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Through the loud and plentiful thoughts of shouting and running and crying, one thought pushed past all the others: “Jesse,” I said, feeling as if I’d just found the long-lost piece needed to complete the puzzle. “Jesse must have done this. When we were outside, he must have—”
“Sam, they’re in your room. Under your bed. Is there anything else in here?”
“No! I swear. Please, you’ve got to believe me. Jesse must have dumped them all in here.”
The way the detective looked at me told me everything I needed to know.
I had to get Jesse in here. Had to let Rocky—the detective—see how guilty Jesse was. This had to have been him.
I hurried out of the room and slammed a fist on Jesse’s closed door. “Open up! Open the damn door, you creep.”
Rocky put a hand on my shoulder. I jumped, lurching away. He stood in the hall, taking up the entire space. He stood a good six inches taller than me. I craned my neck to look directly into his eyes, trying hard not to back down even though I felt like curling up into a ball and going to sleep.
“Why, Sam?”
No, no, no.
“No.” I covered my face with my hands, took a deep breath. Then another. “No,” I repeated.
“I’ll have to tell Hazel,” he said, matter-of-factly.
“Just get out.” The words flew out of me like a fireball from the maw of a dying dragon. “Go.”
I felt stupid. I felt so fucking dumb. I should have never let this man into my apartment. I should have never thought he’d be on my side, I shouldn’t have ever let myself imagine what he’d feel like pressed up against me. How those lips would taste against my tongue.
I felt so, so stupid.
“Just tell me why.”
“You’re not doing that. You’re not going to coerce me into saying what you want to hear. I didn’t do it. That wasn’t me. Now go.” I moved toward him. For a moment, I feared an electric shock would jump from him to me, sending me launching through the air.
Nothing happened. The electricity in the space between us didn’t react, and neither did he. He just stood there, those swirling blue eyes still spelling out paradise, even though a storm rocked the horizon.
Was he believing me?
Or was he just searching for a weak spot in my armor?
Jesse opened the door then. “What the hell?”
I turned on him, angrier than I’d ever felt before. “How dare you. You’re sick. You’re fucking sick.”
Jesse, who had changed into a pair of ill-fitting dark jeans and a tight black shirt, stepped forward, his hands turning to fists at his side. “Fuck. You.”
The anger radiated from him. I instantly shrank back, feeling myself already biting off more than I could chew. Conflict was never my thing. The only battles I liked fighting were behind my computer screen, where magic and swords ruled over words and fists.
“Jesse, back off.”
It was Rocky. He sounded like a dog trainer breaking through to an aggressive rottweiler, turning it into a tail-wagging pup. His words were direct, his tone strong.
Jesse looked to Rocky and then to me. He pushed past the detective and went toward the door, grabbing his keys off the table before leaving the apartment, the door slamming behind him and shaking the thin walls.
“Do you believe me now?” I asked, feeling a little light-headed.
There wasn’t an answer. I realized he didn’t. He still thought I was the one responsible for stealing the underwear.
“Go.” I put a hand on my mouth, then moved it to the back of my neck, squeezing. “Go.”
Rocky, to his credit, turned and started walking.
“I didn’t do it.” I felt like I needed to drill that point home. It scared me that someone would actually think I was capable of such a disgusting act. And what if I couldn’t convince the detective that I was innocent? What if Hazel believed him? My entire life would be ruined. I wouldn’t be able to come back from something like that.
“Please.”
Rocky stopped. He faced the door, his back to me. He dropped his head, and I could almost feel the torrent of thoughts inside there. Even without those icy blue orbs on me, I already knew they danced with doubt.
“I’ve got to look into it more.”
I let out an exasperated breath. Did I have to drop to my knees? Crawl and beg? I would have. I would have done it in a heartbeat.
But he didn’t give me a chance. He walked out the door, and this time it didn’t slam. It shut, almost quietly, leaving me alone in the apartment, the walls feeling as if they had suddenly all caught fire.
I foolishly expected to feel relief wash over me. From the moment Rocky Hudson showed up at my door, things turned to shit. I expected him leaving would make everything suddenly better.
