Chapter 51 THE FIRST CRACK (ii)

Chapter 51 THE FIRST CRACK (ii)
"What?" He hissed, his eyes widening as he turned his head toward me before he caught himself. A look of genuine, stark surprise flashed across his weathered features. “Why are you asking me about that?”

“Because you investigated it.”

Nervous sweat beaded on his forehead. “ That was an old gangland hit. That case has been closed for a while.”

“Answer the question.”

He looked away. “Why?”

I pushed the blade harder into his side, making him wince. “Because I said so.” I pressed the knife and slid it down a bit, forcing a small gasp from his throat. "And don't lie to me, Miller. I know you know. You were the lead detective on that file before you suddenly vanished out of town."

He swallowed hard, his eyes darting toward Jax, who was watching the perimeter with a dark, warning glare. "It was a very, very sensitive case," Miller whispered, his voice shaking slightly.

I let out a low, bitter laugh. "Sensitive because it involves Kanan Maddox, right?"

The detective went completely silent, his mouth forming a thin line.

"The only thing I want to know," I hissed, leaning in closer until I could smell the stale coffee on his breath, "is whether he was there on the day of the massacre. You are the only person who noted in the official archives that you thought his alibi was false. Tell me the truth."

Miller closed his eyes, a heavy, tired look washing over his face. "In as much as that case is a completely fucked-up one, and those poor servants did not deserve to die like that..." 

My jaw clenched. He mentioned only the servants, meaning he thought my parents, my sister, and I deserved what we got since we were mafia. 

He paused, opening his eyes to look directly into mine. "Maddox wasn't in town on the day of the massacre."

The world seemed to stop spinning. The noise of the mall faded into a high-pitched ring in my ears.

"What?" I whispered, my fingers tightening around the hilt of the blade until my knuckles turned white. "What do you mean he wasn't in town?” I asked, my voice rising with fury and shock. “Your own private field notes stated his alibi was false. Have they bought you out, too?"

Jax saw the sudden change, his eyes widening as he realized I was losing control. He immediately leaned forward, trying to intervene before I carved the man open in public.

"Si," he whispered, his hand landing gently on my arm. "Calm down."

"Shut it, Jax!" I snarled without looking at him, my voice rising just enough to make a nearby teenager turn around. 

I ignored him entirely, my focus back onto the detective, pressing the knife hard enough to draw a bead of blood through his shirt. "Why are you lying to me? Why the hell are you lying to my face?"

"Calm down," Jax whispered frantically in my ear, his grip on my shoulder tightening to ground me. "You are drawing attention to us.”

I took a sharp breath, my teeth grinding together so hard my jaw ached as I forced myself to calm down. 

"If you do not start talking right now, I will drag you out of this mall to a different location,” I threatened Miller, my voice a lethal whisper. “And I promise you will not like the way that conversation goes."

I stared at him, my mind scrambling to make sense of the pieces. Why the hell was he changing his testimony now?

A sickening thought crept into my mind. Maybe that is the reason why Miller was able to come back into town so comfortably. Kanan paid him off to change his tune…. Or finally broken him. 

Miller winced against the pain in his side, but his gaze remained steady. "I am not lying to you, girl.” He insisted, trying to make sudden movements so that the blade wouldn't plunge into his side, “There is actual physical evidence to prove it."

I stiffened, shock and skepticism slamming into me. 

"Show me the evidence," I commanded, my voice cold as ice. "And if you don't have actual, sensible evidence to back up this story, be ready to lose some limbs."

Miller nodded slowly, his hands remaining where I could see them. "It's in my safety deposit box. Not far from here. I can show you, but you need to take that steel out of my ribs first."

“Si—” Jax said, his voice sharp. “This can be a trap.” 

“I need to see the proof he claims he has.” I snapped back, standing with Miller. “I don’t give a damn about any trap.”