Page 149

Story: Mutual Obsession

Kellan reaches over to the wall beside his desk and flicks a button, and suddenly, the room is filled with the sounds from next door. “Mic’s on,” he says absently, before turning back to his screen.

None of us can look away as we watch Bree circle her prey in the most fascinating way. At first, she makes it seem like she’s there to check on him; offering him water and a biscuit, which he gladly accepts.

Despite Gregg knowing how dangerous Bree is, he seems to forget this, as he allows her to almost tend to him.

She then pulls up a seat and simply starts talking to him, as if they’re long lost old friends. She asks if her men have been treating him well, and if there’s anything she can do to make his stay here less uncomfortable while they’re working everything out.

I can tell straight away that she’s playing up to his fragile ego, and the obvious belief he has that women are inferior. She’s playing a motherly nurturing role, to seem less of a threat, and it seems to be working, as he’s not stopped talking to her.

Unfortunately, what they’re talking about is utter shit and isn’t giving us anything, but Kian keeps telling us to trust her process.

After around half an hour of Bree setting the tone of the interrogation, she finally gets to the root of the issues, and I’m keen to see if her approach has worked.

“I know you’re really tired, and I want to get this over with as quickly as possible, so would it be okay if I asked you some questions now? They’re just some things we have to clear up before we can move on from this,” she asks him, casually leaning back in her chair.

“Of course. I want to sort this mess out as quickly as possible. I don’t want to be here any longer. It’s all a misunderstanding,” Gregg says quickly.

“Why do you think you’re here?” Bree leans forward just a little, eager to see if Gregg is going to lie to her.

“Look, I won’t deny I’ve made mistakes in my life, but this whole situation has spiralled out of control. I’m here because you think I kidnapped a girl called Indianna, but that’s not the whole truth.

“She’s my girlfriend, and has been for over a decade. We had a fight, and she ran from me. She started spreading rumours about me that were harmful to my career—I’m a decorated police officer, and have been for many years.

“She jumped to conclusions about me and ran, without giving me the chance to explain. So, naturally, when I found her, I asked her to meet me so we could discuss the situation like adults.

“I love her, and I know she still loves me, which is why she came to meet me. I didn’t kidnap her, like people are claiming. She left her place of work of her own freewill and came with me.

“We were talking about getting back together when three men broke into the house and threatened me. It quickly became apparent that Indianna had been sleeping with one of them during our time apart, and she told him I’d kidnapped her, no doubt to cover herself, but it’s absolutely not true.

“Before I got the chance to explain myself, one of the men shot me in the leg, and that’s how I found myself here.”

Fuck, with each lie that tumbles from his lips, my skin prickles with rage, and I ball my hands into fists as I focus on keeping my breathing steady. I want nothing more than to charge into the next room and beat the shit out of him, but I’ll have to wait.

Bree’s expression doesn’t change at all, and I have no idea how she’s able to remain so calm and level-headed, despite knowing he’s bullshitting her.

“When they found Indie, she had cuts and bruises all over her,” Bree states, lifting her brows in question.

“She had them when she came to meet me. I had nothing to do with them,” he retorts, the lies slipping out with practiced ease.

“If Indie loves you, like you say, why is she now saying all these less than favourable things about you? Her claiming that you hit her is probably one of the lower-ranking accusations she’s thrown your way, if I’m being honest,” Bree explains, and just for a fraction of a second, Gregg’s eyes darken before returning to the mask he was wearing.

“Honestly, she thinks I cheated on her, which is why she ran in the first place. All of this is her way of punishing me,” he replies flippantly.

“Did you cheat on her?”

Gregg shakes his head, looking offended. “No, of course not. She’s the only girl I’ve ever loved. Why would I ruin a decade-long relationship by fucking someone else?”

“So you and Indie have been living together for the last ten years?” Bree asks, shuffling in her seat.

“We’ve been together for a little longer, but yes, until she left a couple of months ago, we were living together. Even when she left, I thought she just needed space. I had no idea she was with someone else.” He actually has the nerve to sound choked up as he lies, which only makes me more mad.

“You see, this is where I’m getting a bit confused, because Indie is adamant she ran away from you nine years ago, and has been on the run ever since.” Bree’s sounding more like she’s challenging him now, and if the way Gregg’s jaw tightens is any indication, he doesn’t like it.

“That’s not true. She’s lying,” he snaps.

Bree nods slowly, leaning forward until her elbows are resting on her knees. “Okay, maybe we should discuss some of the other things Indie has said about you. She claims you’re into some pretty dodgy dealings.”

Gregg lets out a loud, harsh laugh. “I’m a cop. Any dodgy dealings I do are while I’m undercover, and they’re fully sanctioned. I don’t know who Indianna has made you think I am, but I can assure you, it’s not true.”