Page 45 of Risky Taste
“Heisa fucking liar,” I spit, my voice rising again, the anger surging past the fear. I can’t hold back the truth anymore while they’re blaming me for Kurt’s wrongdoings. “He set me up. He’s the one who did this to me—held me down, poured that shit on me, fired blanks by my ear to fuck with my head. He’s beentrying to ruin me since I was a kid apparently, and now he’s using this to finish it. I didn’t know anything about his shit.”
“Interesting story,” he muses. “But we’ve got his word, this picture, and a trail leading back to you. You’re not giving us much to work with here.”
“I’m not giving you anything. You want to pin this on me? Prove it. I’m not saying another word.”
A knock cuts through the haze, my gaze snapping to the door as it swings open. An older guy steps in, his suit crisp but worn, his hair graying at the temples, a grin tugging at his lips. “Afternoon, gentlemen. I’m Noah Strong’s counsel.”
There’s a couple moments of tense silence before the officers grumble their way out of the room, leaving me alone with the older gentleman.
“I don’t have a lawyer.”
“But Maura does, and she’s definitely sweet on you. Name’s Ed. Logan called her, she called me, and here I am.” He plops into the seat across from me that the shorter officer was just sitting in. “You’re not under arrest. What they’ve got is word of mouth from your brother—cousin, whatever—who took off earlier today. That’s it. No hard evidence, just his name-drop and the picture stirring up noise.”
“So, they have nothing?”
“No, they have you,” he pushes out, his tone leveling. “They think pressing the right buttons will drag Kurt back here, make him slip up. They’re fishing, Noah, and you’re the bait.”
I scoff, bitter, my hands twisting together. “We’re not close like that. He hates me. Always has.”
“I’m aware,” Ed says, nodding slow. “First thing is to get you home, out of this room. They’ll still have questions, reach out later, but right now they’re out for someone to pin this on, and you’re the easiest target.”
“What about that picture?” I ask, pointing at the folder, the image taunting me from the table. “I was incapacitated during that. I was barely conscious. He forced—”
Ed holds up a hand, cutting me off, his eyes flicking to the corners of the room. “Not here, Noah. You can tell me all about it when we get home, but right now anything you say here isn’t safe. Walls have ears.”
He stands, smoothing his jacket, before walking back over to the door and banging on it. It swings open, the older gentleman picking up a completely different persona than the one he had with me. “Either charge my client or we’re going home. Unlike his brother, there’s no need to run, because my client’s innocent. Excuse me.”
The officer’s jaw tightens, but he steps aside, gesturing us out. Ed claps a hand on my shoulder as I approach, guiding me past the officer. I keep my head down, my breath shallow, the ringing drowning out the murmurs around me.
“You’re free for now,” Ed mutters as we hit the parking lot, the cold air slapping my face. “But that picture’s a problem. We’ll deal with it—Kurt’s the one who’ll hang for this, not you.”
I nod, my hands shoved in my pockets, my stomach churning. “It’s everywhere. He wanted to ruin me. Hedidruin me. My license, my job—everyone’s seen it.”
“We’ll fight it. Get in. Logan and the others are waiting. We’ve got work to do.”
***
I drag myself out of the passenger seat as Ed pulls up to my place, the lawyer following me up the steps. Just opening the door brings back the warmth the station stole, Logan, Sebastian, Declan—crowding the entryway, their faces tight with relief.
Sebastian’s on me first, his arms wrapping around me, pulling me into his chest, and I sink into it. Logan’s next, his hands soft on my shoulders, a quick kiss brushing my forehead, and Declan shoves in, his lips finding mine, before he steps back to give me space.
Ed clears his throat and I pull away, my face heating as we shuffle to the kitchen table. Logan claps Ed on the shoulder. “Good to see you again, man. Sorry it’s not under better circumstances.” We sit, everyone’s eyes drifting to me before falling back to the lawyer.
“They’re putting pressure on Noah because they think he’s a lead to Kurt,” he offers. “There’s heat on Heath too, but it’s gonna get messy. They’ve got no solid evidence—just Kurt’s word and that picture stirring up shit online—but they’re desperate for someone to crack.”
I’m amazed at how much information Ed has been able to pull together since he was called. Then again, my men might have given him the rundown on top of whatever information he was able to research on the way over.
Declan slides my phone across the table, his fingers brushing mine. “Kurt sent you this. No idea what it means, but it seems like it could be the reason behind all this bullshit.” I frown, my stomach twisting as I press play, the speaker crackling as Kurt’s voice spills out. He’s obviously furious but I still don’t understand why.
“You deserve to die for making that phone call, Noah! You didn’t even know what was going on, didn’t know you just ruined an entire life. All you saw was something you didn’t like, and it condemned me forever!”He rants on, his words slurring with rage, and I sit there, frozen, my breath catching as a memory creeps in, sharp and sudden.
I’m six, crouched under the office table at my aunt’s house, playing hide and seek with Kurt. His footsteps thud upstairs, andI hold my breath, the game forgotten as voices filter through the door—my aunt and uncle. Words my mom always says were bad spill out:kill, murder,then my aunt’s laugh, a cold, evil sound hitting my ears. We weren’t supposed to be in the office. It was off-limits but it was also the best place to hide.
My parents weren’t going to be home for hours, calling them wasn’t an option because I couldn’t remember their number. I always asked my aunt for help. But Mom always told me,“Call 911 if you ever need help.”
So, I did. The moment they left the room, telling the guy on the other side of the phone that my aunt and uncle had said bad words. I blink, the memory fading, and look up, realizing what Kurt actually blames me for. “I called it in. My call to 911 helped the investigation—that’s how they caught Kurt’s parents. Holy shit. It makes sense he’s mad at me,” I say, frowning, “but I don’t get why he’d do all this just to get back at me. Most of what he’s done—fucking with deployments, the system—it’s got nothing to do with me. Bullying me as a kid or hurting me would’ve been faster. Hell, once he got old enough, he should have known that his parents were going to jail anyway, that they broke the law.”
Ed hums, tapping the table. “I’m not sure understanding Kurt’s motive will help us much. He’s already in too deep but it does explain why he’s targeting you or at the very least why he dropped your name. My only job is making sure you stay outside of jail. Maura might have threatened me a little and I quite like my job. She said, I’m fired as the family lawyer if I don’t keep her son-in-law out of jail. Her words, not mine.”
