Page 54 of House of Ruin
Up until this moment, he hadn’t even known for sure he was the main suspect.
“Well, must be nice not to have a care in the world.”
“It sure is.” Blaze smirked. “But I see you don’t like your job very much, do you, Detective Vin?”
“What makes you think that?”
“The fact you’re harassing me in the streets despite being told to leave me alone by your boss.” The detective’s face didn’t even budge. Blaze eyed the man again. “Let me guess. You have trouble with authority, don’t you?”
Without waiting for the detective’s response, Blaze fell into step again. He crossed Main Avenue to the side of Venefica’s campus.
Which was a mistake. But Blaze realized a moment too late.
Next to the library, Galia and a few other Rats stood around the entrance, their attention fully on Blaze and the detective trailing him.
“Call it an instinct or a witch’s hunch, but something tells me you’re hiding something, Mister Leveau,” the detective probed again, falling into step next to Blaze.
If this man wasn’t going to back the fuck off, Blaze might actually have to commit murder.
“Is that so?” Blaze just kept walking, not even sparing a look at Vin.
But he knew the man was looking. He could feel his eyes boring into Blaze’s skull.
“I’ve spoken with a few students from the House of Monkeys, and they claim that you were with Fallon the night she was last seen,” the detective said. “They told me that you left the bar with her after it closed.”
Blaze’s heart picked up its pace.
He cursed himself for not remembering that night much after the few drinks he had. It was all hazy, and he had no recollection of Fallon besides that moment when he’d rejected her.
There was a chance the detective was just baiting Blaze. But there was also a chance that someone was conveniently trying to set Blaze up.
Students at Venefica wouldn’t miss a chance to lie.
Even to the authorities.
What happens when the king’s head is cut off?
Right then, Blaze realized the detective was talking, but he wasn’t listening.
“—were you suddenly guilty?”
“What?” Blaze stopped again, looking around the street before he crossed Main Avenueagain, close to the turn into Seventh Avenue.
“Jack Riverblood,” the detective repeated, following Blaze. “You called in the Dean and the administration. Was it done in the moment of weakness? Maybe after you regretted murdering him, even for a moment?”
Blaze turned into his street and stopped again. He curled his palms into fists by his sides as he came face-to-face with the detective.
“I did not kill Jack Riverblood, and neither did I kill Fallon Star,” he warned through clenched teeth. A smug smirk appeared at the corner of the detective’s mouth. “And if I were you, I’d fuck off right now. One call is enough to get you fired,Detective.”
The detective’s smile grew. “Oh, but you’re not gonna make that call, Mister Leveau.”
Blaze took a step back, glaring at the man in front of him. “I wouldn’t sound so confident.”
“You see, Mister Leveau, I know everything there is to know about you. About all your House members and their trust funds.” Vin looked smug as Hel as he straightened the lapels of his jacket. “This is not an official meeting. Not as far as anyone knows. As far as your father’s concerned, you’re off the hook and good to go. But let me tell you something, Mister Leveau.”
He stepped closer to Blaze.
“Just because your father called in a few favors doesn’t mean this case will go away. Once I have the evidence that you are the person behind the murders…”
