I adjusted in the seat, getting fidgety. “Why are you so calm?”
“It’s going to be fine.”
That was even more annoying.
My eye twitched. “I never got my cat.”
“You have a cat?” he asked, both eyes now open.
That’s not what I said.
“No.” I tapped the window, still searching for the moon. For some reason, it felt like if I could see the moon everything might be okay. “I’m waiting for the universe to give me one.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Yes, it does.” His reassurance that everything would be fine was the issue. Mine made total sense. “It’s called the cat distribution system.”
“What?”
“It’s on TikTok.” There were always people just finding cats and kittens. That’s how I determined I’d get mine. And it hadn’t happened yet. Which meant I couldn’t go to jail.
“Just wait.”
Ugh!
“I’m going to be fired, Dane,” I yelled and twisted toward him.
His gaze met mine and held. “Just wait, princess.”
“We didn’t even solve the case. I’ll be fired, jailed, and not even a case solver.” Coming to Charleston was a horrible idea.
“Delaney, just wait.”
“Stop saying that!” I wanted to shake him.
My nerves were rising and rising. They were bubbling toward the top of my head, ready to explode. He laid his head against the seat rest and closed his eyes, looking as if he was minutes away from falling asleep. “It’s going to be fine.”
I twisted away from him, determined to ignore his presence. If he wasn’t going to freak out with me, he could just sit there by himself.
Five minutes of pure panic passed before the cop slid from the seat of his coworker’s cop car and approached us.
Here we go. He’d come back to take us to jail. “Do we run now?” I asked Dane.
Once the cop opened our door, I could push him down and we could make a break for it. Dane had to be trained in ways to take out the second cop.
“If you run, I’m going to be so pissed,” Dane said, finally opening both his eyes.
Could I take the cop out by myself? No, not both of them. Also, if they caught us—and they had all my information, so it wouldn’t be hard—there’s no way I could handle both cops.
The officer sauntered toward the police car. He smiled as he opened the door.
How sick? What kind of cop smiled like that at people he was about to arrest?
“I’m terribly sorry about this, Agent. You and the misses are free to go,” he said. “I hope you won’t hold this matter against the great city of Charleston.”
Dane pushed on my shoulder when I didn’t move right away. My mouth hung open, but my brain was full of questions. The ground met my feet quicker than I thought, and I wobbled. Dane grabbed my hips to steady me as he exited the car.
“No problem, Officer. We understand you were just doing your job. Right, princess?” Dane said as he stood behind me with his arm around my middle.
