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“Yeah, I remember.” Smiling as I thought about that moment, my lids hovered in the memory, picturing Cyprus's smile and sun-kissed skin. God she had always been so damn beautiful. I could remember the way her hair smelled like salt and how her skin felt gritty like sandpaper. “Shit, I was what. . . fifteen, sixteen?”Arching a brow, I watched him from the corner of my eye. “How do you know they took it?”

“They took it, who knows why they did it, but they did.” Tipping his head up, he hummed as he thought. “It was back when they tried to slam me for the whole illegal container bit at the freight yard. Remember that?” Rolling his hand as he spoke, I recalled the incident he was referring to and nodded. “I've asked every time they dragged my ass back here and they pretend like they don't know what the hell I'm talking about.”

Why the hell would they take that picture? What could they possibly use it for?

What if. . . What if they. . .

My lids opened wide as I watched my father flip through his wallet. He couldn't see it, he was oblivious and too drunk on his own power to let himself see what could be happening.

“That doesn't make you think at all about what's going on?” Drifting my gaze back to the front doors, I painstakingly searched through the people going in and out. “Maybe they kept that picture for a reason.”

“Birch, this has to stop. You can't keep being so damn paranoid about it. It's been years, it's long forgotten. Trust me on that.”

I wanted to believe him, I've always wanted to believe him. But I could never shake the idea that one day our pedestal would crumble and everything would fall apart. Eventually shit would catch up to us. . .to him.We couldn't hide her forever.

But he didn't see it that way. There was no point in me trying to convince him otherwise. I didn't push it, I shifted the conversation to what really mattered right then. Where the hell was Cyprus?

“How long do we wait then? At what point are we going to do something about this?”

“If she doesn't come out, we go home.”

“What? Fuck that, I'm not just going home.”

“Birch, we'll go home, and we'll wait there. Either she'll call us when she's done, or she'll get dropped off. What's wrong with you?” Angling his head, he slid his glasses down the bridge of his nose, eyes scanning my face.

“You're really not worried? Not at all?”

His brows dipped angrily, as thick lines creased his forehead, and his mouth turned paper thin. “Birch, if I had a reason to worry, we'd already be long gone. Don't doubt her for a second, you can't. And don't doubt me, not with this.”

“I don't doubt her or you, but I don't trust them.”

“Fuck, when are you going to realize that they're not looking for her anymore? They haven't been looking for years now. No one gives a shit, they never did.” Tucking his wallet back into his pocket, he grabbed his bottle of water from the holder and took a long sip. “They're fishing, that's all this is. They want us, they want to lock us away. And they think they can use her to do it.”

“Fishing? They broke down our door, they ripped us out of the house, I think they're doing more than just fishing.” Running my palms up and down my thighs, I let out an audible breath. “Fuck, I hate this shit.”

“Look, look there.” Holding out his hand, a smug grin filled his face. “See, she's right there. What did I tell you?”

Following his finger, Cyprus was walking down the front steps. She was wearing a white jumpsuit, her eyes set on her feet as she made her way towards the parking lot. She looked so sad and upset, with her skin dull and chalky, her eyes swollen and dark.

Was she crying?

Did they make her cry?

Anger bubbled beneath the surface, my rage percolating in my veins with every thump of my heart. The cops were ruthless, they'd do and say anything to try and make you break. Cyprus looked broken, and I was ready to hunt down the bastard that hurt her and fucking kill him.

Jumping out of the car, I jogged across the parking lot. “Hey,” I said, slowing down once I reached her side. “What the hell happened? What's wrong? What did they say to you?”

Flicking her eyes up, she darted them away. “They really pressed me in there, the detective was a dick.” Shrugging her shoulder, she smiled. But it came across as forced, not genuine in any sense. “I didn't give him what he wanted, so don't worry.”

Cyprus tried to walk past me, but I stopped her. “Wait, what did they say to you? What did they ask?”

“I. . . I don't know. Nothing really. They asked a lot of questions, but I told them I didn't know what they were talking about.” Lifting her fingers to her mouth, she plucked at her bottom lip nervously.

She's lying. Why the hell is she lying to me?

“That's bullshit and you know it. What the hell happened in there?”

She couldn't pull this shit with me. I knew her way too well for her to try and act like everything was fine. Something was wrong.