The girl was trying to pull her arm out of the grasp of one of the officers as she yelled.
“I called in for backup,” Tim said as he entered the apartment.
“You called him?” She pointed at Tim, but asked Kevin.
“You wouldn’t leave.” Judging by Kevin’s tone, this had been a theme for a while.
“Of course I’m not leaving, we belong together.”
“Ugh.” Kevin threaded his hands through his hair. “We do not belong together.”
Kevin was obviously too nice to deal with this. Tim didn’t have the same problem. “Ashley—it’s Ashley, isn’t it? Right now you’re trespassing. You’ve been asked to leave a domicile that is not your own and you have refused. If you don’t leave of your own volition, right now, you will be taken to the station and charged. If that happens you’re looking at jail time and a fine.”
One of the other officers cocked an eyebrow at Tim. Yes, he was overplaying the penalty. At most she was probably looking at second-degree trespassing. The penalty was a two hundred dollar fine and twenty days in jail, which usually didn’t happen.
“Kevin, please don’t do this. I just want to make you happy.”
“It’s not going to happen.”
“If you’ll stop seeing that other woman, I know it can.”
“What other woman?” Kevin asked.
“The one from the bookstore. I don’t know what you see in someone so old. You’d think she’d have gotten the hint after the warnings I gave her and told her to back off.”
That confirmed Tim’s assumption that Ashley was the one who’d warned Zoe off.
“What warnings?” Tim asked.
“Is she talking about Zoe?” Kevin asked.
“Yeah. She confronted her at the bookstore and told her to stay away from you.” He looked back at Ashley. “What warnings?”
“Nothing serious. I spray-painted the back of her store.”
“Did you slash her tire?”
She looked away. “No.”
She was lying. Tim knew it but didn’t have a way to prove it.
“Kevin, I love you.” Her voice took on a cajoling tone. “We’re perfect for each other.”
“Jesus.” Kevin turned away and turned back. “I’m gay! There. I said it. I’m not interested in you because I’m gay and I have a boyfriend.”
He laced his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.
Tim crossed his arms, smiled, and waited for the explosion in three…two….one.
“You lying bastard. Do you honestly think I’d believe you’re gay? I’ve seen you with that woman hanging all over you,” she shouted.
The officers looked at Tim and he nodded. One of them pulled her arms behind her back and she struggled while the other officer snapped the cuffs on her.
“You can’t do this.” She dug in her feet and tried to pull out of their hold. “Let me go.”
“Ma’am, please stop struggling.”
“You’re going to regret this,” she yelled as they dragged her through the open door. “You’re both going to regret this.”
“Fuck.” Kevin threw up his hands and paced into the kitchen.
Tim gave him a level stare when he returned with a beer. “You need to get a restraining order.”
“Yeah.”
One of the officers returned and jotted down Kevin’s contact information. On his way out the door, he paused and turned back. “Do you really have a boyfriend?”
“Yeah. What about it?” Kevin asked.
“Eh.” He shrugged. “My brother’s single.”
