She hands one to Maddox, who accepts it without looking away from his screen. “Black is fine.” The faintest crack in his ice-wall demeanor. Caffeine is his weak spot.
She brings me the last two cups. “And sandwiches. Nothing fancy, but you haven't eaten, and neither have they.”
I take the coffee, warmth spreading through my cold fingers. “Emma, you didn't have to do this.”
“I know.” She pulls a wrapped sandwich from the bag and hands it to me. “Eat. I'm starving.”
I want to kiss her. The urge is so strong I have to look away.
“There's something else,” she says, her voice dropping. “Those kids I was talking to. The ones in the hoodies.”
“I saw you with them.”
“They hang out near the school most nights. Saw something right before the smoke started.” She glances at Maddox. “A group of bikes. Four or five. They said it's not the first time those bikes have been around Ravenwood. One of them found this near the fence.”
Maddox's typing stops. She pulls a crumpled bandana from the bag. Red and black.
He takes it. I go still. Our eyes meet, and the same thought passes between us.
“I'm going to follow this,” Maddox says, closing his laptop. He exchanges a look with Ethan. “I have a contact on the east side who knows the local clubs.”
Ethan nods, jaw set. “I'm going with him. Trail's fresh.”
“Go. Keep me updated.”
They disappear into the SUV. I turn back to Emma.
“How did you get them to talk?” My voice is rough.
She shrugs. “I bought them sodas and treated them like people. The police already talked to them, but apparently they weren't interested in what a bunch of kids had to say.”
I stare at her. I've spent my life around people who use words as currency or weapons. Emma uses them as bridges.
“What?” she asks, shifting under my scrutiny. “Do I have something on my face?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head. “You're just... thank you, Emma. This might be the break we needed.”
“I hope so.” Her eyes drift toward the blackened wing. “I hope you catch whoever did this.”
“We will.” I take her hand. Her fingers are icy. I wrap mine around them.
She doesn't pull away. We stand there as the sirens fade into background noise.
The next hour is a grind. By the time I extract myself, it's past midnight.
I find Emma on the hood of my car. Heels discarded on the pavement like casualties. Someone gave her a jacket, and I feel a spark of something until I recognize the heavy black leather as mine, left in the backseat after the Midnight Circuit. She's swallowed by it, bare feet dangling over the bumper.
I like seeing her in my clothes.
“Hey.” The weight of the night crashes down. “I'm sorry. This isn't the evening I planned.”
“Stop apologizing.” She slides off the hood, wincing as her feet hit cold asphalt. “Tonight I got to see another side of the mystery that is Kaiden Rhodes. Worth more than a fancy dinner.”
I step closer. “And what did you see?”
She tilts her head. “Someone who actually cares. About the school, the neighborhood, making things right.” Her voice drops. “I like that.”
I lift the jacket's zipper to her throat.She sees the best in me.I want to be that man for her.
