And he’s not alone.
Beside him is a stocky, short man I don’t recognize.
Jack approaches the officer escorting me and greets him with a handshake. “Jack Ledger.”
“Officer Diaz,” he responds, with confusion in his words.
“I already spoke with your captain,” Jack continues. “He agreed to release Dominic into my custody. The Sullivans won’t be pressing charges.”
Officer Diaz looks at me like I had something to do with it. I’m just as confused as he is.
“Let me give my captain a call first,” he looks between me and Jack. “Just a moment.”
The officer moves a few feet ahead and makes the phone call, keeping his eyes on me as he does.
Jack approaches me with a smile.
“How did you—how.” I shake my head, trying to gather my thoughts. “How?”
He lets out a chuckle, as if we’re not standing in a jail in the middle of the night. “Elyse called me. Told me everything. Told me you protected her—made her hide so she wouldn’t get in trouble too.”
I look down, my face heating in shame. “It’s my fault. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
“Listen—I’m pissed because somehow you two keep finding ways to send me into an early grave. Nothing like your daughter calling you crying in the middle of the night because her boyfriend’s been arrested?—”
“I’m sor?—”
Jack raises his hand to stop me. “Let me finish. I’m notgoing where you think I am. You sacrificed yourself for Elyse. And I’m proud of you.”
“You’re proud of me for getting arrested?”
He laughs, shaking his head. “Not exactly. I’m just proud of you for being a good man. But don’t get me wrong, I’m livid. Not sure I’ll be letting Elyse out of the house all summer. And you two will be hanging out in the living room, where I can keep my eyes on you.”
“I understand.” Unsure of what to say, my eyes land on the guy Jack was standing with. “Who’s he?”
Jack glances back and then meets my eyes. “My lawyer in case things got out of hand. For some reason people seem to listen to me around here, but I thought it’d be wise to bring in some legal backup.”
“So, I’m not going to jail?”
“Nope. As far as your record is concerned, this never happened.”
Officer Diaz approaches us with a smile. “Well, kid. You’ve got some luck on your side or,” his eyes flick to Jack as he unlocks the handcuffs, “friends in very high places. Either way, you’re off the hook.” He lets out an exhale, looking on either side before speaking. “If you’ve got a minute though, I’d like to have a chat.”
My gaze flies to Jack and he nods, stepping back to join his attorney.
“I swear I had nothing to do with him coming, my girlfriend?—”
“It’s cool, kid. I’m glad you’ve got good people looking out for you. The reason I wanted to talk to you is because I was wondering what your plans are for the future.”
My shoulders lift. “I start WSU in the fall, but I’m not really sure what to major in yet. I’m hoping I’ll figure it out while I’m there.”
Officer Diaz reaches in his pocket and handsme a business card. “This is my last week with RMPD. I’m transferring down to LA to be close to family. You ever think about becoming a cop, you give me a call.”
I look down at the card, confused how I was just arrested and asked if I was interested in becoming a cop all in one night.
“Do you usually ask guys you’ve arrested if they want to become cops?”
He laughs, throwing his head back. “No, not usually. I don’t know, just got a good feeling about you. It’s really easy to go down the wrong road if you’re not careful. Once you cross over certain lines, it’s a hell of a lot harder crossing back. Tonight, you got close, and I’d like to see you continue walking the straight and narrow. And I like to see a little color on the force, if you know what I mean. The leaders of the community should look like the residents, and that’s not always the case.”
