Against All Odds - Angel's Story(40)

“Okay. Well, are you aware Riley Benson was brutally attacked last night?” He wasn’t the only one, is what I’d like to say, but of course I don’t. I’m thankful the nicer of the two is asking all the questions, so I focus all my attention on him.

“Yes. One of my friends called me this morning. She read about it in the newspaper.”

“Can you tell us what happened after you both left the party together?”

“We didn’t leave the party together,” I say as confidently as I can under the circumstances. Lying doesn’t usually come easy to me, but I have a lot riding on this. So does Chase. “The last time I saw Riley was when I walked out on him.”

“We have witnesses who say he followed you out.”

“You do?” I ask trying to act surprised. God I’m going to go to hell for this. I hate that I’m in this predicament. Apart from the lies I’m telling right now, I’ve done nothing wrong. In my eyes neither has Chase. I’d do anything to protect him after what he’s done for me.

“Well, to the best of my knowledge, that’s not true,” I state. “I left the party on my own. I didn’t see him again after that. I was unaware he had even been attacked until I got the call this morning.” Shit, I hope this doesn’t come back to bite me on the arse.

The officers look at each other again. I wish I could read their minds. Their facial expressions aren’t giving anything away. The longer I stand here, the more nervous and intimidated I become.

“Can you tell us your movements from the moment you left the party?” Detective Wilson asks kindly while the other takes notes.

“There’s not much to tell you. I left the party and came straight…” Shit. Before I get a chance to finish, Chase pulls into my driveway. God, could his timing be any worse?

Detective Wilson looks over his shoulder following my line of sight, before looking back at me. I watch in horror as he elbows the other detective, flicking his head in Chase’s direction.

Chase is off his bike in a flash and making his way towards us. “Can I help you gentlemen with anything?” he says as he jogs up the front steps, coming to stand at my side.

“Well if it isn’t Mr. Daniels. We’ve been looking for you,” the creepy detective says.

“Is that right?” Chase asks, folding his arms over his chest. Unlike me, he doesn’t seem to be intimidated by them. “Why would that be?”

“I believe you had an altercation with Riley Benson last night.” Chase quickly looks over at me for confirmation. Crap. I hope he doesn’t think I told them anything. I give him a look, silently trying to convey I haven’t said anything, all the while hoping the detectives don’t pick up on the weird look passing between us.

I’m relieved when he turns his attention back to them and says, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We have witnesses who say otherwise.” Detective Barnes seems to have a real attitude towards Chase. I wonder if it has anything to do with Chase’s father being in a motorcycle gang. Or maybe he’s always an arrogant arse. Either way, I don’t like him. Not one little bit.

“I told him to get his own damn beer, then he left. I wouldn’t exactly call that an altercation,” Chase replies, shoving his hands in his back pockets. He’s so cool and calm, while I’m a bundle of nerves. I can already tell he’s going to make a fantastic lawyer. That’s another reason he can’t afford to get in trouble. This could ruin his career before it even starts.

“Do you want to tell us exactly what happened when the three of you left the party last night?”

Chase answers before I get a chance to speak. “After I left the party, I found Angel walking home alone, and I offered her a ride. Nothing more to tell.” Relief floods through me. I’m not sure if they believe us, but at least our stories are similar. I’m so glad we had that little talk before he left earlier. If we hadn’t, I’d hate to think the dilemma we’d be facing right now.

“So, you’re trying to tell me that neither of you saw Mr. Benson after leaving the party within minutes of each other?”

“That’s right,” Chase answers confidently.

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Well it’s the truth.” He says it with such conviction that if I didn’t know any better, I’d even believe him. Chase and the detective with the attitude, stare each other out for a few seconds. I can tell he’s trying to intimidate Chase when he squares his shoulders and puffs out his chest. This causes a small cocky smile to appear on Chase’s face and I know his intimidation isn’t working.