My New Step-Brother - Part 19 (Final)

All characters are 18+

It had been hours. My eyes were stinging, my butt was aching and we still seemed no closer to being finished than we did four hours ago.

"I'll ask you again, son" the officer said, biting the end of his pen, "we already know you killed your step-father, now just tell us the truth about Tucker's uncle. You killed him, right?"

I rolled my eyes and buried my face in my hands. I'd told them the same story over and over again.

"No" I sighed, "I never even met the man".

"And you didn't find it strange that you were living in his home, but he wasn't there?" The other cop asked with a raised brow.

"Tucker said he was on vacation" I lied.

"Oh, so it's all Tucker's fault?"

"That's not what I said".

"That's what you meant though, isn't it, son?"

"No!" I growled.

"Can we please take a break from this?" My mom asked, and I could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

"Listen kid" the older cop said softly, "you have a choice here. We know you're a good guy, we know that you didn't mean to do any of this, but Tucker? Well he's got a real colourful past and any judge in the country will see that he made you do this, so what do you say, son? Why don't you just tell us what he did and we can all get on with our lives?"

I punched the desk before I could control myself. My mom jumped, the two cops glared at me, and the older one smirked.

"Fine" he shrugged, "you can rot in prison with your little boyfriend".

The two men stood up and walked toward the door before my mom stopped them.

"We need some air" she said quite sternly.

The older officer glanced at his partner before returning and standing me up. I watched as he wrapped a handcuff around each wrist and grinned smugly.

"Of course, ma'am" he said, "but your son is under investigation for a double homicide, so we just gotta' make sure he ain't running".

They led me toward the back of the police station and out into a small alleyway which was fenced off on both sides. My mom arrived a moment later and the cops shut the door on us.

"Mom I'm so–"

She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me in a hug so hard I thought I'd pop.

"I'm sorry, baby" she whispered, "I'm sorry for taking his side. I'm sorry for failing you".

I hadn't even thought about that side of things. I was too busy worrying about what my life was going to end up like in prison.

With her arms still around me, my mom kissed me on the cheek, but she didn't step back.

"Listen to me" she whispered, "Tucker is sticking with the story. You two never saw Wilson. They already know it was a heart attack that killed him, they're just trying to pin it on you. Okay?"

I nodded. My mom sounded different, as though she was ready to fight.

"And Dustin" she continued and my eyes widened, "before he died he was getting more and more paranoid. He put cameras everywhere, all over the house, even in the bedrooms".

I felt my anger rise inside me. What a fucking creep!

"It's on camera, sweetie" she breathed, "Bernie is on her way over with it, so you just need to stick to your story about Wilson, and all of this will be fixed, do you understand me?"

I couldn't believe my ears. I nodded just as the door opened again, and the older cop sneered at me.

"Kiss your mom goodbye, kid" he snarled, "let's finish this off once and for all".

The room was dark, with just a single light above. It reminded me of the movies, and the shadows made the cops look even more intimidating.

"You'll get life" one of them growled, "and those men inside will love a pretty boy like you".

My mom squeezed my hand under the desk.

"Unless you tell us what Tucker did" the other one added, "that's all you have to do, son, just say the word".

"Unless you want to continue your sick little romance behind bars" the other grinned, "I'm sure the prison officers wouldn't mind giving you some privacy".

"Oh I don't know about that" the younger one scoffed, "I hear they like a show".

A knock sounded on the door just as I felt my rage begin to spill over. A young woman poked her head inside.

"Can I see you for a moment?" She asked the cops, who looked angered by her interruption. They both stood up and left the room.

"Mom" I said quietly, but she stared at me and her eyes flicked toward the camera in the corner of the room.

My mom was becoming a real bad ass.

Twenty minutes went by before the two cops finally returned. I gulped as they sat down and glared at me.

"Did you kill Dustin Crawford?" The older one asked for the thousandth time.

"Yes" I replied angrily, "because he was trying to kill me!"

They looked at each other and back to me.

"And what about Wilson, was it you or Tucker who killed him?"

"Neither of us" I spat.

They exchanged looks once more before the older one sighed and stood up.

"Then I guess we're done here" he said, and I gawped at him, then at my mom who was smiling.

"So you were mistaken then?" My mom asked curtly, "you've kept my son here and subjected him to humiliating lines of questioning, and you're now admitting that you were mistaken?"

My eyes widened.

"It's part of the job" the man hissed.

"Well" she said, standing up and leading me toward the door, "you won't have to worry about that for much longer" she pointed up at the cctv camera. "Isn't it just crazy what cctv can prove?"

With those words, my mom shoved open the door and the two of us walked outside.

"Holy shit, mom" I gawped, "that was bad ass!"

"Mind your language" she said, lifting her head as we walked, but I could see the smile on her face.

We walked right out the front door, and I looked around for her car. It was nowhere to be seen, but my eyes landed on something else.

Bernie stood across the parking lot next to Tucker's truck. A boy stood beside her beaming from ear to ear, and he stood the other side, a handsome grin spread across his face.

"Go on" my mom whispered, "he's been missing you".

I ran forward, Tucker did too and we embraced in the most amazing kiss I had ever known. His strong arms held me, mine held him, and in the background, Leon gagged.

We both laughed as we released each other.

"I guess we got away with it" Tucker said, "real little Bonnie and Clyde, huh?"

I grinned up at him as Bernie rushed over and wrapped her arms around me.

"Now!" She said promptly, releasing me and looking around at us, "would it be possible to have a night without death, police and shootings?"

We all laughed.

"We should go out for a meal" she continued, "all of us".

I watched her look over at my mom who stood where I'd left her. Bernie beckoned her over, and wrapped her arms around her too.

"We both endured that man, sweetheart" I heard her whisper, "and now it's over".

"You know" Tucker smiled to me in the back of the truck as his mom drove and spoke to my mom about apple pie, "we never did get to finish that photoshoot back in your bedroom".

I grinned at him as his hand closed around mine.

"We have a lifetime for that" I whispered.