Page 51 of Twisted Trust

“Maybe,” Chip murmurs. “Levi is in a tough situation.”

“My heart bleeds.”

“You know, did it ever occur to you that you might have hurt him just as badly as you feel you were hurt?” The accusation in Chip’s tone sends a chill down my spine and I straighten up immediately, glaring at him.

“No, it didn’t occur to me because one, I thought he was dead so I fucking grieved him and two, when I was told he was alive, the reunion I dreamed of turned into a nightmare because he wanted to kill my baby and make me watch, then kill me because he was so angry with me. So no, I didn’t consider his feelings.”

A strange look passes over Chip’s face, like a cross between alarm and confusion and his lips part, but he just as quickly changes his mind and shakes his head. “You should talk to him.”

“Oh, sure,” I mutter, grabbing a few of Scott’s old coloring books and adding them to the bag. “Because talking always works so damn well.”

“Well at least he didn’t put you off men for good with someone like Cameron around.”

I shoot him another withering glare. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“How am I being ridiculous? From what I’ve heard, Cameron sounds like a decent guy, so what’s not to like?”

“He was my friend, not my lover. Just what exactly do you think of me?”

Chip steadily meets my gaze. “Currently, nothing I can say out loud.”

“Do you hate me as much as Levi does?”

Chip’s gaze falls down to the bag clutched in my hand. “I have Levi’s back. Nothing else matters.”

“How independent of you,” I mutter as I walk up to him. “Excuse me, I need to get to the bathroom.”

He sidesteps me and follows like a shadow. “But you must have been close with Cameron to trust him with your kid.”

“Yeah. He cooked me food, brought in my mail. He was really good with Scott. He was just a regular guy, and you know what? That was amazing after Levi. Cameron was like the earth if Levi was like fire.”

“And Cameron’s friends, the people he hung around with. Were they as nice as him?”

I pause folding up Scott’s favorite towel and slowly turn to face Chip. “What’s with the interrogation?”

He shrugs one shoulder. “Just asking.”

“No, I know you. You neverjust ask. You’re like Levi, the two of you are never casual discussers. What’s going on?”

Chip leans his shoulder against the doorframe and crosses his arms. “You’re not gonna like it.”

“Try me.”

“Well, your Mr. Down to Earth neighbor isn’t as squeaky clean as you might think. Everything about his disappearance points to his being involved with something shady. Now mostly, we don’t give a shit what it is, but we do care if there’s a chance it will leak into our own business deals. And given how highly you think of him and he of you, there’s a chance.”

“Cameron wasn’t a criminal,” I snap as my stomach starts to somersault within itself and I twist the towel in my hands. “He was a good guy.”

“Sure,” Chip replies with an obvious note of disbelief in his voice.

“He was!”

“Sure,” Chip replies again.

Frustration builds like overwhelming heat inside me until it boils over and I throw the towel in Chip’s face. “He was! He was my friend, okay? You don’t get to stand there and judge him when you and Levi destroyed my life, okay? You don’t get to do that. He’s a boring, normal guy and I’m worried about him! Honestly, why don’t you look closer to home because I bet Levi is the one behind all of this!”

Chip drags the towel down from where it caught on his shoulder and quietly folds it up. “Levi would never do anything to risk Scott. We don’t harm kids. I thought we made that clear.”

“Bullshit.”