This time, I let my anger break through. “Well, now I think she’s a cheating, worthless whore.”

Avery’s eyebrows shoot up. “What did you think of her before?”

“Not much.” I lean back in my seat. “I always knew there would come a time when my dad would remarry. As long as she made my dad happy and didn’t try to take the place of my mom, that’s all that really mattered to me.”

Detective Avery gives me a sympathetic smile. “I take it you two weren’t close.”

“We got along just fine, but no. Eileen wasn’t someone I confided in or sought to build a relationship with. I respected her as my dad’s wife, but that’s about it.”

“So you had no knowledge of her and your uncle having an affair?”

“Nope.” I pause, pretending to think. “Although, now that I think about it, there were signs.”

Avery leans forward in his chair. “What signs?”

“Well, my uncle’s wife—my aunt Lenora—has ALS. She’s declined so much over the years she can no longer move or speak…let alone have sex.” I take a breath and continue. “Evidently, Eileen was the wife of his old best friend, and after he was found dead in his car, my uncle asked my dad for help to solve the case. That’s how Eileen and my dad met. However, there were a few times where I caught them looking at each other for a little too long. I didn’t think much of it, though. Clearly I was wrong.”

They both exchange a glance.

“What about your stepsister, Aspen?”

And there it is.

“What about her?”

Phillip’s clears his throat. “She claims you two have a relationship. Is this true?”

I snort. “If by relationship, you mean we fuck occasionally, then yeah.”

Avery rubs his chin. “Multiple witnesses said you showed up at the prom. According to them—you danced, shared a kiss…and then left together.”

I nod. “All that’s true.”

He steeples his fingers. “She claims it’s just a fling. Nothing serious.”

“She’s right.”

“Forgive me,” Avery says. “I’m having trouble understanding why you would dance and kiss your stepsister at a prom if your clandestine relationship wasn’t serious.”

I see where they’re going with this.

“We used to hate each other.” I laugh under my breath. “Hell, we still do. But we also have chemistry…chemistry that leads to great sex.” I steeple my fingers, mimicking him. “For me, that’s all it is. Because to be frank—the girl has a mouth like a Hoover and her pussy is every bit as uptight as she is, but for her…” Shrugging, I let out a sigh. “You know how girls are. They get clingy.”

They exchange a humorous glance.

Phillips’s expression evens out and his tone becomes serious. “Was Aspen getting clingy?”

“She wasn’t boiling rabbits or anything, but she was definitely having a tough time separating sex from being a couple.” I run a hand down my jaw. “To her credit, she tried to play it cool, like she wasn’t getting attached. However, before she left to go to prom, she told me not to wait up because she was meeting up with some guy after.”

“How did that make you feel?”

I laugh. “I mean, her attempt at making me jealous obviously worked. I showed up, didn’t I?”

Philips nods. “So, what happened after you left the prom together?”

“We went into the backseat of my jeep.”

“Can you go into more detail, please?”

“Sure.” I smirk. “I finger banged her for a bit, and then I asked her to suck me off.” I feign annoyance. “She complained that there wasn’t enough room in the backseat and that someone might catch us. I suggested we go home so we could screw in my bedroom like we always did, but she bitched that she wanted me to take her somewhere special.”

Phillips looks down at his notepad and I can’t help but notice his lips twitch slightly. “You took her to The Magic Motel. Is that correct?”

I smirk, sharing his amusement. “It’s not the classiest place, but I don’t have a lot of money and it’s cheap.”

“Did you pay for the entire night?”

I shake my head. “No. I paid forty bucks for four hours. It would have been a hundred to stay the whole night.”

Avery leans back in his seat, his gaze scrutinizing. “Just so we’re clear. You were the one who checked in?”

“No, I was the one who paid for the room. I handed Aspen the money to secure the room while I stayed in my jeep.”

He raises a brow. “Why?”

I cut my gaze to his. “Because I didn’t feel like walking with an erection.”

That answer seems to appease him.

Avery brings his coffee cup to his lips. “So, after you checked in. What happened?

“I went down on her and she returned the favor. Then we fucked. Twice in the bed and once in the shower before we left.”

Phillips makes a noise in his throat before he speaks. “Were you afraid your parents might find out you were having sex?”

I think about this for a minute before I answer. “Not really. Eileen probably would have gotten her panties in a bunch over it, because she was all about appearances. But my dad wouldn’t have cared that much because it’s not like we were raised as siblings. The only thing that would piss him off would be if I knocked her up, but she’s on birth control, so there’s no chance of that happening.” I peer at the clock on the wall. “Not to be a dick, but I have an appointment at three. If you need me to stay longer, I’ll have to give them a call and let them know I’ll be late.”

“That won’t be necessary.” After exchanging one last glance with his partner, Detective Avery puts down his pen. “I think we’ve covered everything for now. We’ll contact you if we need any more information.”

I get up from my seat and walk over to the door, but stop before opening it.

The next words out of my mouth are the equivalent of swallowing glass, but I don’t have a choice.

“My dad was sad for a long time after my mom died. We both were. When he remarried, he finally started smiling again. I’m not saying that what he did was right…but I know he loved her.” I close my eyes. “But people won’t care about any of that when they read the paper. The only thing they’ll care about is that he shot his wife and brother for having an affair. They won’t give a fuck that he was a hero who spent his life protecting others.”