“Let me work on Aaron. You work on the D.A.”
His former teammate clapped him on the back. “You got it.”
Chapter 22
Lukehadn’tseenAaronthis mad since Mom had grounded him for not doing his math homework. Which only emphasized how much of his brother’s life he’d missed.
Hands cuffed in front of him, Aaron scowled. “Are you happy now?”
Luke shook his head. “No, Aaron. I’m not happy at all.”
“What are you doing here, anyway?”
He stayed standing, not sure how close he wanted to get. “I’m here to support you.”
“Support me? Bygetting me arrested?” His little brother’s face turned bright red in anger.
“I tried to warn you not to continue on this path. You chose this, not me.”
“Fuck you. You’re just mad ‘cause Michael got sick.”
He slid into the hard plastic chair and leaned his elbows on his knees with a sigh. “I’m not mad, Aaron. I’m disappointed.” Luke leaned back, rubbing his hand over his face. The clock neared midnight, and he was wearing thin. “Mikey almostdied. And not the first time, if the rumors are true.”
“If he didn’t buy it from me, he’d just buy it from someone else. At least I’m making money around this dead-ass town.” Aaron leaned back and tried to cross his arms, but gave up with the handcuffs on his wrists.
He pinched his nose, trying to stave off the headache he was sure was barreling right for him. “You’re right. Mikey is perfectly capable of making his own bad decisions. But selling is a far worse crime than using, Aaron.”
“I’m not the one in charge, though.”
“Yeah, and that particular buddy of yours left all of you high and dry when he ran.”
Aaron looked at the floor, his jaw clenched. This was his chance. Luke leaned in, as if he was sharing a confidence.
“Gabe is working on the D.A. as we speak, to try to get you a lighter sentence if you cooperate and give up the name of the guy that ran.”
Silence reigned. Luke could almost see the wheels in Aaron’s head turning. “Don’t I get a lawyer?”
“You do,” Luke nodded. “And I’ll see to it you have one. I’m not here in an official capacity, Aaron. I’m not here to interrogate you. If this had been my case, they would have removed me because of the conflict of interest.”
More scowling.
“I thought my being here would make getting arrested easier on you.”
“Except I’m only getting arrested because you turned me in!”
“It was coming one way or another, Aaron. The sheriff knew about your little ring for a while now. It was only a matter of time.” Luke sighed and got to his feet. “I’m going now. It’s pretty clear my being here isn’t as helpful as I thought it would be.”
Luke exited the interrogation room, slamming the door and leaning against it. He wasn’t actually leaving yet. First, he wanted to see if he could find an attorney to represent Aaron.He could let Aaron use whatever overworked suit the state would appoint him, but he did feel responsible on some level. So, he’d find a better attorney and pay the retainer himself. With any luck, Aaron would accept whatever plea the D.A. had for him in exchange for information on Joey MacNeil, the Chief’s nephew.
Emailing local lawyers in the wee hours of Easter morning wasn’t his idea of a good time, but luckily one name looked familiar. Gwen had been his history study buddy and his prom date back in the day, so he emailed her hoping that connection hadn’t soured.
That done, he said his goodbyes to Gabe, and headed back to the Haven. Maggie was sitting up in bed, her laptop open and a video playing when he returned.
“You’re back.”
Luke shut the door and locked it, then went over to kiss her. “You didn’t have to wait up for me.”
Maggie shook her head. “I couldn’t sleep. How did it go?”
