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Chapter Six

Cyprus

“You're really goingto sit there and act like you don't know anything?”

“I don't. I don't know why they disappeared. I don't even know who you're talking about.”

“I'm here to help you.” The officer leaned back in his chair, flipping a pen around between his fingers. “Tell me your name.”

“I told you already, my name is Cyprus Rottera.” Rubbing my temples, I closed my eyes. “Why are you doing this? I told you I don't even know the people you're talking about, there's nothing else I can say.”

“Miss, I know you think you're protecting them, but you're only hurting yourself. I need to know who you really are.”

“I don't know what else you expect me to say, I'm Cyprus—”

Cutting me off, he dropped the pen onto his notebook and rolled his chair closer. “Rottera, yeah you said that. But I know that's not true. You don't exist, there's no record of you anywhere that I could find. I'm going to be honest with you, I've had enough with this bull-shit. Just tell me, who are you really?”

Veering my stare, I felt my hands begin to shake. “My name is Cyprus, that's the truth. If you can't find me in your system, maybe that's because I don't have a record. I've never been arrested before this.”

Smiling, the detective hung his head, tipping it up a hair to look me in the eyes. “You're right, we don't have you in our system. But the funny thing is, I can't find any record of you having ever been born.” Clapping his hands together, he pushed his palms into his knees and sat up straight. “So is the joke on us? Are you a ghost?”

Fuck you.

You people couldn't help me when I needed you, why would I trust you now?

Shrugging my shoulder, I folded my arms over my chest. “Seems that way I guess.”

“Why are you protecting him—them?I mean. . .” Pausing, he ran his hands down his face and shook his head. “They're bad people, they do bad things. I know you know that, so why would you risk yourself trying to protect them?”

He thought he could talk me into a corner. . . Screw him, he was wrong. I knew better than that. I knew exactly what he was trying to do.

“Is that what you think? You think they're bad people?”

Detective Jones crooked his jaw, as if I was speaking a different language. “Tell me why they're good?” Holding out his arms, he relaxed in his chair, loosening his muscles. “I've got all day, tell me what they've done for you. Maybe you can change my mind.”

You don't deserve to know! Where were you when I needed you?

Where were you when I was lost and alone?!

The cops had done shit to find out the truth, they left me to deal with it on my own. They abandoned Nick and wiped their hands clean of the long lost little girl. Now he suddenly gave a shit about me?

No, that's not how this worked.

The officer could say whatever the hell he wanted to. Yes, they had hurt people. Yes, they had done things that didn't follow the straight line of the law. But did the officer really give two shits about the dirty ass men they snuffed out?

Was he even aware of what the men they killed had wanted to do to me or what they had done to others?

There were far worse people out in the world than the Rotteras. I knew that first hand. . . Because I had looked them in the eyes.

“I don't have to tell you anything. I don't need to prove to you what I already know.”

“Are you willing to go down for them? I don't know who you are, but I know them, I know what they're capable of. Do you think they're willing to do the same for you?”

Of course they are. What kind of stupid question is that?

Grinding my jaw, my eyes turned to slits. “What do you expect me to say, huh?” Tapping my nails on the table, I flipped my hand up in the air. “Do you really think you can bring me in here and expect me to just throw them under the bus? Because I won't. They're family, they didn't do anything wrong.”

“Family, huh?” The cop eyed me, drifting his gaze around my face. “You look nervous. Why do you look so nervous?”