Police cruisers swarmed the apartment complex Kazimir shared with Jordy. Had Everly not tagged along with him, he would’ve high-tailed it out of there.
Everly parked her pink Volkswagen in an unoccupied spot then climbed out. Kazimir followed close behind her, grateful for the escort. The fall breeze rustled her blonde ponytail as she locked the doors behind them. Skeletal trees shed their golden and red leaves all around them. Kazimir tugged the jacket Emmett lent him closer. It was a bit baggy on him and smelled like cigarette smoke, but he didn’t mind. It kept him warm.
“Where’s y’all’s apartment?”
Kazimir pointed upstairs, where the officers gathered. “Up there.”
She sighed. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Okay, just act normal. I’ll come up there with you so we can grab whatever you need for the next few nights in one trip.”
“How long will I be away?” Kazimir asked her.
“I don’t know. I guess until you’re feeling better?” she replied, leading him toward the police cruisers.
Kazimir gripped the railing of the stairwell, dragging his feet with each step. “What should I tell Jordy?”
“Who?”
“My roommate.”
“Oh, right. Hmm. Just tell him you’re hooking up with Emmett.”
“What?” Kazimir all but shrieked. “No way. I’m not telling him that. I’ll just tell him I’m staying with you and your brother until my shoulder heals. Just in case they come looking for me here. I don’t wanna put Jordy in harm’s way.”
She shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat then.”
A police officer stood in front of their apartment door, guarding the area. Having a cop at your door meant nothing good, no matter what time of day it was. Authority wafted from the tall, dark-haired man, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. Kazimir’s legs turned into Jell-O as he stopped in front of the officer, meeting his icy glare.
“You Kazimir Vassiliev?” he asked.
Kazimir nodded, unable to speak. His eyes glued to the gun on the officer’s hip, then the name tag on his navy uniform. A. Lindel.
The officer’s gaze swept from Kazimir to Everly. He swore the cop was checking her out by the way his gaze lingered on her chest. It made Kazimir instinctively step between them, so the cop would stop ogling her. There wasn’t anything else he could do. He knew how guys behaved toward women in gangs, but he wouldn’t let some asshole cop harass Emmett’s little sister.
Everly gave the cop a toothy smile, batting her long lashes at him. “Detective Lindel! What a pleasant surprise. What brings you out here?”
Detective Lindel stuffed his hands in his pockets, pursing his lips like he’d tried to hide a smile. “You know I can’t discuss police matters with you, Everly. Why are you here with our murder suspect?”
The world around Kazimir become hazy, like a watercolor painting. He blanched, letting the detective’s words replay in his head like a broken record. They considered him a murder suspect.
Kazimir shook his head. “I didn’t kill anybody.”
“Where have you been?” Detective Lindel asked. “Your roommate filed a missing person’s report on you. Said you disappeared and wouldn’t answer his calls.”
“My phone died,” Kazimir explained. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cause all this trouble.”
“You avoided my question.”
“He was with us,” Everly explained. “His girlfriend, Samantha Gresham attacked him. Take your coat off and show him, Kaz.”
Color drained from Kazimir’s face. He hadn’t wanted her to reveal that to the cop. Reluctantly, Kazimir slipped the warm jacket off. Chills crept across his skin as he exposed the bandage on his upper arm for the detective to inspect.
“Is that true?” Detective Lindel asked. “Samantha stabbed you?”
Kazimir nodded as he slipped his jacket back on. “She thought I’d ended up just like Luca did. I think he was her ex-boyfriend.”
The muscles in Detective Lindel’s face tightened. “Well, at least we know you’re safe now. Jordy was worried sick about you, kept calling repeatedly.”
“Since Kaz is here, y’all can leave his apartment now, right?” Everly asked him.
“Afraid not. See, we received an anonymous tip that Kazimir was involved with his neighbor’s death. We’ve even got an eyewitness in protective custody who claims to have seen Kazimir stab Hank,” Detective Lindel explained.
Kazimir blinked back the tears threatening to fall. “I swear I didn’t kill Hank. Your eyewitness is lying. You have to believe me. Where’s Jordy? He’ll tell you too. He was with me all night. I’d never hurt Hank.”
“We’ve been searching your apartment, with permission from Jordy. We also got a search warrant for your place, in case we found something incriminating.” He retrieved a slip of paper and handed it to Kazimir. He wasn’t sure what any of it meant. It was like reading a foreign language.
“Can we go inside?” Kazimir asked.
“No, y’all need to wait outside until they’re done combing the apartment,” Detective Lindel replied. “It’s just standard procedure. Detective Lowrey likes shit done by the book.” He scowled at the closed door. “That’s why he stuck me out here when we saw y’all pull up. Treating me like a fucking beat cop, guarding the crime scene.”
“Oh, come on, Detective Lindel. Can’t you let us in? Pretty please with a big sprinkled donut on top?” Everly winked at him, grinning with confidence.
Detective Lindel sighed, adjusting his cowboy hat. “You know I shouldn’t.” He glanced at the door again. “Oh, fuck it. Come on. Just don’t touch anything, alright? I don’t want Lowrey up my ass over this if y’all tamper with evidence. It’s better than hanging around out here.”
“Thank you.” Everly tucked a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear as Detective Lindel held the door open. She stepped inside, and he gently touched her shoulder before pulling away when he noticed Kazimir staring at him.
“What are you waiting for?” Detective Lindel snapped. “Hurry up.”
Kazimir wrestled with doubt as he let the detective lead them inside their apartment. He considered fleeing at one point, but he knew that’d only make him appear more guilty to the police. They crossed the threshold into the living room, where Jordy stood beside the television set with his arms folded over his chest. He was talking to a young, petite female cop.
“Do you really think I’m responsible for what happened to Hank?” Kazimir asked Detective Lindel.
“I don’t know,” Detective Lindel admitted. “But you are a good suspect. Can you answer something for me?”
“Of course. Anything to clear my name,” Kazimir told him.
“Are you an addict?”
Comments (10)
See all