“Yeah. That’s what Steph said. I was the one who planted the drugs. Oscar was making a deal with the DA. He’d get immunity, and I’d get screwed. He was always looking out for himself.”
The DA was not aware of any potential deal with Oscar. Apparently, it had never occurred to Dylan—not even now that Stephanie had betrayed him—that maybe she’d lied about that to get him to help her.
“So, you killed him first,” Matt said.
“I didn’t do it.” Dylan looked away. “That was all Steph.”
“She might have pulled the trigger, but you set the whole thing up, didn’t you?”
“I helped her get them tied up.” Dylan swallowed. “That’s it.”
That was enough, thought Matt.
“She wanted to do it. Couldn’t wait. Coldest bitch I’ve ever met.” Dylan pressed his lips flat. “I was stupid. She used me. She never really wanted me. I was a means to an end. She wanted to kill Oscar and his mother, but she couldn’t do it by herself.”
Matt tamped down his disgust and focused on his poker face. “Take me through their deaths, step by step.”
Dylan stared over Matt’s shoulder. “We stopped at the farm under the guise of telling them we were dating. Then I distracted them so she could sneak upstairs and get Oscar’s gun. When she came back down, she held them at gunpoint while I tied them to chairs. Once they were secured, I went outside. I knew what was going to happen, but I didn’t want to watch.” His pale face flushed. “I knew it was gonna be messy.”
So he was squeamish, but he didn’t care if people died.
Anger hardened Dylan’s face. “And then the bitch shot me when I was a loose end.” He clearly hadn’t expected her to turn on him even though she’d killed members of her own family.
The irony hit Matt hard, but he pressed on in a nonjudgmental tone. “Why did she want her cousin dead?”
“She hated him. She blamed him for the brother’s suicide. Her brother, Robby, was a weakling. He stuttered really bad. She said Oscar teased the hell out of Robby until the kid hung himself.”
“But that happened a long time ago,” Matt said. “Why kill him now?”
“Steph and her sister and father all went to the farm to ask their aunt for money. They took the sister’s kids to try and win over the aunt. Oscar picked on the kids. Stephanie said he was a real dick, calling them ugly and stupid, insulting them for their father’s dumbass financial mess. He made them cry. The aunt didn’t care at all.”
Stephanie might not be talking, but Dylan sang like he was in the choir.
“Oscar hated kids,” Dylan said. “He always did.”
“Oscar teasing the kids was enough for Stephanie to kill him?” Matt asked.
“Steph got weird whenever she talked about Oscar or his mother. I think her hate for them had been stewing inside her since she was a kid. Then the aunt refused to help with the money.” He wet his lips. “Steph figured if she killed them, her dad would inherit the farm. They’d sell the property and bail out the family. Oscar and his mom would finally pay for Robby’s death.”
“Who shot Jim Rogers?” Matt asked.
“Steph. Rogers came over, all pissed off. He said he was done covering up for me. He was going to the DA.” Dylan shook his head. “I wasn’t all that worried. Rogers hadn’t actually seen anything that night, and he’s been unstable. But he saw Todd in the back of my truck, so he had to go. Couldn’t trust him anymore. He got ethics or some shit lately.” Dylan paused. “I was arguing with him, and Steph shot him in the back.”
Matt swallowed. Keeping his emotions in check during this interview might be one of the hardest things he’d ever done. “But you kidnapped Chief Deputy Harvey.”
Nodding, Dylan licked his lips. “I shouldn’t have grabbed Todd. I didn’t plan that. It seemed like a good idea at the time. When I was a deputy, Todd was always such a judgmental prick. I wanted to show him who was boss. Plus, I wanted to stop him from asking about the Footmen. But Steph was right. That was dumb.”
Truer words had never been spoken.
“Why did you need him to stop asking about the Hudson Footmen?”
“Because that’s not an organization you want to fuck with. I’ll tell you more about them after I see the DA’s deal. That’s my leverage.” Dylan clamped his lips tight.
Matt finished up the interview, and they left the room. No one commented on the interview with Dylan while he was still in earshot. Matt and Bree left Ash in the hallway. They walked down the hallway in silence and stepped onto the elevator.
Matt stabbed the button for the lobby level. The anger and frustration simmering inside him finally broke free. “I wanted to punch him in the face.”
“Me too. He’s complete scum.”
“At least he’ll be going to prison.” Matt wrapped a hand around the back of his neck. “I know Rogers had his issues, but he was trying to redeem himself. Now he’ll never have a chance.”
Bree took his hand and squeezed it. “Stephanie will get life for his murder. She’ll never see the outside of a prison again.”
“That doesn’t feel like enough.”
“I know.”
Their eyes met, and he knew she truly understood what he was feeling, and that made all the difference.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Two weeks later
On the night of the fundraiser, Bree swiped on some lipstick and fluffed her hair in the bathroom mirror. Dana had talked her into a girls’ spa day with Kayla. The little girl, normally covered in dirt and grass stains, had loved every minute of her hairstyling and mani-pedi.
Vader sat on the vanity and gave Bree a critical once-over. He didn’t seem impressed.
“Ladybug thinks I look pretty good,” she said to the cat.
Lying on the bathroom rug, Ladybug wagged at the mention of her name. Vader gave the dog a disgusted look, then jumped down and sauntered away.
Bree adjusted the holster on her ankle. She’d bought a dress without a slit for a reason. She might not be able to carry her service piece, but her backup would do.
She went downstairs, the dog following so closely, she nearly tripped Bree four times on the steps.
Matt stood in the living room with Brody at his side. There was something about a well-built man in a tuxedo . . . Mm. He’d shaved, and his jaw was downright chiseled.
“Wow.” He walked a circle around her.
“You clean up pretty nicely yourself, and you are very handsome, Brody.” Bree leaned down to pat the dog.
“You look amazing,” Matt said.
“It’s not too much?” She wore a strapless gown of dark blue silk. “You don’t think I should have worn my uniform?”
“Hell no—I mean, definitely not. That dress is perfect.” Matt’s voice was filled with just the right amount of awe.
“Of course it’s perfect.” Dana walked in from the kitchen, her heels clicking on the wood floor. “I picked it out.” Her gown was a solid black sleeveless column with a high neck and slit to match. The lean leg that flashed as she walked attested to many hours on a spin bike.
Matt stopped next to Bree. He touched the tattoo on her shoulder. “This really is incredible.” His fingers trailed along a vine and lingered on the huge dragonfly on her shoulder blade.
The heat of his hand almost made her want to skip the fundraiser.
She cleared her throat. “I decided I have no reason to be ashamed of my scars or tattoos.”
“It’s about time.” Matt gave her a look she could only describe in a cliché: smoldering. He dropped his voice to a husky whisper. “You’re totally hot. Also, that dress will put those deepfake stories to rest. Win-win.”
The dress was hardly scandalous—it displayed zero cleavage—but showed more skin than usual for her. Bree didn’t like that she’d been forced to put her tattoos on display. Tonight would be the first time she’d shown them in public, and she felt exposed. But she’d deal with it. Not for her job, but for the kids. For their sake, the rumors needed to be squashed. They didn’t need to grow up with being teased about their aunt the porn star.
“I’m ready!” Kayla bounced down the stairs in a pale blue dress. She whirled in a circle, making the skirt spin.