Burning Your Lies (King and Queen Duet #2)

43

Xavier

My leg twitches with irritation. I stare at the mirror I know they are stood behind, watching me like a caged animal. They can leave me in here for as long as they want; I won’t crack like they want me to. If they think I’m going to crack under pressure, they’ve got the wrong guy. I sigh and check my watch for the hundredth time.

Twenty minutes later, two officers grace me with their presence.

“My name is officer Dale,”

the woman introduces herself.

“And this is officer Stone. Sorry for the long wait, Mr Rivers. Is there anything we can get you?”

Putting on my best relaxed demeanour, I lean against the chair’s backrest.

“How about a reason why I was called into the station and then kept waiting for almost an hour? I have a business that won’t run itself.”

They both take the seats opposite me in unison. It’s officer Dale that speaks.

“It’s Christmas season. Your business is still open?”

“I run a security business. Criminal don’t take a day off, therefore neither do I.”

I give them my best charming smile.

“I missed breakfast with my daughter to get myself down here.”

Good. Paint the image of a loving father.

“We have some questions about your whereabouts yesterday evening. Where were you yesterday from the hours between eight and ten pm?”

And just like that, I know exactly why I am here. I spent yesterday evening with Henry to pay him to keep quiet. He wasn’t surprised by my presence. He spent the thirty minutes asking me about my mother. It was altogether a useless conversation. Except he gave me the name of the journalist that told a false story about a spread they were doing on me. This mystery person alleged I did a tell-all interview where I shared details about my relationship with my mother after she left us for Henry.

This has Savannah written all over it.

They must have proof that I visited Henry, so there is no point lying about it.

“I was in Plymouth, visiting an old acquaintance.”

“What time was that?”

I shrug my shoulders.

“Around eight-thirty. Is it a crime to pay a visit to someone?”

“And who did you visit while you were there?”

“Henry Pruitt.”

“And what did you do at his residence?”

I stare at them in sheer annoyance.

“I spoke to him.”

“What was the conversation about?”

My arms fold over my chest.

“I am not answering any more questions until I know what this is about.”

Officer Dale shares a look with her partner before nodding.

“Henry Pruitt was murdered last night between the hours of eight and eleven p.m. You were the last person to see him alive.”

I can feel it; the perfect blend of shock and rage filling me.

The fucking bitch is setting me up for murder.

When I stand up, my chair goes flying backwards until it hits the wall.

“I did not murder the man. I spoke to him. And when I left, he was very much alive!”

Officer Stone finds her voice.

“Please calm down and take a seat, Mr Rivers.”

“Calm down?”

I snarl.

“I came here, willingly may I add? Do you think if I murdered the man, I would have sat here and waited for you to arrive with handcuffs?”

“Nobody is accusing you, Mr Rivers. We are trying to compile a timeline of events. Please resume your seat.”

I turn around and use the slow walk to calm my temper. Every part of me is quivering with rage. I can almost hear Savannah laughing in my ear. She fucking knew I would see Henry to keep him quiet. She reminded me I couldn’t murder him. So, she did it herself and is pinning me for it.

“What was the conversation regarding?”

“I wanted to make sure he was protected from the person behind all these false allegations.”

“False allegations?”

“The other accusation of murder that was headlined in the media. The one where the police have no evidence to arrest me. Somebody is framing me for this.”

“Do you have somebody in mind?”

I almost give her name, but decide to deal with her myself. I don’t give a flying fuck if I go to prison for it. It will be worth it to watch her struggle at her last breath.

“I don’t know. If I knew, I would have put a stop to it by now.”

“What do you do for a living, Mr Rivers?”

I straighten my cuffs.

“I own a security business.”

Her eyebrows meet in the middle.

“And you do not know who is harassing you?”

She’s making a mockery of me.

“How did the conversation with Mr Pruitt end?”

With him accepting the hush money.

“I told him to be vigilant and call me if he thought he was in any danger.”

“Not the police?”

With a blank stare, I say, “I don’t believe the police force is very adequate at their job.”

“Did an argument ensue between yourself and Mr Pruitt?”

“No,”

I answer honestly.

“We have a witness that claims they overheard an argument.”

“What witness?” I snap.

“A neighbour.”

My fist comes down on the table.

“This is bullshit. This is part of the plan. They are setting me up to go down for a crime I didn’t commit!”

Ignoring everything I said, she continues.

“Shortly after the argument, they saw you leaving the property.”

“There was no argument! I spoke to him and then left just after nine o’clock. I drove home to my girlfriend and daughter. I showered, ate dinner and went to bed.”

Silence.

“This is ridiculous. What reason would I have to murder him?”

