Redesigning Fate (Revive #1) - A. M. Wilson Page 0,70

my throat. My forehead is beginning to sweat as a wave of heat washes over me. I’m certain he can feel the dampness pooling in my palm pressed against his own hand. Or maybe it’s his sweat I’m feeling.

“That’s…unsettling. I had no idea.” Elias sounds calm, unaffected by the sudden onslaught of information. I’m unsure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. My heart jackhammers in my chest as if it’s trying to crash through my ribs. It’s good if it means he has no lingering feelings for her, but it’s bad if it means he’s not surprised to hear she’s been missing. My free hand is fidgeting with the material of my dress. “Do I need to hire an attorney?”

“That depends, are you guilty of something?” Detective Nelson eyes him speculatively.

“Of course not, Richard,” he snaps, running his free hand through his long locks. “I was with Sin until I came home at 11:45 that night.”

“And can anyone verify that you came home? Alone?”

Ugh, that’s my cue. “I can,” I say, voice small and weak sounding. Taking a deep breath for courage, I continue, “Have you by chance checked out her boyfriend?”

Two pairs of shrewd eyes rake over my heating face. “We were unaware she was currently seeing anybody,” Detective Nelson responds quickly.

“Well, she was. His name is Travis Dawson. Um, he’s my ex-boyfriend, and he does have some violent tendencies.” Offering up that information willingly is a huge step for me, but if it helps to protect Elias then it’s worth every uncomfortable minute. I’m still unsure about where he was last Saturday, but I know without a doubt that he had nothing to do with Katie’s disappearance, even if he lied to me about having dated her. Now is not the time to hash out that argument. All I want is to get these detectives out of here.

Detective Gonzalez gives a firm nod of his head in my direction. “Thank you for the tip, ma’am. We will definitely check him out.” He slips his notepad and pen back into his pocket, before addressing Elias again. “We will be checking with Sin, and we will be in contact if we have any more questions. I’m sorry, Elias. You know we have to do this. Call if you remember anything you’ve left out today.”

Elias stands to walk the detectives to the door. Does this make Elias a suspect? Why else would they be here asking him questions about his whereabouts? My head is spinning, but one question in particular surfaces through the tornado of thoughts.

I take a deep breath to fuel my courage. I hate confrontations, but I need answers. I need to know why he lied to me. My stomach is buzzing with nerves like a hive of angry bees, and it’s not going to be stopping any time soon by the direction this conversation is headed. I hunker down in my seat, preparing to be shocked, angry, hurt maybe; I’m not quite sure.

He has his right arm resting on the closed door, his head is bowed towards the floor; he looks pensive. He gives his head a small shake before looking up at me with liquid blue eyes.

“Why did you lie about dating Katie?”

His head snaps up, his eyes locking on to mine. He almost looks feral. Why is he so angry? As suddenly as it came on, his mood shifts again back into the calm persona he adopted when the detectives showed up. He lets his breath rush out of his chest, and he slowly makes his way back to where I sit on the couch.

“I didn’t lie. I said she was a cold bitch. We never discussed her any further than that.”

“Okay, you didn’t lie. You omitted. Why?”

“I wouldn’t even call it dating. It was brief; I had a lapse in judgment, and it only went on for a couple of weeks. I didn’t want you to be jealous or think you had anything to worry about.” His expression is so serious that I want to fling myself into his arms and shower my forgiveness. However, my life has fooled me one too many times, and I’m jaded. Something about this situation doesn’t feel right. Hell, something about the last several weeks of my life isn’t right.

“I need truthfulness from you right now. I can’t hear these half attempts at skating over the facts!” Standing up, I cross my arms over my chest and begin wearing a path into his carpet. Elias doesn’t