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Declan leans down and kisses me and then tells me, “There’s a chance that I’m going to be taken down to the station,” he tells me calmly as nervous waves shoot through me. This can’t be real.
“I need you to stay here. Nate and I are going to go see what they want and you don’t need to worry, just stay here.”
My throat dries and I only nod in response. Not wanting to believe it and being struck with reality.
I watch numbly as they both stride out and before the door even closes, a cop says loud enough for me to hear, “Mr. Cross, we have a warrant for your arrest on suspicion of arson.”
My heart pounds and my legs feel weak.
The cops converge on Declan.He doesn’t look back at me but Nate does. With a nod of his chin, Declan sends Nate back into the store. The bell pings, but I could care less.
My heart is fucking breaking.
There’s nothing I can do but witness it. They put him in cuffs and get him into the car, talking the whole time although I can’t hear them. I almost feel compelled to do something.
Anything. My feet move past Nate and my hand grips the door but Nate stops me.
“Declan doesn’t want you out there,” he tells me and although his words are harsh, his tone is gentle.
I watch them ride away, one after the other, although a cop car in the back stays parked. The officers are watching Nate and me. All the while my head whirls and my heart races.
I’m so shook up that Nate has to put the box in my hand. “Declan’s going to want you to have this when he gets out,” he tells me and I look up at him to see his brow raised, as if asking me if I understand.
I only swallow and nod. Everything is numbing and surreal.
“We need to get you home,” he says, steadily, and then he takes me to the car. I climb into the passenger seat, my hands still shaking. With one hand around the other, I squeeze them tight, the visual of Declan being arrested playing over in my head again and again. Nate looks up and down the street, then gets behind the wheel. He starts the car. I feel him look over at me, but I don’t look back.
“Are you all right?”
“I don’t know.” He drives us away from the jewelry store. It fades away behind us like we were never there.
“It’s going to be all right.” Nate sounds sure of himself. “They don’t have anything.”
I haven’t forgotten the last time I was alone with Nate. The visual of him killing Scarlet creeps into the back of my mind and I find myself scooting closer to the window.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay. You don’t have to worry,” he tells me again and this time I peer over at him to find him glancing between the road and me. “It’s going to be all right,” he reassures me again.
I can’t help but see Scarlet again and all the events unfolding. It’s hard to breathe and I have to close my eyes. It plays out in my mind, beginning to end, as if no time at all has passed.
One breath in and one breath out.
“You want to change the station?” Nate asks after a minute.
All I know is that I can’t afford to forget who these men really are. I can’t let myself believe that everything really will be okay. I stare down at the black velvet box. This is my life now and I honestly don’t know that I have much of a choice about any of that.
“No thank you,” I tell Nate. I whisper as I stare out of the window, begging my mind to think of anything else. “The music’s fine.”
DECLAN
The interrogation room feels almost like a second home now. Hell, they should put my name on the damn door and reserve it for my ass.
The metal door opens and slams shut. I don’t bother to lift my gaze from the table; I know exactly who it is who’s walked in. His heavy breathing gives it away.
Mauer is a bigger prick than I could have imagined. There’s a slight yellow tinge to his teeth that reminds me of my father’s friends growing up.
The question that irritates me the most is how the hell did I not know about this fucker?
With reddened cheeks that hang just slightly with his older age, and dark bags under his eyes, Mauer looks like shit. Sleepless nights and anger coat his expression. He narrows his eyes, “You’re not going to get away with it.”
