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Her simmering anger finally boiled over. Screw this. Why should she care if Finn knew she’d eavesdropped? He was an active participant in tonight’s shady operation, and he’d just blown the old stereotype she’d given him to smithereens. She’d never look at him the same again. From now on, when she imagined him sitting in a tufted leather chair in a library sipping cognac, he’d be shirtless and tattooed, with washboard abs and mussed-up hair. It wasn’t fair!
“Okay, yes. I did eavesdrop on you guys,” she said, lifting her chin. “But obviously, you’re no stranger to breaking the rules, so don’t stand there with that holier-than-thou look on your face.”
He blinked in surprise. “I’m sorry... I’m just trying to piece together how you knew. Look, this was a one-and-done thing for me. Eli knows I’m not in the scene and have no wish to be. He just has a devious streak, and he likes to stir up trouble for fun. If he can somehow profit from it, even better. He knew I’d win, which is why he asked me.”
People were now pouring out of the barn, heading into the field for their cars. Some gave them curious looks as they passed, but Cora was too tired to care.
She crossed her arms. “Yeah, about that. How did Eli know you’d win? Pretty sure they don’t teach cage fighting in law school. You strolled in there like you were heading to a Sunday picnic, and knocked that guy out in under a minute. Where did you learn to do that?”
Finn’s expression shuttered so fast, she would’ve missed it if she hadn’t been staring right at him. How did he go from being the warm, open man she knew to the cool, unreadable stranger in just the blink of an eye? “It doesn’t matter. That’s all in my past.”
“Yet, here you are,” she pointed out. “And you could’ve gottenkilled.”
“Cora.” He tilted his face to the sky. “You’re being a little melodramatic.”
Oh, ho ho.Cora sucked in a breath of outrage and hopped off the tailgate to put some distance between them. “That’s just rich coming from—” she made air quotes with her fingers “‘—the undefeated, legendary Jackrabbit.’” She started to walk away, then spun back and stomped over until they were face-to-face. “I can’t believe you said you wouldn’t be in danger tonight. You lied to me. You’re just a big, fat liar.” Except he wasn’t fat. Not even a little. She glanced at his torso then tore her gaze away. He was cut like Swarovski crystal, but that was neither here nor there.
“Cora, I never lied to you,” Finn said in frustration. He reached for her, then seemed to think better of it and let his arms drop to his sides. “I wasn’t in danger because I know how to fight. I knew I could take him.”
She threw her hands up. “Of all the arrogant, asinine—You know, you surprise me, Finn. I didn’t take you for one of those bragging men who lets their ego overrule their common sense.”
“It ain’t braggin’ if he can back it up, lady,” someone slurred.
She whirled, pointing a finger at the drunk old man leaning against the barn. “You stay out of this. We’re having a private conversation here.”
“Sounds more like foreplay to me,” someone else snickered.
She hadn’t noticed the small audience they’d attracted. A few of the people from the barn had stopped to watch. Some of the men looked amused, and a couple of the women were eyeing Finn like he was a hot fudge sundae with all the toppings.
Cora lowered her voice and told Finn, “I came out here in case you needed backup. I was worried you were going to be caught up in something illegal or dangerous, and I was right. Technically, I could arrest you right now.”
He dropped his head. “I know, and I’m sorry. None of this should’ve touched you. I never wanted to put you in this situation, Cora.”
“You didn’t.Iput myself here, but I’m walking away now. And even though it doesn’t sit right with me, I’m not going to tell anyone what happened tonight. Out of respect for the relationship you had with my father, and the work you do to help others, I’ll keep your secret. But I won’t forget it.” She leaned close enough to feel the heat emanating off his naked skin. It was distracting, which just added to her frustration. “I’m putting an end to this mess Eli’s got going on. Not right away, because I have cases to work, and I need answers from him. But I promise you, Iwillmake it happen.”
“I know you will,” he said softly. “You have an unwavering desire to see that justice is served, and I admire that. Not everyone’s built that way. It’s a rare and beautiful thing.”
Cora felt an odd fluttering in her stomach at his compliment, but she shut it down fast. This night had been weird enough, and her emotions had been through the wringer. “Don’t try to be nice to me right now, Finley Walsh. I’m still mad at you.”
His expression turned wistful. “Just stating facts.”
“Here’s a fact,” she said, backing away. “If I ever catch you doing something like this again, I’ll throw you in that holding cell at the station. And no amount of lawyer-speak will get you out of it.”
She left him standing by the truck and set off across the field. It was time to climb the hell out of this rabbit hole.
17
Pretending to look busy was the worst. Liam hated it. He did all the required things other officers appeared to do at the station. He tapped away on his keyboard, rearranged the neglected stack of papers on his desk and reviewed the latest updates on the cases. He chatted with Mavis at the reception desk, and even walked back and forth to the kitchen in false pursuit of what everyone in this world seemed to think was nectar of the gods—coffee. He grimaced. How any of them could stomach the stuff was a mystery bigger than any he’d encountered since arriving in Providence Falls. But as much as he tried to blend in with the normal ebb and flow at the station, today was especially hard.
Something was wrong with Cora. She’d gone out last night to “meet a friend,” and he didn’t hear her come home until well after midnight. This wasn’t her usual routine for a Wednesday. She was so quiet and introspective today that he was convinced something disturbing must’ve happened.
He stole another glance at her across the pen. She was on her computer, but she kept checking her phone. She seemed restless and preoccupied, continually worrying her bottom lip with her teeth the way she did when working on a difficult problem.
“I made the last of the Hawaiian Kona blend,” Otto said cheerfully as he ambled over to his desk. He eased into his chair, setting two pastries and his mug on a paper towel. “Better hurry, Cora, before they finish it off. There’s only the instant kind left after this.”
“Hmm?”
Otto held up his mug. “The good stuff.”
