“Oh. Well, what did you mean?” My heart raced, and I felt a sheen of sweat break out on my upper lip.
He held his hand out, but I pulled the muffins closer. His voice dipped low as he said, “Addison.”
With a huff, I handed him themuffins. He set them on the table and popped open the container, shoving a finger into the middle of one.
“What are you doing?” I demanded. “That’s for Dylan.”
He pulled out a small nail file and chuckled. “Really, Addison?”
I bit my lip and shrugged. “What? She likes to have nice nails.”
“So, you hid it in a muffin?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure if you’d confiscate it or not.”
“You are aware thatsomething this flimsy couldn’t saw through the prison bars, right?” He waved the file in the air. “However, and not that I think you’d do this, it could be used as a weapon.”
“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.” I sat up a little straighter and held my arms out to him, wrists up. “Maybe I am trying to get a weapon to her. You better handcuff me and take me to my cell... thesame one you have Dylan in.”
He nodded toward my purse. “What’s in the purse, Addison?”
“My wallet, keys,tamponsand such.”
“Did you go home and grab your gun?”
“How do you know I have a gun?” I slapped my hand over my mouth, realizing I just gave away information. Even though I joked about my firearm with Dylan and Asher, I took owning a gun pretty seriously, particularly since I had a concealpermit, so it wasn’t something I advertised. “I mean, what gun?”
“Addison, I’m a detective, and I like to think I’m a pretty good one. I did a background check on you and noticed you have a concealed carrier permit. I’m guessing you have your Walther CCP nine-millimeter in your bag as we speak.”
“Does that mean you’ll arrest me now? Will I have to go to booking? I brought baby wipes just incase I have to be fingerprinted.” I shuddered. “I’d hate to have ink all over my hands.” I rose to my feet, setting my purse on the chair. “Before you take me, will you please give my bag to Asher? I’d rather not check it in, or whatever you do with personal effects.”
Jake leveled a stare at me. “I should arrest you just for being a pain in my ass.”
My heart sank. “But you’re not going to,are you?”
He grew serious and shook his head. “I know who your father is, and I like my badge a little too much to get into a pissing match with you. Besides, you donotwant an arrest on your record. Trust me on this.”
“I have to see her.”
“You can’t right now. She’s talking with her lawyer.”
“Well, then I can see her when he’s done, right?”
“I’m sorry, Addison, even if she wasn’t with Asher,social visitation is already in progress.” He handed me a flyer on visiting procedures. “Hours are nine a.m. to two fifteen p.m. then again from four fifteen to nine thirty p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Come about thirty minutes early and check in at the desk over there.”
I flopped back onto the seat and dropped my head in my hands, forcing back tears. “You don’t understand, Jake. She’s innocent,and I have to help her.”
“How about this,” he said, pulling a chair up to face mine and sitting in it. “We can’t allow anything from outside, but you can put money on her account and she can use it to buy snacks, an extra blanket, anything she needs.”
“You sound like my dad.”
“I do?”
I nodded. “He, too, likes to throw money at problems and hope they go away.” I sat up straight and looked himin the eyes. “But Dylan’s not a problem. She’s the kindest, most real person I’ve ever met, and she doesn’t deserve to be behind bars.”
“If you’re right and she didn’t kill her boss—”
“Ex-boss, and she didn’t.”
