Page 163 of Temporary Vows

God in heaven. I’m going out of my mind with worry.

I pace back and forth across the living room floor, my heels clicking against the hardwood in a rhythm that matches the crazy hammering in my chest.

Keith dropped me home almost an hour ago. I’ve heard nothing from Dorian.

Skylar is on the sofa, watching me wear a track into the rug. She's been here for twenty minutes. I called her from the car.

"Elodie, please try to stay calm," she pleas, her voice gentle in a way that tells me I look as bad as I feel.

"I can't." I press my hands to my temples. I keep seeing Jack's face, the officers, the handcuffs. And that sound of his chair scraping against the floor as the office hauled him up. "You didn't see it, Skyler. They just grabbed him. Right there in the middle of the restaurant. Like he was — like he was some kind of criminal."

Possession and distribution of controlled substances.They were talking about drugs.

My mind was such a wreck I had to look it up. And I wish I hadn’t.

Having a charge of possession and distribution of controlled substances, depending on what the police found, meant going away to prison for years. Anything from one five to fifteen years.

If Jack is guilty, I know no money or magic can help him. But he said it was a mistake. It has to be. It just has to be.

Skylar rises from the sofa and crosses the room. She wraps an arm around my shoulders, and pulls me into her. “We don’t know anything yet, Elodie” she says softly “Dorian’s handling it. Please let him handle it and try to stay calm.”

“He’s my brother, Skylar. My big brother. I would be so crushed if it’s true and we can’t figure this out.”

She pulls me closer and I rest my head on her chest. I want her tell me it’ll be okay, but I know she can’t. She’s known me long enough to piece together things about my brother, though she’s never said anything against him.

“Come on, let’s sit. We might be waiting for a while.” She inches away to look at me. “These sorts of things tend to be a little tricky.”

I nod, agreeing. There’s nothing more I can do.

Placing her arm around me, she guides me over to the sofa and sits me down. And she’s right.

It’s another three hours before we hear the front door open, then the familiar thud of Dorian’s shoes on the floor.

I’m exhausted and my body feels broken with worry, but I still bolt up at the sound.

Dorian comes into the living room a moment later and the moment his gaze lands on me, I know… I know it’s bad. His eyes have that sad, sullen look.

He manages a soft smile when he glances at Skylar, but the look in his eyes doesn’t change when he meets my eyes again. “I’m sorry, Lamb. It’s bad news. I couldn’t do anything. And I really tried.”

“Oh God.” My knees tremble and my hand goes to my stomach. I’m going to be sick.

Skylar is at my side. “I’ll let you two talk in private. I’d like to stay over though, if that’s okay. Just to be here if you need me.” She glances at Dorian, who is already nodding.

“Of course, go find one of the guest rooms and make yourself comfortable. Albert’s around. He’ll get you whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” She taps his arm before heading to the door.

I watch my friend go, glancing at me over her shoulder before going through the door. Shaking, I meet my husband’s eyes again.

Dorian.

How many hours did he spend with Jack? Almost five. It’s the early hours of the morning now.

He tried to help. Despite the past, he went out of his way to try.

My mind was stalling, caught between the confliction of wanting to know how bad the situation was, and wishing I could go back to yesterday when none of this had happened.

Either way, I get the feeling I would have had to face this at some point.