Page 24 of Rekindle My Heart

“A sleeve on his right arm. A collar.” Reggie nodded with his chin to his upper chest. “Something in Spanish. Oh, and a leaf on his temple.”

“A cannabis leaf?” Ryan’s eyes pinpointed—fully focused on the next thing out of Reggie’s mouth.

“Yeah.” Recognition lit on Reggie’s face.

Erica scanned Ryan’s hard expression for a sign. Would he arrest this kid or not? Her gaze fell to the snot-running, tear-streaked face. Dark eyes, half dilated. He was coming down but definitely still riding the wave of sweet marijuana.

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. “Tell you what, Reggie, if you have the cousin’s address, I’ll let you off this time.”

The kid’s face brightened. His dark mop of hair waved as his head bobbed. “He lived over off Vine and Pleasant. The big house with the mean dogs.”

Ryan shook his head. “You have to do better than that.”

Thin shoulders fell. “Okay, let me think.”

Erica watched the man literately try to shake the drug-induced fog from his head.

Time slowed as he pulled numbers from the sieve that must be his mind. With the last one, Ryan nodded and removed the cuffs.

“If you are lying to me, Reggie, I’ll come back.” The words might be innocuous, but the hard edge to Ryan’s stare was definitely a threat.

Erica shivered. She and Ryan helped Reggie up as he rubbed his wrists.

“And Reggie, if you’d have talked to me in the first place, I wouldn’t have used the cuffs.”

He nodded and stumbled into the house.

She glanced back. The curtain moved in Mrs. White’s window. “I don’t think we will need to worry about Reggie. I think his neighbor will keep an eye on him.”

“And on everyone else on the street. Come on. Let’s take a stroll down Pleasant Lane.” Ryan slid his hand to the small of her back as they headed to the vehicle.