Chapter 18

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"Um, no, no. Shiloh –" I stumbled over my words still in shock that he had seen me.

"Don't you dare lie to me! What the –?" I grabbed Shiloh's arm and dragged him behind the beach house where there were only a few people smoking weed or making out. "What the fuck are you up to?" He hissed pulling his arm from my hand.

"Nothing, just forget that." I said.

"Don't! Don't tell me to 'just forget that'. What's gotten into you?! Who the hell are you hanging out with? What the hell are you doing?!" He yelled, "You're fucking selling drugs!" His voice was an aggressive whisper.

"I'm not – I... Uh... Look, it was not drugs." I lied.

"Bullshit! Are you out of your fucking mind?! Is this what you’ve been up to? This what you've been too busy with to even see us?" Shiloh hissed. "Tell me the truth!"

"It-it is the truth." I said desperately.

"No, it isn't. Tell me the truth." Shiloh glared at me.

I swallowed as I looked around before I looked down as I ran my hands over my face. "It – it was drugs." I whispered.

I looked up when he didn't answer and I saw him nod slowly, his face blank.

"Why would you -?" He shook his head, "Alex, how...?"

"Uh... I –"

"Do not lie to me." He cut me off.

I let out a sigh. "I can't tell you, it'll drag you into this." I said.

"Tell me or I tell Jordan and Claire about this too." He said.

"Tell them what?" I asked.

"You're a fucking drug dealer. Do you take that shit?"

"Of course not! Shiloh –" I tried but he cut me off.

"I thought I knew you. We all did. You're... wow." He shook his head as he ran his eyes over me and I felt my throat close up with dread, "I- I can't be around someone like you. Who even are you? What else are you hiding?" His voice was laced in disgust and I felt my heart clench. "Fuck, just stay away from us." He turned to leave.

"Wait – Shiloh." I said panicking as I grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. He was one of my best friends. He was family. I couldn't lose more family. "After I tell you this, you swear you'll never say another word about it."

"I won't." He replied turning back to me. I stared at him, "I swear, Alex." He said.

I nodded and began telling him everything, leaving out certain parts about Sergio and I and what we did when no one was at the house. When I was done, Shiloh was staring at me blankly.

"Say something..." I said after he had been quietly staring at me for a few minutes before I quickly added, "To me, not the police." He chuckled and I cracked a relieved smile.

"You know I wouldn't really just leave without making you give me a proper explanation, right?" he smirked.

"You're a fucking asshole." I glared at him. He played on the fact that he knew how much all of them meant to me.

"Last resort, Alex; you forced me. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, whatever." I muttered.

"Man, why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"There isn't anything you can do about it. I just have to... pay my dues?" I shrugged.

"Pay? You owe them nothing."

"What else can I do, Shiloh? I killed someone!" I hissed, "And they killed people. I would be stupid not to assume that they couldn't care less about anything but their own lives."

He nodded. "I get it... It's so fucked up, though. They can't just go around doing whatever the fuck they want to."

"Yeah, well, we can't do anything about it." I said, "Now, you swore you wouldn't tell anyone else about this, so can you act normal?"

"What are you talking about, Alex?" he frowned looking at me confused. I laughed and he chuckled as I shoved him back towards the front of the house. "By the way, it's a really bad idea." He said randomly. I stopped walking and grabbed his shoulder to stop him too.

"What?" I asked.

He smirked as he looked at me, "I've been around Claire and her girl friends long enough to know how people act when they're no-strings-attached fucking, and I've known you long enough to know that your drought ended."

"Man, shut the hell up." He laughed, "Wait – you two were –? How the hell did I not know until…?" I asked stunned.

"Because you're oblivious to anything that's not in a book or a murder case." He rolled his eyes, "Until him." He smirked, "Still, what you're doing with that criminal is a really bad idea. I know I told you to get laid, but you just had to pick the worst person to do it with, didn't you?" He asked.

"Shut up, we're not having sex." I snapped. He gave me a flat look and I glared at him, "If you tell Claire or Jordan –"

"Please, you won't do anything." He cut me off with a laugh and I glared at him, "I won't, Alex. You're my brother; I don't want Claire to kill you."

"Damn it, Shiloh..." I muttered.

"Seriously, though, Alexander." His face suddenly dropped into a dead serious stare, "Find other guys to fuck. This no-strings-attached thing never ends the way it started, I should know. I'll admit in my case it ended up pretty great." I chuckled seeing him smile as he thought of Claire before he looked at me again. "But he's not like her, people like him don't feel, Alexander. It probably won't end well, and if anyone's going to get hurt in this arrangement, it's going to be you."

"Thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself." I said.

"I know, but I don't want to see you back the way you were after..." he drifted and I nodded. I seriously doubt I could ever feel as low as I did when my parents were killed again. Especially about a guy.

"You won't. Trust me. Besides, you know I'm not into the relationship thing." I said frowning. He nodded.

"Another thing, and I know I've told you this before, but not everyone is like that jackass." He said.

"Like what jackass?" My eyes shifted as Sergio walked up to Shiloh and I holding a beer. He looked annoyed out of his mind.

"No one." I replied.

"You look like you're about to throw that at the DJ." Shiloh chuckled.

"You have no idea..." Sergio frowned as he gulped some of the beer down. I smirked.

