Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Yeah, he bet she had questions about a time that stayed locked in his head and never escaped his lips. Cash went for his desk, holstering his weapon.
“You were targeted by a gang of intermediate-aged children. Dev took up for you but not before you sustained substantial injuries.”
Cash nodded at the sugarcoated explanation. “I wasn’t expected to survive.”
She nodded. He couldn’t tell if she had known his death was the ultimate goal in the street gang attack or not. “Dev jumped into the fight while he sent Keyes to run for help.”
Cash nodded again.
“Why were those kids after you with such a vengeance?” She tilted her head as if she could somehow glean the information she wanted directly from him, without him having to speak the words aloud.
Cash now knew the answer, but only after the years’ long court proceedings to punish those involved. He still found it hard to say the gang members had targeted him due to his perpetual happiness, his easy acceptance, and the writing on the wall about his sexuality.
The older bullies had set their sights on him from the first day he had enrolled in their school.
“You don’t have to answer. Why did Dev jump in to help?”
Cash honestly had no idea. They’d been classmates and nothing more. For Cash, he’d watched Dev flagrantly disregard the rules of the school. The young boy never turned in one scrap of homework but could make straight As on all the tests. That had intrigued Cash. He remembered trying to make friends with Dev, saying hello to him at every opportunity but never got a single response in return.
“Don’t want to answer that one either?” Shanna let out a frustrated breath, her brow furrowed.
“I don’t have an answer. I’ve been through years of counseling and the required mental health care the job requires. I have a proven track record. I can handle this job.” He started to go through the diatribe he’d been scolding himself with all evening.
“You knew me when you first saw me,” Shanna said, cutting him off. “I was four when it happened.”
Finally, she asked a question he was willing to answer. “You were a teenager when the first conviction came up for parole. I was in Maine at the time, and we live-streamed the proceedings. Dev wasn’t there, but you were with your mom. It’s how I recognized you so fast.”
“Your attack stayed with me for a long time. When I took this position, I looked for you, but they sealed your information,” Shanna explained, she looked pained as she spoke. “Now I understand better why.”
“It took me quite a while to get back on my feet again. I was homeschooled after that.” Cash let go of an unsteady breath and partially shared what he remembered. Something he hadn’t done with anyone since the attack. “It turned out to be a targeted gang initiation. They tagged me as a goodie-goodie Christian and gay. An easy target in a rough neighborhood. They planned to end my life that day.”
She let go of her own breath and pierced him with her stare. “Then I’ll tell you a truth. That day in court, when I was thirteen years old, I decided to go into law enforcement. Where Dev always uses his fists to stand up for the underdog, I wanted more power at my back. It was because of you and him that I’m standing here today.”
“How did you get on this case?” he asked. He aimed for a tone somewhere between questioning and encouraging.
Her gaze narrowed on him. She struggled to answer, and he wasn’t certain why. She also gave nothing away in her stare. So damned tough.
“You’re not the only one holding personal secrets close. All I’m willing to say is that I refuse to become one of them.” She went for the door, placing her hand on the doorknob. “You’re moving into my brother’s new rental property tomorrow. Over the last few years, he appears to be putting distance between himself and the club. Keyes seems to be doing the same thing. I’m not sure it’s gonna be enough to keep either of them out of the crossfire. But my father and the others? They’re in over their heads and deserve what’s coming to them.”
She had no doubt in her mind what she said was true.
“I won’t hesitate to arrest your brother if that’s any concern to you, but there is a small part of me that hopes he’s an innocent.” Cash revealed his one truth, and the world didn’t swallow him whole. “If he’s disconnected from the club, my hope might be more credible.”
She grinned broadly and laughed an almost silent laugh. “My brother’s not innocent by any stretch of the imagination, but I’d rather he turn state witness than spend the rest of his life in prison.” After a minute of silence, she shook her head, and added, “And I don’t see it happening. He’s an anarchist to his core…but he does love those little girls, so maybe.”