The Accidental Detective: Finding Her Boss

Chapter 44

🕵🏾‍♀️

How did we get here?

Zenith and Doug's eyes were locked in a heated glare-off, the weight of both their anger towards each other hanging between them in a tension so thick that you could almost physically see it with the right pair of eyeglasses.

They sat across from each other in the cold, sterile interrogation room, the harsh overhead light casting shadows across their faces.

"Zenith," Doug's voice cut through the silence, but it lacked its usual lightheartedness. His once warm blue eyes were now ice cold, absent of that playful humour that had always defined him, that Zenith was so familiar with.

"I never wanted things to end this way."

Zenith's jaw ticked, his fists clenched on his lap, "my brother could get killed because of you," he slowly said through gritted teeth, trying his hardest to hold back his anger.

Doug leaned back in his seat, his eyes now narrowed on the handcuff which chained his right wrist to the leg of the steel table, his expression one of indifference, "then go rescue him. The fuck are you doing sitting here talking to me for?"

Zenith took in a sharp breath.

He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that the person sitting in front of him was someone who himself and his brother considered family, and yet he couldn't recognise him in that moment.

"How could you!?" He growled, and slammed both hands on the table with a force that made it echo in the otherwise quiet room. "We've known you since we were boys. Hell, I've known you since you were in diapers! Why do this? How could you betray us like this!?"

Doug had his poker face on, he let out a deep sigh through his nose. "Zenith, I'm a very reasonable man. But my patience with the way you and everything about this dad has been running very, very thin."

"Your patience is running thin?" Zenith's voice raised in disbelief, he shook his head, incredulous, "my brother's life is in danger, Loriatte's life is in danger, and you know what the worst part is? They both think you're out there, doing all you can to get them out, that you're a loyal friend who has their backs. They would never, never, think that you, of all people, are behind everything."

Doug's eyes darkened, he slammed his fists onto the table, standing up so quickly that the chair he'd been sitting on flew backward with a loud screech. "How dare you!?" His voice, raw with anger, boomed through the room.

Zenith shot to his feet as well, his own anger flaring up like wildfire. "How dare I!? How dare you! You're the one who's been playing in everyone's face like the backstabber you are!"

"Fuck you, Zenith!"

"You-"

"No, you listen to me!" Doug pointed a finger at him using the hand that wasn't cuffed to the table, the anger in his voice palpable.

He leaned forward with his hand on the table, his chest heaving with the effort of controlling his rage. "So you're telling me, you point your gun at me, handcuff me and lock me in a room all because you think I would backstab the only people I'm close to!?" His voice was seething by then, every word laced with fury, "you said it yourself, we grew up together, we're family, Zenith! You should know more than anyone that those accusations are absolutely ridiculous! After everything we've been through, you still don't trust me enough to give me the benefit of the doubt, huh? Went right ahead and locked me up like I'm some criminal."