“I don’t drive,” Will mumbled.
“What’s that, baby?” Hector asked.
Will huffed as he lifted his head to stare up at the man. “I can’t have a parking ticket because I don’t drive. I don’t have my license.” He’d never really had the chance to get one. “I couldn’t afford it after I got out of foster care.”
It didn’t really seem to matter. He couldn’t afford a car either.
“I’ll teach you,” Hector said before glancing at Dan. “Can you look into the thing with your father a little closer? Will was arrested and even spent a few hours behind bars. There has to be a record somewhere.”
“I’ll have Mike look into it,” Dan replied. “Considering my history with my father, it might not be good coming from me.”
Will winced. He couldn’t wait for the day when his name wasn’t associated with Officer Wilson. Will was really starting to see that the man was bad news all the way around, and now it looked as if he might be a bad cop. Granted, Will would be thrilled if solicitation wasn’t on his record, but he knew it was. He didn’t think he’d ever forget.
“Look, Will,” Dan said, “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I want you to know I will do everything I can to figure out who is after you.”
“Why do you care?” Will asked simply because he didn’t get it. “I accused your boyfriend of a horrible crime. He could have lost his job because of what I said. He could have gone to jail.”
“Because that wasn’t you. That was my father. Yes, you were the one to make the accusations, but you were simply a tool my father was using to get what he wanted. It really had nothing to do with you.”
“I’m a little confused,” Chief Helmond said. “Is that about that sexual harassment thing?”
Will’s jaw dropped as he slowly panned to the chief. “You don’t know?”
He thought everyone knew.
"I thought that was all settled," the chief continued.
“It was," Dan replied.
"Then why is it even being brought up?"
"Because someone knows!" Will insisted.
"I don't think so, Will. I asked the sheriff to seal your file,” Dan said. “I didn’t want what happen to come back on you.”
“But—”
“Will,” Hector said, “you paid for what you did. You need to stop thinking of yourself as the bad guy here. You’re not.”
“I accused him of sexual harassment when he didn’t do anything but be nice to me!” Will cried out. “In what world doesn’t that make me the bad guy?” Because he really wanted to live there.
Dan smirked. “Cade Creek.”
* * * *
Hector was worried. Will had practically unraveled right before his eyes. He had been so terrified, he’d been shaking. Hector’s heart warmed as he realized that even in his fear, Will had turned to him. Yes, he had freaked out in the very beginning, but then he had sought Hector out for safety.
Hector smiled as he glanced at Jack and then Dan, meeting each man’s eyes. “Will is staying with me now. That’s where you can reach him if you need to speak with him.”
Will went still in his arms, but the man didn’t say anything.
Dan raised an eyebrow, but the chief chuckled and said in a singsong voice, “Another one bites the dust.”
Hector shrugged. What could he say? The chief was right. He’d fallen and fallen hard. He just didn’t have a problem with it. He hadn’t been looking for someone because he’d been too caught up in fixing his new house up, but now that Will was in his life, Hector planned on holding on and never letting go.
“Those feds were following us into town,” Hector said. “We need a way out of here. We were headed up to the clinic to get blood tests.”
Dan grinned. “I know just the way to get you there.”
