"Yes?" Logan asked in his sandpaper voice. Even now, it still had an effect on her insides and outsides. Her stomach twisted and every hair on her body stood at attention.
"My name is detective Robert Crowne," the voice introduced. "This is my partner, Detective Stephen Burberry. Do you mind if we step inside and talk to you? You aren't in a meeting or anything, are you?"
"We just found it strange your classroom door was locked during school hours," the other voice - Stephen Burberry - pointed out. His voice wasn't as deep and he naturally spoke fast so at least Peyton could distinguish all three speakers with ease.
Although. It did beg the question: why were detectives here? Why did they need to speak with Logan? Was this in regards to what happened between Brandon? Was he pressing charges against Logan? Would he press charges against her? Her heart started hammering in her chest and she inhaled a shaky breath through her nose, trying not to make it obvious that she was there. She knew they were still by the door and wouldn't hear her anyway, but she wanted to be as careful as possible.
"What's this in regards to?" Logan asked. He was cautious, she could hear the reservation in his tone, but not rude.
"It would be better if we spoke in private," the first detective, Crowne, said. Without waiting for a formal invitation from Logan, Peyton heard the two detectives step inside. It was odd; she could feel them looking around the room even though she couldn't see them. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why the locked doors? Isn't that against the rules?"
"I just finished grading papers from my intro class," Logan said smoothly, the lie driving from his tongue like it was truth. "I've been behind and didn't want to be disturbed."
Peyton blinked, impressed at his quickness.
"Don't you have an office for that?" Burberry asked in his nasal voice. Peyton tensed her body to keep from shuddering at the sound. It was akin to nails on a chalkboard, if she was being honest.
"I didn't want to be disturbed with fucking stupid questions," Logan told him. Peyton could distinctively hear his motorcycle boots step down the classroom, and if she had to guess, Peyton would say they were in the middle of the room, between the two section of desks. She bit back a smile. That sounded more like the Logan she knew. She wondered where the swearing went when the detectives first came to the door. "So what the fuck is this about?"
"Mr. Jeffrey, when was the last time you were in contact with your brother, a Mr. Brandon Jeffrey?" Crowne asked. Peyton wasn't quite sure what the detective looked like but she could imagine him cocking his head to the side and trying to size up Logan with curious eyes. People didn't know what to make of him, and it was doubtful that that would change anytime soon. Even brilliant detectives weren't sure if they should hate Logan for his attitude or crack open a beer with him. The thing about Logan was, you could probably do both.
"He took me and a teaching assistant on a tour of Old Newport," Logan told him. This was actually the truth, as far as Peyton knew. Logan had never sought out his brother and she was pretty sure Logan wasn't about to go out of his way to call him.
"Do you typically take out your teaching assistants?" Burberry asked, not bothering to hide his suspicions if he tried. "Your reputation has made its way to us, you know."
Peyton could imagine Logan cutting over to the second detective with a curt look on his face. He waited a moment before answering. "Peyton Hart is also a student," he said. "I make it a point not to sleep with my students and get myself in trouble with the university. No pussy is worth losing my fucking tenure."
One of the detectives chuckled. Peyton believed it was Crowne.
"So your venture to Old Newport wasn't social?" Burberry continued.
"Look, if I wanted to fuck her, do you think Old Newport is the place I would take her to get her fucking wet?" Logan asked.
Actually, it was the perfect place to take her to get her wet but these detectives didn't need to know that.
"Did your brother seem to be out of sorts?" Crowne asked. "Something off about him, you think?"
Logan paused before answering. Peyton guessed he was thinking about his answer. "Not that I remember," he replied.
Also the truth. It wasn't until Brandon had attacked her in Herbert's cell did she assume he was a fucking weirdo.
"Why are you asking me questions about my brother?" Logan asked. "What the fuck is going on here?"
"Did your brother and Karla Sorano have a relationship, to your knowledge?" Burberry asked, ignoring Logan's question.
