“You didn’t see anything. What abouthim? Did he see anything?” He nodded towards Jay, who I could see in my periphery. He had straightened up, bristling. I could tell he was on the verge of reacting, and I couldn’t let that happen. I raised my free hand at my side, flat and low, where the cop couldn’t see it, hoping that he’d understand not to escalate.
“No, I was walking home alone that night.”
I pulled my arm, but he held it tight, turning it over to look at the wounds on my arm. He cranked it outwards, causing my elbow to burn with the unnatural pressure. I winced despite myself.
“What happened here?”
“Fell off of my mountain bike. Was going pretty fast. Hit the pavement.”
I jerked my arm away this time, out of his grasp. Jay approached, setting his drink on the counter and sliding it across to him so roughly that it sloshed.
He took the cup, smiled at me and Jay. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll check back in.”
He started to leave the counter but hesitated, reaching out to grab the container with the blueberry muffin. Then he left.
I exhaled as he went out the door, my entire body relaxing all at once.
“What the hell was that about?” Jay asked, voice rising in a concerned pitch.
“It’s—”
How did I explain this to him? I couldn’t tell him what had happened, what I had seen. I couldn’t tell him that someone wanted to kill me over this because what if then they wanted to kill him too? Oh my God, what if I had implicated Jay just byhaving him here with me? He was just a kid. My heart started pounding in my chest.
“Eden?”
“It’s nothing. A really long and stupid story. Just promise me if you see that guy again you’ll give him what he wants and let him leave. Please, just trust me on this…”
“Yeah, I got really bad vibes from that guy.”
“Jay, why don’t you go home now?”
“Oh, hell no,” he said, shaking his head so forcefully that his hair bounced. “I am not leaving you here by yourself after that.”
“I’ll be fine. We’ll be closing soon, and I’ll be okay. I would feel better if I knew you were home and safe.”
I could tell he didn’t want to go. He had never turned down an opportunity to take off early, but he had genuine concern for my wellbeing. I hoped he could see the sincerity in my plea with him. He exhaled and shrugged his shoulders in defeat.
“Okay, fine.”
“And please text me when you get home safely.”
“You should be careful too,” he said, taking off his apron and laying it over the countertop.
I nodded at him. He gathered up his keys, hesitating at the door again before he left. I shooed him with a wave and when he was gone down the street and out of sight, I collapsed into a chair. Was the dirty cop one of the men Halo was going to kill? Maybe I wouldn’t be as bothered by that… but what if the guy had a family? Kids? A mother or father who loved him? My stomach did a nervous flip.
The bell chimed again, and I felt my hair stand on end. I couldn’t see the door from where I sat behind the counter. Should I duck and run out the back? Hide?
No. This was my fucking shop. I wasn’t going to be run out of my own business. I stood up suddenly, back straight, jaw set.
Halo stood at the door. He looked furious. I had rarely seen much emotion in those eyes of his, but the absolute rage I saw there was terrifying.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
It took me a minute to figure out what he meant.Was I okay?Like, in general? I guess, in the grand scheme of things…
Then I realized he meant the interaction with the cop, becausehe’d been watching.Always watching.
“Yeah,” I responded, my voice not as confident as I wanted it to be.
