Her Destiny (Reverie #2)(36)
My hands clench into fists like I have no control over them. “I’m not a suspect. I have an alibi.”
His brows rise. “All of a sudden, huh? That’s…interesting.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Funny how the supposed truth comes out months after Krista dies.” David steps closer, his pleasant, easygoing demeanor evaporating in a second. He glowers at me, his stance downright menacing and I wonder if he picked up this shift in mood while he was in jail. You learn from the best there. A real first hand lesson on criminal behavior.
“Go ahead and say what you want to say, David.” I take a step away, leaning against the wall, hands shoved in my pockets but my fists still clenched. I could take him out quick. At least, I used to be able to. He’s bigger now, though not as tall as me. And he might’ve learned a few moves in jail too. “I can tell you’re just dying to get it out.”
He smirks, his gaze cold. “Just get it over with and tell them you did it, Nick. They all suspect you. We all know you killed her. She was driving you crazy, unable to take no for an answer and nagging at you all the time. You finally couldn’t take it anymore.”
I can’t believe the nerve of this ass**le. “Is that how you think it played out?”
“Sure.” He shrugs, the smirk still firmly planted on his face. I want to punch it off, again and again until he’s swollen and bleeding. Fucker. “Krista was always persistent. A real pain in the ass, but also a good lay, right? So you could look past her crazy behavior just to get with her. At least, I could.”
He’s trying to provoke me on purpose but I remain silent, refusing to say something stupid and give him ammunition to use against me.
“I know she was trying to blackmail you to dump your rich little girlfriend.” At my non-reaction he laughs. “You’re good with that poker face but I see you’re surprised I know. She told me everything. She was so frustrated you didn’t want her anymore that she turned to me. And trust me, I tried to convince her to leave you alone but she wouldn’t listen to me.”
“Right. I’m sure you were working her over, trying to win her back,” I retort. “I don’t need to hear this shit, David. I don’t care what you two did together. I didn’t kill her. I didn’t see her that night. I don’t know what happened or who did that to her.”
“You were supposed to meet her.”
“And I didn’t. I was with Reverie.”
He narrows his eyes. “Right. Reverie, the rich girlfriend Krista hated. Such a stupid name, but I heard she’s a real brainless twit so there’s that.” Another reluctant laugh slips from him. “The sweet and pure minister’s daughter. Did it make you feel better, f**king a virgin? Was it worth it? Considering she’s not rich anymore, I don’t see how it could’ve worked out too well for you since you didn’t gain much. Though that alibi she’s currently giving you must be worth something.”
I rush him without thought, grabbing hold of his shirt and tossing him hard against the wall. “I should kick your ass for saying that about her,” I mutter.
“Go ahead and try. I know how to put up a fight,” David says, his words full of bravado but his eyes edged with fear. “Such a big reaction, dude. Truth hurts, or something along those lines, right? Be glad you’ve covered your tracks with this chick. Your luck will run out eventually.”
“You’re an ass**le.” I release my hold on him and step away, watching with satisfaction as he sags against the wall, reaching up to brush the wrinkles out of his shirt front. “Not worth me getting in trouble for beating your ass.”
“Fuck off,” David says, glaring at me. “They’ll find out the truth. They’ll realize you’re the one who killed Krista and I’ll make sure of it. I’m the only one who really cares about that girl. Everyone else tossed her aside like trash, even her father.”
“What, are you saying you’re the only one who loved her?” Please. He’s the most selfish ass**le I know.
“More than you ever did, that’s for damn sure. Enjoy your freedom, Fairfield. It won’t last long,” he calls after me as I start to walk away.
“Fuck you,” I mutter under my breath, pushing through the front entrance of the police station and walking out into the rain. The cold air wraps around me, stealing the oxygen from my lungs, and I tip my head back, closing my eyes as the raindrops sting my skin as they fall.
The last thing I need is David chasing after me for the rest of my life, hell-bent on proving I murdered Krista. He’s the kind of dick that would do just that, terrorizing my ass despite all the evidence thrown at him proving I didn’t do it.
I gotta get out of here. I have some money saved. I could give notice on my apartment, sell a few of mom’s things that I don’t need and put the rest in storage, quit my job, box up my shit and go. I can’t take this town anymore. The looks people give me, the whispers. I’m innocent but I may as well be guilty.
But where do I go?
Chapter Twenty-One
4 p.m.
Detective Jacoby kept me in that stuffy little room for over an hour, asking me endless questions after I gave my statement, repeating many of them like he was trying to catch me in a lie, which he probably was.
Whatever. I kept my composure the entire time, explaining myself again and again. Even answering the uncomfortable questions as neutrally as possible, though I could feel my cheeks flame with embarrassment constantly.