Page 2 of Wicked Love
“You really expect us to believe that?” Logan said with a bark of dark laughter.
“There’s an easy way to confirm it one way or the other,” Beckett said. His usual air of confidence was coming back, his bewilderment smoothing away so easily.
Before, I’d admired his sense of calm. Now I couldn’t help thinking it was incredibly strange that he could keep his cool in a situation like this. It made me wonder how many hostile people he’d had to face before, under what circumstances. This standoff wasn’t anything like a standard business meeting.
Dexter cocked his head, his expression still tense. “What’s that?”
“Tell me who spoke to you, where, and exactly what they said,” Beckett replied. “I know a lot of people in this city. It shouldn’t take long for me to determine who’s behind the false accusation—and whoever that is, they’re most likely the ones you should be yelling at. Why would they point you in the wrong direction if they weren’t trying to protect themselves?”
“Right,” Slade said skeptically. “And it’s not at all thatyouwant to point us in the wrong direction now.”
Beckett ignored him and focused on me, his gaze unwavering. “Maddie, you know I’d never hurt you. I swear I had no idea about this investigation or anything to do with your dad—and if anyone working for my family was involved, I’d know about it. Someone is trying to screw me over and using you to do it. Let me help you figure this out.”
“We’re not accepting ‘help,’”—Logan made air quotes around the word, his voice dripping with hostile sarcasm—“from a person who has been in the middle of the situation all along without ever saying anything.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. I wanted to believe Beckett. He sounded so sure—but that was part of the reason I hesitated. He had an explanation for everything. He was barely even fazed by the guys accusing him of being tangled up in a murder.
He’d obviously hidden some small things from me. What if he’d hidden bigger things as well? The Vigil guys wouldn’t be this worked up without plenty of reason, would they?
I grimaced, my throat tightening. “I think you should go,” I said to Beckett. “I need some time to figure out what to think.”
“Maddie, you can’t really believe—”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what to believe, Beckett. Please, just leave. I can’t think while we’re arguing like this.”
He opened his mouth to speak again but closed it before any words escaped. With a stiff nod, he stepped back. “Can I call you?”
I shook my head. “I’d rather you didn’t. I’ll callyouwhen I’m ready.”
If I’m ever ready,I didn’t bother saying. Or would the next call I made involving Beckett be to the police?
“Then I’ll respect that request.” Beckett’s voice stayed even, but his hands were balled at his sides as he walked back to his car. I watched him get in and drive away, my spirits seeming to sink farther as he vanished from view.
Then I whirled toward the Vigil guys. “What exactly happened? Do you have more proof tying him to my dad’s case than what you just said? Something we could bring to the cops?”
Logan scowled, which answered my last question all on its own. “No. Nothing concrete. But we talked to a guy who works for Beckett, who saw us scoping out the trucking company. He was scared to talk to us but made himself do it—he told us outright that Beckett’s family is behind the murder of Evan Silver and that Beckett has been taking steps to cover it up. How would he know about any of that?”
He could if Beckett was right and someone who was really involved in the crimes was trying to frame Beckett. But why would anyone want to do that?
I swallowed a groan of frustration. “Do you think that guy would go to the police and tell them his story?”
Slade shook his head dejectedly. “He seemed panicky enough about telling us. I can’t imagine him talking to the cops. If we could even find him again to ask him to. He wouldn’t give us his name.”
“He seemed like he was scared for his life,” Dexter put in.
My stomach knotted. “What about leaving some kind of anonymous tip with the police so they’ll investigate the same things we have, and we see what they turn up?”
Logan shook his head. “We can’t leave a tip about a murder they don’t have any record of happening, especially one that’s twelve years cold. They’d think it was some crazy person and write it off.” He squeezed my shoulder, his stance turning from threatening to protective in an instant. “But we’ll figure it out. We’ve put a little fear into Beckett. Maybe he’ll make a careless move that’ll reveal more of his hand. We’ll have to keep a close eye on the trucking company.”
“And on Maddie,” Dexter said quietly.
I knit my brow at him. “What are you talking about?”
Slade’s smile came back for the first time, if muted. “Dex is trying to say that he’s worried about you. We all are. When we saw you with that guy…” His fingers tightened around mine.
“You should come back to our apartment rather than staying in your dorm,” Logan said in a definitive tone. “We can make sure you’re safe.”
“Safe?” I repeated. “You don’t really think…”
