JACQUARIOUS

Miles tensed. "I don't know what you're trying to imply, Officer—"

"Imply? Oh, I'm not implying anything, Miles. We have the footage. The way you slammed her head into that wall, smashed her against the desk and left that gash in her back. We have it all on tape, just like we have you on tape right now, pacing back and forth in front of that fridge."

Miles gasped. "This is illegal—you can't record me in my house!"

"Actually, it's Casey's house, not yours. And private citizens have the right to record inside their own homes as much as they like. Good thing she got that camera installed before moving in."

The doorbell rang again, Miles practically leaping from his skin.

"That'll be Officer Ramos," Longchamp chuckled. "He's there to read you your rights, Mister Cavendish. But feel free to resist arrest if you like. I'd love to see a scumbag like you try."

"Wait!" Miles screeched. "It's not what you think. We just had a little disagreement, and...I can pay you. Just keep this between us and—"

"Save it, prick," Officer Longchamp barked. "I'll see you at the station." He hung up the phone, silencing the livestream before turning back to me.

"Whoa," Grey mused from behind my shoulder.

"Thanks, Gavin," I said back through the phone. "Do you...think it worked?"

"Hundred percent, kid." He nodded at me.

"Think what worked?" Brayden asked. "You got him dead to rights."

Officer Longchamp chuckled again. "Not exactly. The whole trick with the live feed was...deceptive." He shook his head. "Honestly, Jacquarious, I don't know how you managed to get that camera in there without him noticing."

I shook my head. "It was nerve-wracking; that's for sure."

"Video camera?" Dash twisted to me. "Dude, what is going on?"

"The painting," Grey said, a tiny grin perking up his face. "You hid one of those micro-cameras on the painting, didn't you?"

"But wait," Brayden puzzled. "If you just put the camera inside like thirty minutes ago, how'd you get footage of Miles attacking Casey?"

"He didn't," Officer Longchamp answered. "But Miles doesn't know that. All he knows is there's a camera somewhere in his house, and he thinks it's been monitoring everything he's been doing since he moved there."

Cody exhaled, eyes softening as he turned to me. "That's why you needed to know, isn't it? Why you asked if Casey was already moved into my parents' old place. So you could spin the story."

I nodded. "As long as Miles attacked Casey inside the house, and as long as he thinks the camera was there the whole time, he's got no way out. Not to mention we have video proof now that he just tried to bribe an officer."

"Sick plan, bro," Grey offered, bumping my shoulder. "Guess Longchamp's the guy you were talking to after first period today, huh?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "You heard that?"

Brayden chuckled, Dash rolling his eyes. "Leave it to Grey to eavesdrop," Brayden said.

I smiled knowingly. "Well, you're right—it was him. We cooked up the plan after I told him I thought Casey was being abused."

Officer Longchamp rubbed the back of his neck, staring at Cody from the other side of my phone screen. "My bad, kid. When you kept insisting that you were protecting your sister, I thought you were making it all up. But...when Jacquarious called and said he thought it was a domestic abuse situation, it set off a bunch of alarm bells." He sighed. "I wish I'd listened to you sooner."

Cody sniffled, turning away. "It's...okay," he coughed out the words. "Just...can you make sure that creep stays away from her?"

"Already on it. Ramos just texted me that Miles is in his custody; they're headed back to the station right now, and we're booking him the moment he gets here."

I gave a low sigh as I turned again to Cody, his rugged palm shielding his eyes as tears fell softly to the ground beneath us.

"Your sister's safe, kid."