Page 33 of Sheltering You

She didn’t know who that was, and now didn’t seem a good time to ask.

“Do you have some kind of a…a martyr complex?”

“I was only trying to help⁠—”

“At your expense! You remember what I said?” He’d lowered his voice, but he might as well have yelled for all the vehemence it held. “If I had to choose between you⁠—”

“You would choose me, but I choose them.”

“I was afraid for you, for you. Because you got out of the car, I had no choice. My face is probably being broadcast on every news channel in the metropolitan area.”

“I’m sure that’s not⁠—”

“I took a kid, Jazz. Against his will. There were guards there, trying to stop me. Maybe Basma will convince them she wanted me to take him. But her uncle is the diplomat. He’s the guardian, right? What if he tells them his nephew was kidnapped? Will the police listen to your friend or her uncle? Will the police even ask her?” He scrubbed his whiskers. “Maybe I can explain all this away. But…I shouldn’t have done it. I wouldn’t have except I was afraid you were going to get hurt. I didn’t know what you’d do.” He ran his hand over his head but bumped the cap. He yanked it off and threw it on the passenger seat. “What I just did… It’s a felony. If I can’t explain my way out of it… And maybe I can, but maybe not. I could go to prison. Do you understand that?”

Prison?

Her stomach dropped. Surely not. Surely nobody would send him to prison.

“And here’s the worst part.” He met her eyes briefly in the rearview mirror, and she saw not the anger humming on his words, but fear. “So could you, Jazz. I made you an accomplice. In a felony.” His lips pressed so tightly they turned white. He swallowed, shook his head. “I should never have agreed to this.”

“I didn’t mean⁠—”

“I know. I know that. Just…let me process.” He took a breath and blew it out. “I’m sorry. I need to think. Could you just…sit back, please?”

She wanted to press her case—she hadn’t meant to cause trouble. And nobody had seen her, so he’d probably overreacted. And it wasn’t kidnapping. It was a rescue mission.

Would the authorities see it that way?

She wanted to explain how she felt, to get him to understand. She wanted…she wanted him to not be angry with her. Because, what had he said? That the worst part about this was that he’d made her an accomplice? That she could go to prison?

How could he see that as the worst part? As if her welfare was important to him. As if…as if she mattered to him more than he did.

Which didn’t make any sense at all.

She settled beside Rabie, who was still focused on his toy.

Derrick had been a good friend to her from the moment they’d met. He’d taken her places. He’d gone out of his way to spend time with her. But there were limits to friendship, at least for most people. Like committing a crime—that was a line most people wouldn’t cross, even for a friend.

Yet Derrick had crossed it. To protect her.

Because he was her friend?

Or…

Oh.

Suddenly, she understood what people had been trying to tell her for weeks. Leila had encouraged her to tell Derrick about Khalid and the baby to protect his feelings.

Michael had suggested that the longer she waited to tell him, the more it was going to hurt him.

Jasmine had figured they’d meant that Derrick’s feelings would be hurt because she hadn’t been honest, but maybe there was more to it.

What had Sophie said the day before?

You don’t think there’s any chance he’s interested in you?

She’d not understood what her new roommate meant. But now…