This wasn’t over.Mitchell wasn’t behind her.Her new life could come crashing down around her.The happiness she’d foolishly been enjoying could be stolen from her in the blink of an eye.
Her eyes welled with tears, and she dropped to her bare knees on a bed of crunchy leaves.She’d been chasing these feelings her whole existence.There was a time she’d never thought happiness with another human was possible for her.Sydney thought she’d go through the rest of her years as a nameless cog in the wheel of the world.
Then Fink happened.
She had a grip on joy.
It was about to slip through her fingers.
“Sydney?”Fink’s voice came from behind her.
She whirled around as a sob ripped through her and the phone dropped from her hand.
Fink trotted toward her with urgency in his eyes.“Are you okay?What happened?Why don’t you have shoes on?Or pants?”
Tears stained her cheeks as she glanced to see she was only wearing his old T-shirt and her panties out in the middle of the chilly woods.A breeze blew through her hair, wrapping it around her snot-filled face.
On his knees, Fink took hold of her and brought her against his warm chest.
“They want to talk to me.”Wrapping her arms around him, she clung to him.Her peace.Her happiness.Her life.
“Who?”he asked, pulling back and swiping her hair away.
His rough hands settled on her cheeks as he held her gaze, searching her features for answers.
She gulped, swallowing a sob as she trembled.“A pro-prosecutor.”
He blew out a breath, and his features relaxed.Fink pulled Sydney against him and stroked the back of her hair.“I thought they’d take a few days.”
What was he saying?He was aware of the situation?How the fuck did heknow?Why hadn’t he said anything?He could’ve prepared her.
“I should’ve told you.”He kissed the top of her head.“AJ called last night.I just thought they’d be slow about it.Then the shit hit the fan with the cameras.I should’ve.I got distracted.”
That wasn’t like him.Fink was the epitome of focus and planning.Sydney was the one who couldn’t keep her attention where it belonged.Not him.
“I’m so sorry.”He continued to run his fingers through her hair.
For once, the gesture didn’t soothe her.Instead, suspicion took root in her gut.Had she read him wrong?Was Fink not someone she could trust after all?Was this all some sort of ruse?To what end, though?None of this made any sense.
“You have a lawyer,” Fink explained.“Marco Garcia.He’s going to take care of everything.I’ll get you his information.”
She had so many questions ping-ponging in her brain, but all that came from her were sniffles and sobs.Instead of asking questions, she nodded.What choice did she have?
“You’ll be alright,” he reassured.
She felt anything but.
Fink had brought her out into the middle of nowhere, Maine.She didn’t have a way to leave if she wanted to.Summoning an Uber to get a ride out of there in the middle of the night wasn’t an option.
He’d find out.
For now, all she could do was take his word and maybe figure out an escape plan.
41
Fink
Somethingintheairshifted.It had nothing to do with the cold snap whipping through Maine or the threats of fall frosts and early snow.This chill was different.
