I nod.Somehow, as scary as everything is, I believe him.Because we chose each other and that makes us right.What we have is real and empowering.
I was the rock in my other relationships, but Jaeger is the boulderIcling to in the middle of the deep blue lake.
ChapterThirty-Three
Big surprise—I’m out of a job for a while.I don’t blame John Sallee; he had no choice.In his defense, he gave me unpaid leave until my court hearing.John can’t ignore the charges against me, but he’s optimistic they’ll be dropped.Which is good of him, considering he’s only known me a few weeks.
Jaeger walks through the gate to our backyard.I’m on the lounge chair I moved from our patio—now bedroom—to the dirt.I actually enjoy this vantage point better; it places me square with nature.I’m thankful for the little things these days, like beautiful trees, a tasty jar of green olives, and time with my boyfriend, while everything else flushes down the crapper.
Jaeger lifts me, sketchpad and all, and plants himself in my spot on the chaise, sprawling me along the length of his body.My muscles tense at first, bracing for balance, then settle in comfortably.I pick up my pencil and resume the sketch I’m working on.The Jaeger lounge is my new favorite furniture.
He plants his hands on my hips, fingers caressing the indent of my waist.I wiggle as his warm palms send chemical signals to my girl parts.
A low growl rumbles from his chest.“Easy, or you’ll find yourself beneath me, your work tossed across the yard.”
I chuckle.That’s not a threat, it’s something I’m looking forward to, and plan to make happen just as soon as Gen leaves for work.
A week has passed since they arrested me.I was only in jail for a few hours, but it’s not something I’ll soon forget.I’ve regained the bulk of my energy with the help of heavy antibiotics and bed rest.All things considered, I’m freaking lucky to be alive.In the meantime, Jaeger has hired a private investigator to look into the drugging.It’s so police reality show I can hardly believe it’s my life.
Jaeger raises the side of my sketchpad.I’m drawing an abstract of a man pulling a woman from the water, using the million tiny shapes I favor for design.It’s possible the expression on the man’s face resembles the look Jaeger gave me after I woke in the hospital.
“You’re amazing,” he says into the hair above my ear.
I lay my pencil in my lap and link our fingers.“I’m a jailbird.You sure you want to keep associating with me?”
His body stiffens, and not the good part.
A shot of panic rattles my nearly healed lungs.“Jaeger?”
“I spoke to the PI this afternoon.”His thumb rubs gentle circles along the top of my hand, and I relax a little.“He linked Brad to Kate’s drug-dealer boyfriend and notified the police.Brad’s got a long prior arrest history—petty theft, a couple of drug charges that had been dropped.He’s never served time, but he’ll go to prison for this.”
I sit up and face him, my sketchpad flapping to the ground.“So Brad is for sure connected to Kate?”The idea seemed the most plausible when I relayed everything I knew about that morning and Leo’s connection to her, but somehow it’s hard to believe Kate would go this far.
Jaeger picks up my pad and dusts it off.He sets it on my lap and pulls me close.“I’m so sorry, Cali.Brad confessed his history with Kate’s boyfriend this morning in exchange for reduced charges.He admitted to planting drugs in your purse.An intermediary ordered him to do it, but Brad guesses the order came from Kate’s boyfriend.Brad owes the guy for something.He told the investigators he had no knowledge of why you were targeted, just that he was told to plant narcotics.”
“But my drink?—”
“That was Brad improvising.He claimed he didn’t know you’d have a potentially fatal reaction to the drug.”Jaeger’s arm tightens around me.“He said he was covering his bases in case the drugs he dropped in your purse weren’t enough for an arrest.”
Jaeger sits up and I roll on his lap like a buoy, his arms steadying me before I fall.“With Brad’s confession, my PI says the charges against you will be dropped.You’ll hear from the police soon and you’ll be able to return to work, but I’m not letting what happened go.It’s my fault Kate did this to you.”
He’s trying to tell me something here, but all I can think isit’s over.They believe me.I’m free!
“I told the police about Kate, but the link to her is circumstantial.There’s no hard evidence she had anything to do with it.”
“It’s suspicious, but Brad is going to jail.Pretty soon Kate will be out of your house too,” I say.“We can move on.”
Jaeger’s expression tightens.“She ignored the eviction notice.Says she’s not leaving and that I can’t force her.She claims I told her she can live there rent-free and that she has a legal right to be there.”
“What?How can she do the things she’s done and expect to get away with them?”
“She won’t.She lied about the pregnancy and she’s behind the drugging.”
I blink sharply.“We assume there’s a link between Brad and her boyfriend, but…”
Jaeger shuts his eyes for a long moment before looking at me intently.“I never told you what she was like in high school.”The hand he has on my thigh clenches.“You have no idea how much her being here makes me crazy.I haven’t seen her in years and I thought I never would, but after what she’s done… I won’t let her ruin our relationship or hurt you again.”
“You’re worried she will?”
