He nodded.
“What’d you find out? Bullet match?”
“No. An ID on the dead man in your apartment. Enough remains were found to do a dental comparison.”
“And?”
“A cop. Officer Brian Lowry.”
“A cop?” I repeated, pushing the blankets aside and getting to my feet.
Calvin tucked his phone back into his pocket.
“Why the fuck was there a dead cop in my house?”
“Good question.”
“Do you know him?”
“No.”
“Maybe Neil does,” I mumbled while looking down at my feet.
Calvin kissed my forehead and stepped away from the bed.
“Wait, you said Lowry?” I asked, following behind him.
“Yeah.”
“I know an Officer Lowry,” I stated, sort of surprised. “He was one of the cops who came by when I reported the vandalism and break-in at the Emporium. Oh no—do you think his partner could be in danger?”
IT WASspitting snow when I reached the Emporium.
Snow or sleet or freezing rain. The city just couldn’t get ahead this year.
Calvin had left the hotel pretty quickly after his phone call. I lingered for a bit, taking my time to shower and dress before heading out for the morning. Pop agreed to meet up for lunch and go shopping after. Holding my hand while picking out clothes was nothing new for him, but he willingly did it because Pop knew better than anyone the frustration I’d gone through as a kid with complete achromatopsia. It was probably the one thing that still made me self-conscious.
I’d also warned him that I wanted to try department stores again. I supposed it was kind of good timing that all my crap clothes had been torched, because I was finally starting to care about my appearance again. I’d never be a model or the boy next door, but Calvin made me feel like I was. And that sort of confidence wants a pair of jeans that fit in the ass.
I let out a breath as I retrieved my keys to bring up the Emporium’s gate. The cold air clouded around my mouth.
A car door slammed on the street behind me.
“Seb!”
My heart took a diving leap into the pit of my stomach. My fingers shook and I dropped the keys. I crouched and quickly picked them up before standing and turning to see Neil striding across the street toward me.
“We need to talk,” he said loudly.
“I don’t think so,” I answered.
“Don’t give me attitude,” he ordered as he stepped onto the sidewalk.
I felt myself take a step back. Fight-or-flight was kicking in real hard. “Why are you doing this?Why?”
Neil narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “This is what happens when you get involved with shit over your head, Sebastian! Do you see what happens when you think you’re a cop? Do you see how bad of an idea it is to date someone like Winter? You’ve been nearly killed how many times this week?”
“You’d know!” I shouted. “Oh my God.Holy God, Neil! This is insane!”
