Sitting uncomfortably with my possible wrongness, I whine, “They lied to me. They used me during a stakeout. They—”
“Make you happier than I’ve ever seen you.”
We share a laugh.
She adds, “I think we have to grant them some leeway for lying.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”
“I am. That’s why I’m not letting you run away from this.”
Chapter 12
Lennox
Cecilia is in her car and turns off our street faster than we can regroup. For once, I wish I listened to Blake and didn’t bother parking in the garage.
Blake runs a hand through his hair, pacing on the lawn. “How fucked are we?”
I glance at the houses around us. What will the neighbors think? A woman half our age runs out of our house crying. Our mission could be blown. And yet, my biggest concern is that we lost Cecilia’s trust.
Heading inside, I fully understand that I’m putting Cecilia first. Iwanta relationship with Henry, but Ineeda relationship with her.
It’s not that Henry has shot me down at every turn. It’s that I can’t imagine a life without Cecilia by my side.
“I sent her a text, and I’m looking up her address in case she doesn’t reply.” Blake types on his phone.
“Wait, let’s try not to cross any more lines. Only public searches.”
He looks up, incredulously. “What are we going to do? Drive around and look for her car?”
If we had to, it might be possible in a town this size.
I grab our keys. “We’re going to the diner. See if her boss will help us out.”
In minutes, we’re walking into the diner.
Bev greets us. “Have a seat wherever you want, your waitress will be with you shortly.”
“Actually, we need to talk to you,” I say.
She lights up.
I keep my voice down. “We’re trying to get hold of Cecilia.”
She nods and smiles. “I saw you in here with her the other day. Aren’t you a little old for her?”
Blake and I do a combination of nodding and shaking our heads to try to get her to continue.
“Ceci’s a wild one, but she’s not as invincible as she thinks.” Bev sips her coffee and I sense a lecture coming on.
“I promise, we have good intentions, but it’s kind of urgent. Where can we find her?”
Bev raises a finger. “If there’s one thing I know about Ceci it’s that if she wants you to find her, you won’t have to look for long.”
Frustration grows inside of me. While I respect Bev’s stance, she has no idea how much is on the table. My hand reflexively goes to my badge, but it’s not there. We need to save that reveal anyway.
Bev continues, “Don’t you hurt that girl.”
