“Yeah, you will.” His focus shifted to his rearview mirror as an unmarked police car rolled past my driveway and eased to a stop. His voice softened. “Officer Roddy’s going to be keeping an eye on your house until I’m certain Zhirov’s not going to be a problem.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I argued.
“I’m not walking away just because shit gets messy. Your missing lawyer should have shown up for you tonight.”
I winced, Parker’s parting words still bouncing around like shrapnel in my head. “It’s complicated.”
He whirled in his seat to face me. “No, Finn, it’s actually pretty simple. You deserve someone who’s going to stick around.”
“And you want to be that person?” I fired back.
He clenched his teeth and looked away.
I slipped off his jacket and reached for the door. “It’s late. I should go.”
“Finn, wait—”
“Thank you. For everything.” I got out of the car before he had a chance to respond. The cold wind cut through my damp clothes, and my hands shook as I fumbled with my key in the dark. The front door flew open before I managed to get it into the lock.
Vero threw her arms around me. “You’re not in jail!”
“Not yet,” I said through her hair, struggling to breathe despite her vise grip around my neck.
“I was so worried when you didn’t come home. Then Nick called and told me you were being held, and I freaked out and ate a whole bag of Oreos.” She squeezed me tighter and whispered, “I have to know, was it just like in your book? Did you have wild, hot prison sex before he busted you out?”
I pulled back to gawk at her. Her mascara had run in long blackstreaks down her face, and cookie crumbs dusted the corners of her smile. “Were you snooping on my computer?”
“It’s not snooping. As your accountant, I have a vested interest in the success of your book. I love it, by the way.”
Nick’s headlights swung over us as he backed down the driveway. I turned to see his car idling beside Officer Roddy’s, their windows rolled down.
“Why is Officer Roddy parked outside?” Vero asked.
“You don’t want to know.” I pulled the door shut as quietly as I could, so I wouldn’t wake the kids.
Vero helped me out of my rain-sodden coat. “You’re freezing. Go dry off and warm up. And then come right back down here and tell me all about the handcuffs.”
I shook my head as I retreated to my room, peeling off my damp clothes and changing into a pair of warm flannel pajamas. I sat on the edge of my bed, my head in my hands. My phone blinked beside me. Reluctantly, I picked it up and read the text message from Julian.
Bar’s closing. Heading home soon. Call me when you can. Worried about you.
The message had come before Parker had shown up at the station.
I put the phone down. Picked it up again and stared at his message before dialing his number.
He answered on the first ring. “You okay?” He sounded wide- awake. Exhausted.
“Yeah. I made it home.”
“I heard.” The line was quiet too long.
“What else did you hear?”
“Enough to know it wasn’t the whole story. Want to come over and tell me what really happened?”
I walked to the window and pulled back the edge of the blinds, craning my neck to see the dark outline of Officer Roddy’s sedan down the block. I settled onto my bed and lay back on my pillows, one arm thrown over my head, staring at the ceiling. “I can’t.”
“Then I’ll come to you.”
