“You don’t have to.” He hooks his hand over my shoulder and tugs me in for a hug. It’s kinda like how Ollie does it. It’s tender and wrapped in kindness. But he’s not Ollie. He doesn’t wield the same magic Ollie wields, which makes him a wall to lean against. Not a hug to lose myself in. “Billy wants you to come down to the station. There’s a guy there who thinks he knows you.”
I choke out a groan. “I don’t want this.”
“Billy said he’ll call Ollie and have him meet us at the station. You’ve done this before, right?” He pushes me back, his hands on my shoulders, and searches my eyes. “You go in, you check the guy out through the one-way glass, and Billy and Ramone will ask him questions. You’ll get a look at him long before he even knows you’re there, and then you and Ollie can decide what happens next.”
“What if this is the one?” I whimper. “What if he actually knows me?”
“That’s a good thing, sweetheart. Getting the answers doesn’t mean you have to act on them. Knowing where you came from doesn’t mean you have to go back. Information is always a good thing.” He drags his knuckle beneath my eye and sweeps up a stupid, fallen tear. “Freedom of choice is your right. If you get a look at him and decide you wanna walk away, then that’s what you do. You don’t owe anyone a damn thing.”
“Then I just won’t g?—”
“But I think you owe yourself the chance to hear what he has to say, even if he tells Billy and Billy tells you. It’s important you have all the information available to you. Now come on.” He releases me and grabs my phone, offering it across, then he slides his wallet into his back pocket, his phone into the front, and snatches up a set of keys before he scoops up his hat. “I’ll drive you over and deliver you to Ollie myself.”
“He’s working.” I sniffle and drag my feet. If I walk slowly enough, whoever is at the station might grow bored and simply leave. “Ollie has to stay at the hospital.”
“You know as well as I do he’s gonna figure something out and get his ass to the station anyway. And until he does, I’m gonna stay with you.”
“But then no one will be here to watch the office.”
He chuckles, laying his arm over my shoulders and tugging me along. “What’s gonna happen? Bandits will sweep through and steal yesterday’s leftover cake? Cold coffee? My magazine collection?” He playfully wrinkles his nose. “They’re not even nudies, Rose. They’re fight magazines, and last month’s edition featured Tommy on the cover. It’ll be tough,” hemock sighs, leading me down the stairs and through the front door. “But if the worst happens, I’ll rebuild. Tommy probably bought a hundred copies anyway, ‘cos he’s vain like that. If I ask nicely, I’m sure he’ll hook me up. Might even whack a signature on it for me.”
“You defer to humor when you’re nervous.” I stare down at my feet as he leads me toward his truck. “It’s obnoxious.”
“Nervous?” He swings the passenger door open and laughs, the sound verging on maniacal. “Who’s nervous? Not me! I’m just delivering one of my best friend's girlfriend to the police station while she cries and begs me not to. Nothing to see here.” He helps me up and scoops my leg inside, then he slams the door and snarls. “Nothing wrong here! Nothing at all.”
“Rose!” Ollie beats us to the police station, despite the hospital being further away than my officeandneeding to find someone to cover his shift. As soon as Cliff and I move through the front doors, he springs away from the receptionist’s desk, his chest and shoulders surging with adrenaline. He strides along the hall with long, floor-eating lengths and crashes against me hard enough to steal my breath and make Poppy meow her displeasure. But he wraps me up and holds me close.
If he didn’t, I’m not sure I could stay standing.
“What did he say?” Sniffling, I lay my ear over his pounding heart. “Is it the guy from yesterday? Does he know who I am, or is he full of shit like the other times?”
“I don’t know.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head. To my forehead. My temple, as he roughly shoves me around. “I only just walked in.”
“I figured we’d wait till you got here,” Billy murmurs, coming to a stop on Ollie’s right. “No need to repeat myself.”
“W-where is he?” I search the wide entryway. The reception desk. The office space behind it. “Can he hear us?”
“Nah. He’s in an observation room, just like all the other times. Come on.” Billy turns on his heels and starts away, confident we’ll follow. He passes Tania’s desk, then moves into the main section, where several more officers sit and pretend not to stare. He meets up with Ramone outside the room we’ve used every other time, then, opening the door, he strides in and turns back to watch us enter.
Me. Ollie. Poppy.
Cliff stops in the doorway, too polite to infringe. “I’m here if you want my support. Or I can leave, if you’d prefer privacy.”
Ollie pulls me under his arm, plastering me against his side. But he glances down and searches my eyes. “It’s your call, babe. Always.”
“He can stay. You can stay.” I swallow and meet Cliff’s gaze. “If you wanna.”
Relief washes through his features, his breath coming out on an explosive exhale, and with it, his chest shrinks fractionally. He steps into the room and holds the door handle as Ramone comes in last, then he closes the door with a soft snick, pressing his back to the wood and electing himself our sentry.
“Do you recognize him, Rose?” Ollie massages the back of my neck with his fingertips, angling me around to get a look at the man sitting at a steel table in the next room. He’s not wearing sunglasses this time. No hat. Not even a smile. Instead, he stares right at me, like the glass works like normal windows do.
“C-can he see us?” I press my hand to my curdling stomach. “I think he can see us.”
“No. He can’t.” Billy picks up a manila file and flips it open. “Dude is thirty-two. November birthday. He’s a civil engineer and runs his own firm out in Seattle. Employs a couple dozen people and maintains a pretty steady stream of business. All except the last few months.”
He brings his eyes up and stops on mine.
I gulp.
