffer under hisleadership.”

The extent of what they are aware of and freely tell me puts a new fear into me. This isn’t some little investigation. This is in full swing. They must have things on me, too.

The world spins. This apartment, the life I have, my family…it all buzzes around my head in the form of incoherent, flashing images as it’s threatened to be snuffed out. My life will be over. Skyler and Marci will end up alone.

“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask in a choked up, tense voice. Digging my fingers into my biceps as I have them crossed is all that’s keeping my breath steady.

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