Infernal: Bite The Bullet by Jess Raven, Paula Black Page A

showed him a
picture of Daniel and he said he had videos of him. I realise now, I totally
flew off the handle. He obviously meant the MTV videos my brother danced in.” I
sighed, like I was the stupidest girl in the world, while my heart was twisting
into a knot.
    “I see.” Did he sound disappointed? He was
frowning again and he seemed to realise it, his face composing itself right in
front of my eyes. “So he didn’t show you pictures of Daniel?”
    “No. I panicked and ran. I feel like such a fool
now, honestly. He won’t get into any trouble, will he?” Like you beating on
him? Whatever the police had done to him, I didn’t think it would be just
an interrogation. Not from the sounds of things before I’d fled.
    “Not if he’s done nothing wrong,” Dalton replied,
his jaw sticking out like he was grinding his teeth. “We’ve taken him in for
questioning, and if we find anything relating to Daniel, you’ll be the first to
know.”
    “I appreciate that, Detective. What will happen to
him?” My hand shook on the button as I waited for the response. Surely they
couldn’t kill him? Even dirty cops had limits.
    Dalton ran a hand through his hair. “If his story
checks out, and you’re not prepared to press charges, then we’ll have no option
but to release him.”
    “That’s good,” I said, trying to disguise the
relief in my voice. “I don’t want to press any charges.”
    He breathed heavily and the sound was a hiss
through the intercom. “I suggest you stay away from that man.”
    “That shouldn’t be a problem.” I shook my head
even though he couldn’t see it, but he arched a brow at me through the monitor.
“He kicked me out of the dance troupe,” I explained, and strangely, that didn’t
sting as much as it had done. “I didn’t make the cut.”
    “Oh, I see. I’m sorry.” Detective Dalton nodded
but he didn’t move, and his presence was grating on my nerves. What did he want
from me? I had to get rid of him.
    “I think the offer of a drink was his way of
letting me down easy,” I said.
    I was itching to confront the detective about
those symbols cut into Daniel’s skin, and ask why they’d been absent from the pathology
report he’d shown me. At the morgue, he’d been the one to stop me from looking
beneath that sheet. And when I’d asked about the peace symbol, he’d passed it
off a popular tattoo that probably meant nothing. He’d said the symbol was
popular with Gay Pride supporters. I was formulating the questions in my mind,
but how could I ask, without giving both myself and Konstantyn away? “Look, I’m
sorry,” I said eventually, “but I’m dripping all over the floor here. Was there
anything else?”
    He frowned with a shake of his head and then
offered a smile up to the camera. “No, Neva. You take care, and get yourself  a
new phone, okay.” Lifting his hand in a wave, he finally stepped off the porch
and I slid down the door with a hard, shaking exhale.
    Shit.

CHAPTER TWELVE
     
     
    After I’d stuffed all of the evidence back in the
pillowcase and hid it under my bed, I decided to have the bath I’d lied to
Dalton about taking. The revelations of the night had left me feeling cold and
unclean. An hour later I emerged from the steamy bathroom wearing fresh yoga
pants and a purple tank top, and I was finger-drying my hair when I realised
something was moving in my hallway. A slow drip, drip sound – like the rain had
come in from the outside – preceded a shuffling step across the rug in front of
the door.
    Shit. I had locked it, hadn’t I?
    I palmed the gun I’d taken from Konstantyn and
crept forwards. Paused. Rethought what my fear had me doing. I was arming
myself with a weapon I didn’t know how to use, against an intruder I hadn’t
identified, and I really was stupid.
    If it was Detective Dalton coming back to unpick
the lame story I’d fed him, then greeting him stolen gun in hand wasn’t going
to help my case.
    I peeked around the