53. Daisy

FIFTY-THREE

DAISY

Kye watched me the entire ride. If he wasn't looking back at me, I could see him watching from the side mirror. With the way Mark was looking at me from the other side of the car, I was glad I asked Kye to come. I didn't know that I would have heard the end of whatever lecture Mark had to give me today. This was the first time that Mark and my dad had seen Kye and I together, and while they already suspected, I knew seeing it in person was going to cause issues.

And I was right, based on how my dad already reacted and how Mark wanted to react.

We rode to the station in silence, and I tried to think of anything I knew about Mia. I barely knew her. She didn't share much about herself, more about other people. I knew she lived with a roommate, and I thought she had a boyfriend, but again, she didn't say much about it.

Kye opened my door, pulling me against him as soon as I stood. As much as Kye liked pissing off Mark and my dad, I knew he wasn't doing it to make a problem, but to support me.

"Thank you for coming," I whispered.

Mark walked in ahead of us, but Kye pulled me back, turning me into his arms to cup my face and kiss me hard.

"Thank you for being okay, because I wasn't sure what I would do if you weren't," he whispered, kissing me again.

Before I could say anything, Mark was already storming back out and urging us inside.

He brought us to the waiting area, and Kye sat with an arm around the back of my chair.

I went to sit, but Amber burst through the door, already running to grab me.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay!" she yelled.

I hugged her back. "You, too. I'm glad you weren't there tonight."

"I almost was. Almost. Have they told you anything yet?"

"No. Nothing yet. Hopefully, soon. I can text you when I learn anything."

"Yeah," she said, nodding, but chewing her lip. "Yeah. I guess I will give my information and…go home."

Kye stood up, wrapping an arm around me. "No. Go home and get the boys. Scout and Chase are on their honeymoon and will be fine if you set up there for a day or two."

"No. I'm not stealing someone's apartment just because I'm a little freaked out."

He was already texting Scout to double check, but I knew her well enough that I knew the answer would be yes. Any of them would say yes. Even if I asked Kye for Amber to stay with us at his place, he would say yes.

I wrapped both arms around him now, holding him closer, just to remember this amazing man was real, and he was mine.

"When did Mia dye her hair?" I asked Amber. "I just saw her two days ago and it was still black."

"Yesterday. I thought it was you yesterday when I walked into work."

"Alright, Scout and Chase are fine with it. Go home, get your stuff and the boys, and come over for a bit. At least until we know what is going on."

Her shoulders sagged and she smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate it. I'll see you guys in a little bit, then?"

I nodded, hugging her once before she left.

"Daisy," Mark said, waving me over. "I need you in here alone."

Kye's hand tightened on mine. "If you have any problems," he whispered, "just scream, and I swear I will kick down that door for you."

I smiled, kissing him once before heading over to Mark's door. Even knowing Kye was on the other side of the door kept me calmer.

And it was Mark. At the very least, he cared about his job and would take this seriously.

He waved to the seat across from his desk before he pulled off his gun and a handful of keys from his pocket. He looked at me, flustered, as he threw the keys into a drawer along with the gun. The keychain flashed in the light, and it made me wonder if he was already seeing someone to have a keychain like that.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"I've been better. You?"

"I've been better," he said.

"Seeing anyone?"

His hand tightened on the pen he had poised to write, and his eyes narrowed. "After we broke up two weeks ago? No. Unlike some other people, I don't go fucking around immediately."

My eyebrows jumped, and I sat back a little further in the chair. "It's not like I went out and found the first guy off the street to sleep with him. I'm sorry, but I've always loved Kye. There's nothing wrong with you, Mark. I just can't help who I love."

"Right." His jaw tightened, and he took a deep breath before continuing. "Look, this isn't about us. It's about what happened tonight. I need us to focus on that."

I nodded, feeling a pit of guilt in my stomach. I knew what I did wasn't the greatest, but I couldn't help it. "Okay. And I am sorry."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I need you to tell me everything you remember about tonight. Any detail, no matter how small, could be important."

I recounted the night's events as clearly as I could, from the moment I arrived at the diner to what I did after. Mark scribbled notes furiously, his face a mask of concentration.

When I finished, he leaned back in his chair, tapping his pen against his notebook. "Did you notice anything unusual about Mia before tonight? Any strange behavior or comments?

I shook my head. "No, not really. She seemed fine the last time I saw her. She did dye her hair recently, which is drastic, but that's about it."

"And you're sure you don't know anything about her personal life? No ex-boyfriends, enemies, anything?

"I told you, she didn't talk much about herself. I know she had a roommate and maybe a boyfriend, but she was pretty private."

"She didn't tell you anything about her boyfriend? Nothing at all?"

"Not really. Just that she would see him once or twice a week, but didn't say much otherwise. Do you guys know anything?"

"Nothing yet. Where was Kye that day?'

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at him. "With me? Why?"

"All day?"

"I mean, I was at the apartment for a while with Bailey while he was at the garage, and then I met up with him there."

"And was anyone else with him at the garage?"

"I'm sure one of the crew was there at some point. I don't know who exactly, though."

"So one of his closest friends will be the only one to give him an alibi for the hours when Mia could have been killed?"

"One of them, or me."

He was already standing up with a shake of his head. "All the people who would gladly lie for him if needed."

"What does Kye have anything to do with this? He barely knew Mia."

"We have reasons to think Kye could be involved, Daisy."

"How?"

"Because the last person Mia called was Kye, twenty minutes before she was killed."