The corner of Shane's mouth tilted up, not quite a smile. "Said he had fifty bucks and was hoping I only cost forty because there's a ten-dollar game on Steam he wants."
A laugh burst out of her before she could stop it. "Yeah, that sounds like my boy."
Shane wasn’t smiling now. His hand flexed against his thigh, then stilled. "I told him money wasn't the question. Sometimes Watchdog takes cases pro bono. But I also told him I'd talk to you first."
“Oh, I get it. We’re ‘discussing’ this to put him at ease.”
But Shane wasn't sharing her amusement. “No, we’re discussing this for real.”
"Are you serious? Shane, you don't have to?—"
"April." His voice cut through her protest, gentle but firm. "Kevin told me about the fight with Regis. About what that little bastard said."
Her mouth tightened. "Let me guess. More poison from Leslie."
"Most of it was the usual trash talk about you and your family. But then Regis said something that hit Kevin different." Shane's jaw ticked like the words physically hurt. "He said people were glad the drive-by happened because you had it coming. And that next time, you won’t be so lucky."
April's fingers curled around the back of her chair, gripping it like an anchor that would keep her from drifting away.
"I told him the truth as I know it," Shane continued, his voice steady and sure. "The shots weren't about you. Nobody died. We found the people responsible. It was handled."
April felt herself breathing again.
"But that wasn't the part that scared him," Shane said quietly. "He heard you talking to your folks that night after the shooting. He was supposed to be asleep, but you know how kids are. He heard you say if someone was after you, you'd take him and disappear to keep everyone safe."
The words hit like a physical blow. April stared at the floor, breathing once, twice.
"He put it away in his head because you told him later the bad guys weren't after you," Shane said. "But when Regis mentioned 'next time,' it brought it all back."
Her chest ached. All this time, she'd thought Kevin had moved past the drive-by. Instead, he'd been carrying this fear, this knowledge, protecting her from his own terror.
"Here's what I didn't tell him," Shane continued, his voice dropping lower, "because it isn't mine to say. I don't know what happened to you after high school. I don't know if that night pulled up old ghosts or if there's new trouble."
His hands were deliberately open, nonthreatening. Showing her he wasn't here to interrogate her.
"So I'm asking," he said quietly. "Did Kevin misinterpret a family argument, or are you in danger, April?"
SEVEN
April drew in a deep breath.“Not…immediatedanger.”
She watched Shane’s expression shift from concern to frustration, and she couldn’t blame him. “Look, I’m not trying to be vague, but this is difficult to talk about.”
“April, that neither clears anything up or makes me feel better.” He reached for her hand. She was struck by how different it felt from when they were in high school. Not as soft—his calluses spoke of a life of hard work and military training. The thought flickered through her mind that if Daniel Foti had gotten his way, Shane’s hands would still be soft, probably manicured, and he’d be sporting a pot belly from sitting behind a desk all day. She almost laughed at the ridiculous image. Shane was top-to-bottom still the fittest, handsomest man she’d ever seen.
“You can tell me anything,” he said softly, stroking his thumb across the back of her hand. “Who did you think was shooting at you?”
She bit her bottom lip as she inhaled hard through her nose. This was a conversation she never wanted to have with Shane. It was the reason why she’d pulled away after the drive-by.
“I thought it was my ex.”
And there it was—Shane stiffened, his pupils dilated. She watched his Adam’s apple bob. She took it for jealousy until he said, “I won’t let him near you or Kevin, I swear.”
She should have known he’d go straight to protectiveness. That made everything more difficult.
April took her hand out of his. “I won’t let you get in trouble, not over this.”
“April—”