"I don't fucking talk to my brother, detectives," he said.
"But," Burberry pointed out, "you do know Karla Sorano. She was your TA, correct? One you've had relations with?"
"If by relations, you mean we fucked for a few weeks, then yes." Peyton heard the familiar crinkle of Logan's leather jacket as he crossed his arms over his chest. "But it was nothing more than fucking."
"Clearly, considering she got with your brother at some point," Burberry said. "Do you make it a habit to sleep with your TAs?"
"I've slept with a number of them, yes,” Logan said. "Not that it's any of your fucking business."
"Why don't you talk to your brother?" Crowne asked.
"We've never been close," Logan replied.
"Close enough to call him in on a favor to get you and Ms. Hart a tour of Old Newport," Burberry pointed out.
"The only reason Brandon agreed to that was to hurt me," Logan said, his voice tight. "He attacked Ms. Hart that night and he attacked her a few days ago. He wanted to have sex with her because he thought we were sleeping together."
"But you aren't," Crowne stated.
"Wouldn't your brother know your rules?" Burberry asked.
"As I've said, we don't talk," Logan repeated through a growl.
"Him attacking Ms. Hart wouldn't hurt you, though," Burberry stated. "You weren't sleeping with her, anyway."
"I don't even have feelings for those I do sleep with," Logan said, his voice so convincing a prickle of worry started to tease at Peyton's chest.
"Do you think Karla Sorano was trying to get back at you by sleeping with your brother?" Burberry continued.
"I didn't know she was fucking my brother and I don't care if she was trying to get back at me," Logan replied. "Karla and Brandon can fuck whoever they want as long as they leave me the fuck alone." He paused. "But you aren't here to tell me about them fucking, are you?"
There was a lingering pause and Peyton pressed her palms against her mouth to keep her breath from spilling out.
"Mr. Jeffrey," Crowne began. "We've come here to inform you that at 2:32 this morning, my partner and I were dispatched to your brother’s residence and found him and Ms. Sorano in what appeared to be the aftermath of a sexual encounter. Both are deceased."
A pause, then: "I see."
Peyton couldn't breathe.
"We’re waiting on forensic evidence to come back but it appears as though Ms. Sorano killed your brother before turning the weapon on herself," Crowne continued. "The line of questioning was to try to get motive on Ms. Sorano's part but it seems pretty cut and dry. Here's my card. If you have anything you might want to add, please give me a call. Thank you for your cooperation."
That was a lie. Peyton knew that was a lie. Karla didn't kill Brandon. Karla didn't kill herself.
Peyton heard the door shut. A beat, and then another. The lock clicked into place and Peyton stood on shaky legs. Her heart hammered in her chest. She heard the rush of her blood like listening to the ocean in a seashell. Her pelvis throbbed with desire. She needed his cock between her thighs right this second.
And when he finally locked eyes with her, Logan smirked.
Acknowledgments
This book was never supposed to happen. And then Logan got a hold of me and demanded I write his story NOW. It flowed out of me. I loved this sooooo much. I hope you did too!
Thank you to my family, especially my mom, for your support and your faith in my ability. Thanks for the way you’ve raised m
e and the way you take care of my daughter.
Thank you to my readers for your amazing encouragement. I’m astounded each and every time I talk to you!
Thank you to my beta readers – Andrea H. and Karen S. You’re awesome! I wouldn’t be able to do what I need to do without your assistance!
Thank you to my kickass launch team and everyone who wanted an ARC. Your feedback is so helpful and instrumental to my career.
Thank you to Suzanna Lynn of Funky Book Designs for my wonderful beautiful wickedly dark cover! It’s haunting and gorgeous and I love it!
Thank you to Josh, Jacob, and Kylee for pushing me to be a better parent and motivating myself to take myself seriously as an author.
Finally, to Frank, as always you’re my reason for everything. Thank you for inspiring me.
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A Reputation Dark & Deadly (A Dark & Deadly Series Book 2) Page 23