Finally, the other officer speaks.

“You called him an old acquaintance. How did you know Mr Pruitt?”

“He was an old friend of my mothers.”

“Friend?”

My mother at it again; fucking ruining my life.

“Yes.”

“Is there a reason you felt your mother's friend would be in danger from this stalker of yours?”

“He’s dead, is he not? My concern was very much well placed.”

She jots something down.

“And where is your mother?”

I remember the death certificate I created for her. “Dead.”

“When was this?”

“How is this relevant?”

“I’m just curious why an old friend of your dead mother would be a cause of your worry. That’s all.”

“May 2014.”

“And where is she buried?”

The walls are closing in on me. The room is too bright. The air is too thick. Their untrusting stares are too burning.

“I don’t know,”

I stutter.

“We weren’t in contact at the time of her death.”

“If you were estranged from your mother, why would you be concerned about the welfare of her friend?”

No matter how hard I wrack my brain, I can’t think of a logical answer. Because there isn’t one.

“The man lost his family after the affair he had with my mother. I felt bad for him.”

“You felt bad for the man who caused a crack in your home?”

“My mother caused that crack. He was just a tool she used.”

A tool that Savannah is now using to crack me.

“Where does your father sit in all this?”

“A grave,”

I bark.

“He died in June 2015.”

She flicks through her papers and sighs.

“A dead mother, father, wife and now old friend. There’s also an allegation of a murdered girlfriend. It seems people around you die, Mr Rivers.”

“Perhaps there’s someone around me that is making that my unfortunate reality.”

“Perhaps.”

She clears her throat.

“That is all for today. Thank you for your time and co-operation. Please remain in the country and contactable via telephone. Just in case we have anymore questions.”

“Have a good day,”

I say snidely before leaving.

“What are you—”

I throw her against the wall. My arm presses against her throat as I pin her in place.

“I’m going to fucking kill you.”

“Get off me!”

I apply more pressure.

“You better say your goodbyes, because I am going to tear you apart piece by piece and feed you to the dogs like you deserve.”

She smirks at me.

“You smell like the police station.”

I spit in her face.

“Worthless.”

Her smile fades. She wipes her face clean of my saliva as her eyes narrow.

“How does it feel to be on the losing side?”

Grabbing the front of her top, I slam her into the wall.

“I’m going to tie you to a chair and murder everyone you have ever known. Then I’m going to shove the gun down your throat before I pull the trigger.”

“Get your hands off my wife.”

Ray’s calm tone doesn’t match the anger in his eyes.

I let go of her and walk towards him.

“Was it you?”

“Was what me?”

“Henry. Was it you that murdered him and then framed me for it?”

His eyes are on his wife. The shock that I wore only an hour ago reflects in his features.

“He’s dead?”

I should feel relieved that it wasn’t him. But the statement proves a doubt that I’ve tried to ignore for too long.

“So you were helping her all this time?”

Ray isn’t looking at me. When he speaks, it’s directed at her.

“He was innocent.”

I follow his gaze to her. While his is in disbelief, mine is in pure hatred.

“Your precious wife murdered him.”

I can easily argue the accusation of murder away, but that interview exposed more than I wanted. I saw the suspicion in them when I failed to answer their questions about my mother and the relationship I had with Henry. But that was what she was counting on.

When I break the silence, my voice is shaking.

“What was it you used to say all the fucking time? You’re in the snake’s den?”

I don’t wait for him to answer.

“Congratulations on welcoming the poison into your life. That bitch is nothing more than that.”

She doesn’t have the courage to face the betrayal on his face, so she stares at me.

“Don’t act like you cared about him. You stole his entire life before I did. You took his wife, children, home, and job. All because your mum fucked him.”

My hands are around her throat before anyone can blink. I can feel the muscles constricting as I hold her life in my hands. I’m being pulled off her before I can completely take it.

“Don’t make me hurt you,”

Ray warns.

I can’t help but laugh. My hands run through my hair as I stare at the pair of them. They stand side by side like a true pair.

“The queen of hearts and king of spades,”

I mock.

“You might be at the top of your house of cards right now. But a river is coming and I’m going to take great pleasure in watching you drown. Throw as many grenades as you want. I have an empire.”

“An empire that is burning.”

She steps out from behind him.

“You’ve got fires on every floor. And just as you’ve put one out, I’m going to light another. And another. And another.”

“The river will extinguish everyone of those.”

“And all you’ll be left with is ashes.”

“At least you will be dead,”

I spit. I look at Ray one last time.

“If it wasn’t already made clear, me and you are done. Hand in your badge and equipment to security within the next hour. You’re fucking fired.”