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Ah, it must have been Rory speaking before.
“Don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya,” Kruger told him, pointing toward the exit.
Arsen ignored everyone, shouldered by my best friend, and came to stand directly in front of me. I was no stranger to tall men. Hell, I was around them on the daily. I was six feet myself, so why did it suddenly seem that Arsen’s easily six-three height seemed so much larger?
Was it because I was standing here, wet, in nothing but a tiny Speedo? Was it because he was fully dressed and his shoulders seemed extra wide in the black shirt with his hands shoved deep in his pant pockets?
Was it the silent way he regarded me, as if he were taking inventory of every piece of me to make sure I was exactly as he’d left me?
I’m not. I’m like the ocean. Never still.
Or maybe it was how bottomless his onyx eyes appeared, as if he were endless and giving the impression he could never run out of patience when dealing with me.
His hair was parted down the center, falling over his forehead and catching on his brow. He tossed his head back in an attempt to dislodge it, but I didn’t know if he was successful because my attention was stolen by the rings in his lip.
“You need to come with me.”
His words didn’t register, but I felt my head bobbing in agreement anyway.
“Like hell he will,” Kruger said, shouldering himself partially between us. “I don’t know what game you're playing here, Arsen, but haven’t you done enough?”
Arsen flicked a gaze at Kruger, then back to me. “We have an appointment at the police station.”
“What?” Jess cut in. “I thought they dropped the charges. Why would you have to go back?”
The anxiety in her voice restarted my brain.
Turning toward my sister, Arsen answered, “They did. But my lawyer promised them we’d come back this morning to answer a few questions. It’s why they let us go so fast yesterday morning. Otherwise, they would have made us stay longer to talk.”
He turned back to me. “Figured you could use some time to decompress before having to talk to them.”
I felt my cheeks heat, and it reminded me I was standing there practically naked and freezing. Without thinking, I pulled the towel into my chest, wrapping my arms around it and holding it like a shield.
The rings in his lip tugged a little when he tried not to smile, the look in his eyes warming.
I felt my brows draw down in a scowl. Is he laughing at me?
“Niles is meeting us at the station. Go get dressed. You can ride with me.”
“We have to go now?” I asked. “I had plans.”
“Niles is heading out of town right after, so yeah, now.”
“Just go, then,” Kruger told Arsen. “P can go down later and answer some questions.”
“It would be smarter to do so with a lawyer present.”
I nodded. “He’s right.” Having a lawyer there would make me feel better about everything, so it was best just to get it over with. I turned toward my friends. “You guys go eat without me, and then I’ll meet you at the townhouse to help unload the truck.”
“What truck?” Arsen asked.
“That’s cool, bro. Go deal with the badges. We’ve got it covered,” Win told me.
“Are you sure?”
“Bro, sure,” Ryan said.
“We’ll bring some breakfast to the house for you.” Madison offered.
