“I want you back,” Neil said firmly. “I’ll forgive you for sleeping with Winter.”
“Like hell! Are you nuts?”
“Sebastian—” Neil grabbed my arm.
“Don’t touch me!” I tore away from his hold and reached into my jacket for my phone. “I’m calling the cops.”
“I am a cop!”
“You’re a monster!” I screamed. I was trying to unlock my phone, but I was shaking so hard, I kept typing in the wrong fucking password.
Neil grabbed me again, yanking my arm and causing me to drop the phone. He looked down and smashed the heel of his shoe on the screen. “Now you keep this between us.”
Neil reeked of booze. He looked angry.Mean. And he was scaring the hell out of me.
“Everything okay here, gentlemen?” a third voice spoke suddenly.
I jerked my head to the side in time to see Officer Brigg getting out of her cruiser. She put her hands on her belt and stared at us expectantly.
“We’re fine,” Neil barked.
Brigg looked to me. “Mr. Snow?”
I ripped free from Neil’s painful grip. “No, we’re not.” I walked toward her. “Could I have a ride? I need to talk to Detective Winter,” I explained, reaching into my back pocket for my wallet and handing her one of his cards.
She glanced up, looking between me and Neil a few steps away.
“Please,” I whispered.
Brigg nodded. “No problem.” She opened the back door of her cruiser. “Hop in.”
I didn’t even bother to crack some wiseass joke about needing handcuffs if I were to sit in the back, because I was too scared. Shit had gotten real with Neil. Whoever he had been when we were dating… that man was gone.
I shut my eyes and leaned as far over as I could in the seat, taking deep breaths.
Brigg got back in behind the wheel and pulled onto the street. “Domestic dispute?”
I clenched my jaw and gripped my thighs.Breathe in. Breathe out.
Brigg was singing quietly to herself, then after a moment, asked, “Detective Winter is your boyfriend?”
I opened my eyes and glanced up, catching her gaze in the rearview mirror. “How do you know that?”
“He’s a highly decorated officer. Him coming out of the closet sticks in people’s minds.”
“Oh.” I fidgeted on the uncomfortable seat. “I heard about your partner. Lowry.”
She hummed in acknowledgment.
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I.”
Weird.
I looked back down, staring at my shoes and focusing on relaxing my balled-up hands. There was something on the floor of the cruiser. I pushed my sunglasses up and reached down to touch the grainy dust with my fingertips. I brought it up close to examine and realized with a startling sense of dread….
Brick dust.