"Speaking of the DJ..." I walked by the pair of guys and made my way towards the entrance of the house. I wasn't going to waste the one night I got out of that house.

"Don't hurt yourself, Alex!" I rolled my eyes as Shiloh shouted that from behind me, it was followed by laughter from both him and Sergio. I tried not to focus on how Sergio's laugh was just contagious, but it was too hard so I just listened to it fade while I walked away and the music became louder.

I hoped Shiloh would not say a word to Sergio or let a hint slip that he knew anything.

I felt relieved that I was not lying to at least one of my closest friends now but also I felt horrible because I knew he would be dragged into it if Sergio or someone else found out I had told him.

They probably wouldn't though. I was sure Shiloh was smart enough to keep quiet about it.

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A week had zoomed by between school, selling and trying to find Declan Hatton – but I had made no progress in the Declan department of things. So now having asked Clyde if I could hang with my friends for a few hours and him having graciously given me permission to do so along with the two guards I had just ditched by running through a crowded mall, I was making my way towards the police station. Having come out with nothing after subtle hints about Declan to anyone at the house, I figured the policeman from the other day, Steven, should be able to give me my first link to finding Declan. Considering how he rides on both sides of the law so comfortably...

I walked into the police station and up to the reception area feeling my palms sweat even though I had no drugs on me. I clenched my fist at the memory of Sergio getting us arrested for his amusement. My annoyance heightened as I stood for a few minutes while the receptionist joked with some policemen before she gave me an annoyed glance, excused herself and walked over to me.

"What can I help you with?" Her tone blatantly told me she didn't have the slightest interest in actually helping me, I decided to pretend that I didn't notice her attitude.

"I'm looking for Steven." I said. What's his surname?

"Why?" She frowned. I stared at her for a few seconds wondering how I could fix her mood, I came up with nothing.

"He is family – my uncle, I have to see him urgently about my father." I said.

"Whatever," she sighed, "He's in his office, A7, first floor. He doesn't actually want to see anyone today." She said. I knew where his office was from my visit there with Clyde.

Was 'not wanting to see anyone' a mood everyone in their precinct shared?

I thanked her before I walked away and made my way upstairs. My eyes searched the doors that lined the walls until I reached his.

I knocked and heard him mutter an 'enter' before I pulled the door open and walked into his office. He raised his eyebrows leaning back from his work and looking at me.

"Mmm... Alexander, right? You here to lay a charge on Sergio and his gang? Because that's not my area." He said before he leaned forward. "Or is it that you want to know more about the Richardson murders?" His question made my heart thump harder in my chest as I took a seat without him offering.

"I... Yeah... The Richardson's... How did they die?" I asked.

"That's classified."

"I'm their son." He raised his brows.

"Why would I believe you?"

I shrugged with a sigh. "Other than the fact that I look exactly like my father?" I asked before I shook my head suddenly not so interested in the finer details, all that mattered was that they were killed and I was going to make whoever that did it pay... and maybe make him tell me… how… and why… "Look... I'm here for your help." I said.

"I can't help you with Sergio and Declan." He said shaking his head.

"I just need you to help me find him. Declan. I need... a trace, a starting point. Please. I have money." I said.

He pulled his glasses off and laid them on the table between us. "I don't want your money. You seem decent, Alexander. I did research on you after you left last time. Tell me how a thriving, well-behaved law student with a crazy amount of money gets into dealing with people like Clyde and Sergio, and why."

"I need them... to help me with Declan, but not yet." I lied. I definitely wasn't about to tell him the truth.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." He said shaking his head, "Go back to school, pretend you never met these people. You need to move on; it's what your parents would have wanted. Their case is already cold, Alex." I would have done that if I could, but I could not just let it go.

"Are you going to help me or not?" I snapped suddenly, "I haven't stopped going to school. I'm going to find Declan and get him to explain if it's the last thing I do. My parents would have wanted to be alive. It was your jobs as police and investigators to figure out and prove who did this, not mine, but none of you have." I slammed my hands on his desk as I got up and leaned closer to him feeling my blood pump with the anger I was barely hiding now, "If you truly believe that Declan is nothing more than a witness in this, tell me where he is so I can ask him what he saw." I hissed through my grit teeth.

He stared at me silently before he spoke. "I believe that Declan had something to do with it, Alexander, but you can't prove that. No one can, we've tried."

"Please tell me where to find him." I said.

"You're going to get yourself killed, kid." He said. I didn't reply as I just kept staring at him through narrowed eyes and he sighed. "I don't know where he currently is, last I checked he was somewhere in Japan. Here –" he scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to me, "This is our man and he's undercover as one of Hatter's dealers. A little higher than normal dealers but still has no contact with him. He might be able to get you someone who actually knows something about Hatter."

I took the page thanking him before I made my way to the door but his voice stopped me.

"They were shot... and burn alive." I felt my heart jump in my throat despite how carefully he had said that, like it was hard to say it out loud. I never knew my parents were burnt... Alive? "Who... whoever did this is very dangerous, You're ruining your future getting deeper into this shit, Alexander... You do not want Declan to know you."

"Thanks for the help." I replied with a wave of the piece of paper as I walked out with a renewed amount of hatred for my parent's killer.

If it isn't Declan, he better know who it is.

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