Seaside Kisses: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 4) (26 page)

"Your boyfriend's on his way."

Amara's heart skipped a beat. "What? Why?"

"He's the one you think is in danger. We need his story."

"You're not going to interrogate him, too, are you?" Amara asked. "He didn't do anything wrong. Neither of us did."

Farris leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms. "We need to make sure your stories match. It sounds as though he has no clue you're here."

Amara frowned. "No. He wouldn't. I told you Kristine and Tony threatened his life if I contacted him again."

"They said they would kill him?" Farris pulled out a pad and pen from his pocket. "I thought you said—"

"No. Stop. I don't know if they threatened his death. They said they would hurt him."

Farris stared into her eyes. "Then why did you just say they threatened his life?"

"Because you make me nervous!"

He slid the paper and pen back into his pocket. "Fair enough." He glanced at the cup on the table. "Need more water?"

Amara shook her head.

"Coffee?"

"I'm fine," she snapped. "I just want to go home."

Farris stepped closer. "We'd really like you to stay until we've had a chance to hear Mr. Hunter's story."

His tone was so menacing a lump formed in Amara's throat. She nodded. "Can I at least check my phone for messages?"

He tilted his head. "We'd prefer you didn't."

Amara's lips wavered. "I won't text Rafael. I just want to talk to my brother or my best friend."

Farris flicked his head toward the mirror. "We'd prefer you didn't."

Tears stung her eyes. "Fine. I'll just sit here and stare at the walls."
Like a criminal,
she wanted to add.

"Much appreciated. I'll be back." Farris turned around and left the room, the door slamming behind him.

Amara jumped again, trying to swallow back the lump in her throat. If this was how she felt when doing nothing wrong, how did Farris make people feel who were guilty of something?

She glanced around the room, staring at cracks and dents in the walls. She couldn't help wondering what had happened in that room to cause them. Kittle Falls was a pretty sleepy town—most of the time—with little crime.

The sound of a text alert came from her purse. Sighing, she tried to ignore it. It wasn't like she could check anyway. Not with the chance of Farris—or someone worse than him—watching.

Another text came in. Then another. Her phone rang.

It took every ounce of self-control not to stick her hand inside the bag and take a peek. What if it was Alex, calling to say something was wrong with the shop? Maybe he couldn't find the box of caramel bats with the gumball eyes? She'd stuck them behind another box when she'd been looking for the cotton candy ghosts.

Amara put her face in her palms. She didn't even care if it made her appear guilty. Of what? What was it they thought she'd done? Made up the whole thing? Did they believe she was just an attention-seeker? One look at her spotless record would tell them otherwise. She'd never even been pulled over for speeding.

She turned her attention to the clock on the wall, watching the second hand move around and around at a snail's pace. That wasn't helping the time go by any faster. She pulled some strands of hair and braided them together. This was going to be the longest day of her life, but with any luck, at least Rafael would be safe from those two psychos.

By the time the doorknob jiggled again, Amara had twenty-eight tiny braids—she'd counted.

Farris came in, an annoyed expression on his face. "Your attorney is here."

"My…?"

A tall, well-built, and handsome dark-haired man about her age stepped in front of the officer. He stepped toward Amara, extending his hand. "Logan Hunter. Amara?"

Amara stared at him for a moment. Her attorney was a Hunter? She finally nodded and then took his hand. Logan gave her a firm handshake.

He turned to Farris. "You can leave now."

Farris scowled but left the room, slamming it again, this time even louder. But Amara didn't jump. She stared into Logan's amber eyes. "Are you related to Rafael?"

"His cousin. I just got done speaking with him."

"Is he okay?" Amara exclaimed.

Logan sat across from her and patted her hand. "He's fine. Just sitting in a room like this one. Can you tell me what's going on? We're a little confused, and the cops aren't helping any. They want to ask all the questions."

"Are we free to go?" Amara asked. "I'd rather talk with you somewhere else."

"Let's just figure this out first. Rafael said you didn't feel safe. Why is that?"

Amara remembered her braids and started undoing them. She took a deep breath, tears threatening.
Stay strong,
she told herself. "Someone threatened Rafael last night."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"You may as well get comfortable." Amara continued with the braids as she explained what she remembered from her confrontation with Kristine and Tony. Logan listened, making notes on his tablet every so often.

"That does match what Rafael told me," he said after she was done.

"What do you mean?" Amara asked.

"Just before his car crash, he saw those two taunting him from one of his cameras."

Her eyes lit up. "So you have proof?"

"It might be difficult to call it proof since they were wearing all black, but he's convinced it was them."

Amara's face fell. "They know how to cover their tracks."

"They
were
stupid enough to threaten you and tell you who they are."

"Is there anything we can do?"

Logan nodded. "I'm going to need to go back and speak with Rafael. Given what you've told me, I think he needs to answer the officers' questions."

"Even though they won't tell you anything?" The room spun around Amara.

"I'll make sure he doesn't say anything incriminating."

"Why would he?" Amara cried. "He hasn't done anything wrong. We're the victims. People have been vandalizing his house and business, and now this. They're threatening him."

"I know. Trust me, I'll take care of both you guys."

The doorknob rattled again and Farris came in with a lady cop who had a bigger mustache than him. And judging from the expression on her face, she was probably even meaner, too.

