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His black eyes were fixed on her, legs stiff.

“Stay here,” she told him, and he sank to the floor with a quiet whine.

She stepped down the stairs into the dark shop, and it felt like she was walking off a cliff.

She didn’t even grab the railing.

Chapter 43

Riley

“Riley? Are you okay?”

She didn’t resist as Andrew wrapped her in a hug and rested his chin on the top of her head. She fit perfectly. Her arms were limp at her sides even as the smell of clean laundry was soothing in its familiarity.

“Riley, please. Say something. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for days.”

“Why?” Her voice sounded dead.

He stepped back, hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

Snap out of it.

She swallowed and looked up. Dark blue eyes—almost navy—bored into hers, brown hair still trimmed cop short. He had a moustache now.

Sobriety looked good on him.

Her smile was fake. “I’m fine. Why are you here?” How did you know where I was?

He slowly dropped his arms and crossed them over his uniformed chest. The squad car was parked down the road, half a block from the shop, lights off.

“I’ve been trying to track you down. Your number is out of service. And your mom wouldn’t give me your new one. Said you’d moved on.”

Bless her.

“It’s been two years, Andrew. I have. You should’ve too.” He glanced at the shop with a flicker of distaste before he hid it.

“I can count,” he said, eyes narrowed down at her. “You called me about that stalker thing for your friend—”

“That was a mistake.”

“—and I saw the security footage from the club last weekend. Do you know who that was? Who you assaulted? Tell me these issues weren’t related.”

His voice snapped between them, and the familiar urge to calm him crept up her throat.

She shoved it back. “Don’t talk down to me. I don’t belong to you, and you’re not in my life. I don’t owe you anything.”

He rocked back, and his face hardened. Dusk had brought out the bugs, and they circled the floodlight in front of the shop.

One by one, they flew into the light and fell to the ground. They were relentless.

Didn’t stop. Didn’t care.

Her jaw was sore from clenching her teeth.

“Sorry. I’m just worried.”

She jerked her gaze back to Andrew. Another apology. Buy a lottery ticket.