Page 7 of Moonlit Nights & Northern Lights
I was being ridiculous. I knew that, really. But is there anything worse than having your mind, the most private part of you, invaded without your consent?
Smiling sweetly, I channelled all my rage into screaming obscenities inside my head.Here’s a thought for you: go fuck yourself with that stick up your ass.
The muscle in his jaw ticced. Good.
Priya elbowed me in the ribs. “Behave,” she hissed.
Seb cleared his throat, adjusting his cuffs in that way he did when he was about to be all official. “First, I’d like to thank Detective Maxwell for joining us this evening on such short notice.”
Maxwell nodded, his expression carefully blank. “Happy to help.”
“So we’re all on the same page,” Seb said, “Rory is going to begin the meeting by explaining to you all what he relayed to me on the phone.”
All eyes locked onto me like laser sights, making my skin prickle. The sofa creaked as I shifted, suddenly hyper-aware of every tiny sound in the room—Kit’s heavy breathing, the tick of that ancient grandfather clock Seb refused to get rid of.
My throat went dry. God, I hated that feeling. It yanked me straight back to being fourteen, standing in front of my class while the teacher tapped their foot, waiting for an answer I didn’t have. The same hot flush crept up my neck, and my leg started bouncing before I could stop it.
“Um…” I cleared my throat. “So a few days ago, I started getting worried about my ex-boyfriend Dev. He’s gone radio silent on social media, which is weird for him.”
“Perhaps he’s taking a mental health break.” Maxwell’s deep voice cut through the room like a knife through butter. “Not everyone needs to document their every move online all the time.”
The condescension in his tone made my teeth ache, and I swallowed down a retort about Maxwell being too boring to have anything interesting to post online.
“Yeah, you don’t know Dev. He’s even more addicted to his phone than I am. The man goes live just to document his morning coffeeroutine. He once did a thirty-minute story about choosing between two nearly identical pairs of shoes.”
“So he hasn’t posted in over a week now?” Felix asked, fiddling with the cuff of his hoodie.
“Seven days, thirteen hours.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “Not even a story. Or a like. Nothing.”
Maxwell’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you check your ex’s profile every single day?”
“Umm… yes?”A completely, totally normal thing to do.“He posts good recommendations of new places to go around London,” I said, but it sounded weak to my own ears. Like explaining why you still had your ex’s spare toothbrush under your sink. Just in case.
“That part isn’t important, Maxwell,” said Priya, and I felt a rush of affection for my best friend.
Yeah, Maxwell.
“I’m just trying to get all the facts.” Maxwell’s words sliced through the air. “Itisimportant if Rory is overreacting.”
My muscles coiled tight, ready to spring. The wolf inside me bristled, hackles raised. How dare he? Like I was some hysterical ex who couldn’t let go.
“Detective, I’m confident Rory isn’t overreacting,” said Seb. “Listen to what he has to say.”
Priya’s hand squeezed my knee, grounding me. The gentle pressure reminded me to breathe, to focus on the warmth of her palm rather than the urge to launch myself across the room and wipe that look off Maxwell’s face.
“Actually,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “I think this might be connected to what happened at Meridian Medical Research Centre.”
The temperature in the room plummeted. Maxwell’s expression darkened like storm clouds rolling in.
Freddy, sensing my rising anxiety, pressed himself closer against my stomach, his tiny claws digging into my shirt.
“If you remember that,” I added, unable to stop myself.
“Do I remember the break-in where you acted without obtaining Sebastián’s permission, got caught on CCTV, assaulted two security guards, and compromised any chance of obtaining the evidence you were seeking?”
There was a horrible silence while Maxwell’s words stabbed themselves into me. Not tiny pinpricks, but jagged shards of truth I couldn’t deny, causing the kind of wound that bleeds internally.
“Yes, Maxwell,” I snarled back at him. “The same night when you locked me up in a cell during a full moon!”