Amara swallowed.

Logan rose from his chair, staring at Farris. "I'm going to speak with my other client now."

Farris furrowed his eyebrows. "You remember you can't share information between the two of them. They're to have no communication—not even between you—until we say so."

"You made yourself crystal clear before," Logan said. "I'm merely trying to figure out what the hell is going on since you won't tell us."

"That's all we're doing," said the lady. "Trying to sort this mess out."

"What's the mystery?" Logan demanded. "These two people are being threatened. You're treating Amara like a criminal. Unless she's being charged, you need to release her.

Farris stepped closer, narrowing his eyes. "We have some more questions for her. She stays."

Amara's stomach twisted in knots.

"Do you have probable cause to detain her?" Logan asked.

"We can hold her for twenty-four hours without arresting her."

Logan spun around and made eye contact with Amara. "Just wait here, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

She nodded. Where else was she going to go?

The lady glared at Logan. "Remember, no sharing information—"

"Between my clients. Got it." He shoved his way in between them and left the room.

Amara's heart thundered in ears. She wanted to follow Logan and throw herself into Rafael's arms. His embrace was so comforting, and she needed it now more than ever. And she needed him.

She looked over at the door, surprised to see the two cops still there.

The lady scowled at her. "We have some more questions for you. Care to answer them now?"

"You just sent away my attorney."

"So that's a no?"

Amara's nostrils flared. "Yes. I'm not saying another word to you guys."

Farris turned to the lady, shrugging. "I guess she doesn't want to know."

"Her loss."

They left the room, and Farris slammed the door behind them.

Thirty

Rafael leaned back in the uncomfortable metal chair and sighed. He'd answered every question Farris and Spieling had asked. Spieling continued to stare at him, her beady eyes narrowed.

"You sure you're not leaving anything out?" she demanded.

"Don't answer that," Logan said.

Spieling glared at Logan. "You afraid of the truth?"

"He's told you plenty, and you've told us nothing. Why not tell us what you know?" He stared her down. "Like why you insist he and Amara stay here, for instance."

The two offers exchanged a glance. Were they actually thinking about telling them something? Rafael turned to his cousin, who gave a slight shrug.

"We'll be right back," Farris said, opening the door. He and Spieling left, slamming the door behind them.

"What was that about?" Rafael asked.

"Pretty sure they're hoping to intimidate us." Logan rose and stretched.

"No. I mean, do you think they'll finally tell us what's going on?"

"We'll find out. In the meantime, if they don't, I suggest we all leave. No one's done anything wrong and they can't hold you two without a due cause."

"And you can't tell me anything about Amara?" Rafael asked, feeling defeated.

"Not while you two are being questioned. But as soon as we all leave, you guys can fill each other in on everything."

"She's okay, though?" Rafael held his cousin's eye contact, begging him to say yes.

Logan nodded. "Amara seemed a little worried, but mostly anxious to see you."

"But she wasn't hurt or anything?" he asked. He couldn't get the part of her text out of his mind about her contacting him again when it was safe.

"Nope." Logan sat back down. "More concerned about your well-being."

Rafael sighed and then turned to the two-way window. "Are we free to go?"

"Assuming they don't hold you guys. They can hold you for a short time if they think they might have cause for arrest. I'll have to double-check California law, though. I'm dual licensed, but don't represent too many outside of Oregon."

"Why would they want to book us?" Rafael asked. "We haven't done anything wrong."

The door opened, and both officers returned again.

"Are you holding my clients?" Logan demanded. "They've done nothing other than give you what you want."

Farris sat directly across from Rafael and stared him, seeming to ignore Logan. "We do have a problem. Your stories don't match."

Confusion ran through Rafael. "What do you mean? What doesn't?"

Spieling sat next to Farris and they exchanged another glance. Farris leaned over the table, his bloodshot eyes staring into Rafael's. "We've got a couple people claiming you two are threatening them."

Blood drained from Rafael's body. He turned to Logan, confused.

"Who?" Logan demanded.

Spieling narrowed her eyes at him. "The same people Amara says she spoke with last night."

"They've already threatened Rafael," Logan.

Rafael's eyes widened. "Who—?"

"You believe them?" Logan asked, pressing his palms on the table.

"We have a lot of information to sort through."

"Have you tried asking my client about it? I guarantee he has information that would help you."

"Who?" Rafael yelled, standing up. "I'm sick of these games. Just tell me what's going on."

Logan turned to him. "Your ex-business partner."

Everything started to make sense. "Tony and Kristine got to Amara, didn't they?"

"That's the short version," Logan muttered. "And now they're claiming that my clients have threatened them?"

Farris nodded. "So far, we have no proof either way. It's all he-said, she-said."

"You want proof?" Rafael exploded. "You could have asked. I've got cameras pointing outside my store and home. They'll show you where I was. They'll show you those two taunting me. I have a paperwork trail you wouldn't believe for my old business. You want evidence that Tony would do anything to take me down? I have it!"

Both officers sat scribbling notes on their papers.

"Can you get those for us?" asked Spieling.

Rafael wanted to throw something. "Of course." He stared at them, anger building. "Then can I see Amara?"

"Not so fast, cowboy," said Spieling.

"That's not enough?"