I grip the wheel tighter and try not to think about the worst-case scenario.
I glance again at my phone.
Still nothing from Lore.
A tightness settles in my gut. Her shift should be over by now. Maybe she’s driving home. I try to tell myself that’s all it is, but the silence feels heavier with every mile.
That heaviness loosens a little when I pull onto our street and see her car in the driveway. Relief sweeps through me so fast I let out a breath.
What throws me is Harvey’s truck parked at the curb.
Milo spots it too and launches into excited chanting, “Havey, Havey!” His little legs kick at the seat, and I can’t help but laugh. I unbuckle him, and set him on the ground just as the front door swings open.
Harvey steps out. He bends down to catch Milo, saying something I can’t hear, too busy trying to pull Milo’s backpackform under my seat. When I straighten, Milo is already inside, and Harvey is standing in the doorway watching me.
He steps back just enough for me to walk in.
I close the door behind me and turn toward him. “What are you-”
I don’t get another word out.
His fist comes flying, a clean, hard punch that smashes into my face and knocks me back into the door with a crack so sharp it echoes in my skull.
“What the fuck, Harvey?” I spit once the ringing in my ears fades. I whip my head toward the stairs, panic shooting through me at the thought of Milo seeing his uncle deck his dad. “Where’s-”
“Lorelie took him upstairs,” Harvey snaps.
Before I can breathe, he grabs me by the collar and drags me toward the garage door. I stumble down the steps as he shoves me inside. The place is a mess of boxes, tools we never use, and crap we swore we’d throw out years ago. Harvey pushes me hard enough that I nearly hit the concrete.
I spin around, anger rising fast. He’s acting like the same asshole big brother who used to push me around when we were kids. Only difference is I’m grown now, and I can swing back.
He folds his arms across his chest and gives me a look that stops me cold.
“What did you do?” he growls through clenched teeth.
My stomach drops. He must’ve heard about the complaint. Of course he would. He’s a Sergeant too. News travels fast.
I huff out a breath. “I know I probably should’ve told you, but how the hell is it any of your business?”
That was the wrong thing to say.
Harvey’s whole body goes rigid. He lunges again, faster than I expect, and this time I’m ready. I fight back, land a couple of solid punches, one to his jaw, another to his ribs. He gets a few in too, enough to knock the wind out of me.
By the end of it, we’re both panting hard, not bloody like the movies, but sore and breathing like we’ve run a marathon. Harvey wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, glaring.
I drag in a breath. “IA called me. They have the tape. It’s gonna show I never forced her.”
He stares at me with a look I’ve never seen from him. Disappointment so deep it hits like another punch.
“Is that supposed to be good?” he asks. “The tape will show the woman you cheated on your wife with wanted it. That’s the big win here?”
My throat tightens. I look away because I can’t stand the truth in his face. This is why I went to Dad instead of him. Dad understands the gray. Harvey only sees in black and white.
“I made a mistake,” I say, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “And Lore and I… we worked through it.”
“Did you?” His voice cracks with disbelief. “Because the woman who called me sobbing sure as hell didn’t sound like someone who worked through anything.”
My heart drops so fast it feels like it hits the floor.
