Bulletproof (#1) ✔

30: Tyler

"Sorry, I overheard something about a stabbing?" Franks says, his eyes narrowing down on me. "Tyler, wasn't it?"

I nod mutely.

"I wasn't aware you knew Ethan," he says. "Why didn't you tell me when I was talking to Francesca? Your thoughts would have been very valuable."

"I didn't know you were looking into Ethan's attack, too. Didn't realize they were linked."

He narrows his eyes. "I thought that would have been obvious. Nonetheless, you're here now. Mind if I ask a few questions?"

My shoulders tense but I nod my head. The detective smiles and comes forward, not sitting but standing above me. Ethan is silent behind me.

"So, your name is Tyler," he says and I start to tell him my last name too but he cuts me off. "—Tyler Madden."

I frown. I don't remember giving him my last name. "Eighteen years old, full-time student, the son of Colton and Heather Madden, and currently under the employment of Carl Kingsley."

My entire body tenses, freezes and shuts down. The detective sees the look on my face and reaches into his bag, bringing out a pile of papers in a folder. He holds it out to me enough for me to see the front.

"This is a file on you. I was given access to it after someone tipped me off about you."

I breathe out loudly through my nose. "Someone ratted me out?"

"You got many enemies, Tyler?" the detective asks.

"I don't know," I say quietly.

"Well you might want to add a couple to your list," he says. "Five people anonymously tipped me off. Two last night, three this morning. I was going to head to your home after talking to Ethan here. I'm ready to make an arrest."

"Arrest?" I choke out.

"Hey, he doesn't need to be arrested," Ethan says. "He didn't do shit."

"On the contrary, Mr. Carter. Your friend's done a lot. He willingly entered himself into an illegal organization and might have even aided someone with murder."

"What the hell do you mean, murder?" I ask loudly.

"Didn't you know?" Detective asks. "Last week, a man called Peter Suthers, who we had known to be fighting in your circuit, was found dead. We believe it was Carl Kingsley. But he was aided. That kind of manslaughter couldn't be done alone."

"And you think it was me?" I ask.

"I'm keeping my options open," he says.

"I didn't kill anyone!" I say. "You can't arrest me. Please, you can't arrest me."

The detective smiles. "Oh, I'm not arresting you."

I frown and hear the sheets move behind me as Ethan shifts his body. "But I thought you said—"

"I'm not interested in getting a high school kid that's never had a criminal record behind bars," he says. "Stuff like that doesn't pay. And it's a shitload of paperwork that you're not worth. Kingsley though, I could get him in prison for years. Runs an illegal fighting circuit? Has a murder under his belt? Assaulted two men? That's the kind of stuff that I'm after."

"So, if you're not arresting me, then why are you here?" I ask.

"Simple. I need to get to Carl. But he runs a tight ship. I can't make allegations without evidence. And right now, I don't have enough. I need insider information. How to get in, out. Where he is, what he does. Little things that piece together into one big, finished puzzle at the end—and get him locked away for life."

"You want him to be your rat," Ethan scoffs.

"In a way, yes," the detective says. "I have a feeling you don't want to be under Carl's control anymore. And by the way your friend was butchered over here, Carl's starting to notice that, too. You're young and this isn't safe. But if you help me, and my team gets him locked up, then all allegations against you are gone. One squeaky clean record. You can get into college, get a job and live a good life. You just have to help me."

"Are you even allowed to do this—Make deals?"

"If it gets Kingsley off the streets then no one will bat an eyelash. We want criminals in jail, Tyler, not teens that screwed up their lives."

I close my eyes and sigh, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees. Ethan is quiet behind me and I can hear my heart thumping against my chest. "What if I say no?"

"I don't want this to seem like blackmail," Franks says, "but a criminal is a criminal. And if I can't get Carl, then you'll do."

My heart stutters painfully and I clench my jaw.

"So what do you say, Tyler?" he says. "Will you help me? Will you help get Carl locked away for as long as possible?"

I look up at him and finally, after a few moments of silence, nod my head.

- Ellie x