“Not yet,” he said. “But you got friends in the right places, so we’re going to make you more comfortable.”
Friends in the right places? My mind spun. Did Sebastian’s dad have some pull, or maybe Iris knew someone…
“Sheriff called us up from Elkhorn County. Gave us an earful about what a good kid you are.”
Oh. Dalton. Of course he’d have my back.
“Well, thanks for listening,” I said.
“Wasn’t my call,” Officer Hard-Ass said. “I just follow orders. Here, come around this corner. We’ve got a spot in the break room you can hang until your people show up for you.”
“That’s okay?”
He scoffed. “You’re not the first spoiled kid we’ve picked up, Steele.”
“I’m not spoiled,” I said, appalled.
“No? You wanna go back to the cell?”
I thought of that god-awful smell, the fight trying to break out, the tension of a dozen men justwaitingto get out of there.
“No,” I said quickly.
“Didn’t think so.” He pushed me through a doorway. “Take a seat. Don’t go anywhere.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“There’s soda in the fridge.”
“I won’t take it.”
He chuckled a little, loosening up a bit. “No, kid. You can have one. What do you like?”
“Whatever you’ve got.”
“Hell, maybe you’re not spoiled.” He opened the fridge and pulled out a Dr Pepper. Tossed it to me.
I cracked the top and guzzled half of it. My mouth had been dry as a desert ever since the police showed up on that stretch of highway.
“Who’s this sheriff to you?”
I hesitated. The last thing I wanted was to get Dalton in trouble for looking out for me. The officer just shook his head. “Well, he’s not your dad. Different last name. Maybe an in-law?”
“Maybe,” I said.
He smirked. “Keep it up, kid, and you’ll be cut out for this business.”
I took a seat at the round table, the plastic seat cool under my ass. “What, law enforcement?”
“No. Criminal.”
I flinched. “I wasn’t doing anything illegal. Watching people drive isn’t against the law.”
“No, but if a felony transpires and you’re on the scene, you’re an accessory. If you playedanypart at all in something leading to a felony, you’re on the hook.”
All the work I did on Owen’s car flashed through my mind. Fuck. I’d never thought of it as contributing to an illegal act. Could I be held accountable if something went wrong?
“I’ll leave you to think about the choices you’re making,” the officer said. “Stay put.”
