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“He broke into her flat,” Marcus says, his jaw tight. “Trashed it. We came up here to hide.”
Silence falls.
“Did you know it was him the whole time?” Torres asks.
“No,” I tell him honestly. “Not on Friday.”
“That’s fucking bullshit, Lila!” Chris spits, wincing as the second officer yanks his arms.
I close my eyes, picturing running the knife still grasped firmly in my hand into his gut.
I take a breath and look directly at SIO Torres.
“I didn’t recognise him,” I say firmly, doing my best to steady my voice. “I hadn’t seen him in nearly ten years and it was dark. I thought he looked familiar, but… it wasn’t until he showed up at my door late that night that I connected it. He recognised me, and threatened to kill me if I told anyone.”
“How did you know him?” Torres asks.
Chris laughs – the sound grotesque and sickening. “Go on Lila, tell ‘em. Howdoyou know me? Huh?” He coughs, splattering blood onto the pristine white snow.
“We dated. A long time ago, in school,” I say.
Chris laughs again. “Is that what you told your little boyfriend here?” he mocks. “Did you tell him about how I popped your cherry in the backseat?”
Marcus lunges, fury twisting his face. He nearly manages to break free, but Torres manages to restrain him, just barely.
I watch, weirdly impressed. Marcus is taller and noticeably bigger than Torres. I don’t imagine many people would be capable of holding him back at his current level of rage.
He spits on the ground.What is it with men and spitting?
“It was nine years ago,” I say quietly, to the officer but to Marcus as well. “Which is why I didn’t recognise him. I haven’t seen him since, and I didn’t know it was him until he turned up at my door.”
“What brought you two all the way up here then?” Torres asks, the question seeming too casual for what still appears to be, at least on the surface, a very tense situation.
“We came here to hide,” Marcus says, his voice low and raspy.
“We left late hoping we wouldn’t be followed,” I add, trying to take the pressure off him.
“Except you were,” the officer restraining Chris mutters.
I whirl to Chris, rage now building in my voice. “If you followed us, why wait until tonight? Have you been watching us this whole time?”
“I didn’tfollowyou, whore,” Chris spits. Another spatter of blood lands on the snow.
“Then how did you find us?” I demand.
He laughs again. “Your iPad. Only thing worth anything in that dump you live in.”
“What?”
My mind races. I knew he had taken it but couldn’t think of how it could have possibly given our location away.
“A picture showed up with a location tag. Forgot about a little thing called the Cloud?”
Fuck.I can’t believe I didn’t realise that.
The snow starts coming down heavier around us, the icy flakes stinging my bare skin.
“Why?” I shout as fresh tears sting my eyes. “Why do all this?”