Asher watched me for a moment longer than necessary before answering, “He’s the treasurer for the club, and the resident attorney for obvious reasons. They keep their hands clean, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know what’s going on in the underbelly of the city, so he might have an idea who set you up and why. If not,he has ways of finding out.”
I sat up and took a deep breath. “So, he can get me out?”
“Well, no, but he can help me find evidence so I can.”
“How long will that take?”
“Not sure. But I’m going to do everything I can to make it happen.”
I bit my lip. “Hours?”
“No, honey, probably not hours.”
I squared my shoulders. “Okay. I’ll try to be patient.”
“I promise, I will find out what’s goingon. I know this will be difficult for you, considering your past, but I need you to promise me you’ll be okay in here until Monday.”
“Until Monday?”
“Oregon doesn’t hold bond court on the weekends.”
I had to stay locked in that freaking cell all weekend. The reality of it crushed the air from my lungs. Forcing myself to breathe anyway, I smiled at him. “Piece of cake. I already took downthe biggest chick in there, and I’m currently fashioning a shiv out of a plastic spoon. I got this.”
He chuckled and kissed my forehead. My stomach started gurgling, so I stepped away. He gathered the photos of my dead ex-boss and stuck them back into his briefcase. We lingered there, between uncomfortable silence and good-bye avoidance.
“You should probably go,” I finally admitted. No needfor us both to spend the day locked in a cell.
“Yeah. I have a lot of work to do.”
I grimaced. “Sorry. I’m sure this isn’t how you anticipated spending your weekend.”
“I signed up for this, Dylan. I knew exactly what I was getting into when I took the bar. You’re the one being dragged in, and I’m sorry. Detective Parker is a good guy, and I’m sure he’ll get to the bottom of this and figureout who really left that body on your doorstep.”
I didn’t share his faith in the legal system, so all I could do was nod.
Shortly after Asher left, and I was taken back to my cell, Detective Pike swung by and informed me that Addison had put money in my account. I didn’t even know I had an account, and I certainly didn’t want my friend filling it with her money. But when I realized I couldbuy decent toothpaste, snacks, and an extra blanket, I felt nothing but absolute gratitude.
Addison showed up for the Saturday afternoon visit. She appeared on the other side of the Plexiglas partition and immediately started wiping down her chair and countertop with a bleach wipe. I picked up my receiver and waited, watching her take out a second wipe and start on the phone. She looked so ridiculous,I couldn’t help but giggle.
She picked up her receiver and mean-mugged me. “Stop laughing at me. You have no idea what kind of germs are on these phones.”
“I don’t even want to think about it.”
“I wish I could slip you a bleach wipe.”
And I wished she could slip me right out of there, but mentioning that would only make her feel bad, so I nodded. “Me too.”
“How is it in there?” she asked.
Lonely. Scary. God, don’t let me get stuck in here. “Not too bad. I’ll survive. Thanks for the money, by the way. I’ll pay you back when I get out.”
“First, nice deflection,” Addison retorted, “but don’t think I’m not onto you. Second, don’t be an idiot. I’ll give you money any time I want, and you’ll just have to deal with it.”
I blinked back tears. “Addie—”
She waved away my protests. “Dealwith it, Dylan. You can’t stop me from in there.” She crossed her legs and straightened her shirt. “Besides, it’s the only thing I can do right now, and that pisses me off. Now talk to me about how you’re really holding up.”
“I don’t want to. Can we please just talk about what you’ve been up to?”
