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The waitress came back and practically hurled the credit card and receipt back on the table before storming away.
“Sure,” Oliver said easily.“Got to be that.”
***
Excitement had Lark’s knees shaking as she exited Side Strip.The rain had stopped, so she kept her umbrella down and gripped in her right hand.Her small cross-body purse bumped lightly against her left hip.
“I’ll check in with you when I have more info,” Memphis told Lark.
He’s working on the case.The Ice Breakers are going to help me.Impulsively, she threw her arms around him and held tight.“Thank you.”Tears wanted to fill her eyes, so she blinked them away quickly.“I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
“I can tell you…” Memphis whispered into her ear.“That a certain FBI agent looks like he’d enjoy ripping my head off right about now.”
She whipped away from Memphis and whirled to catch Oliver glaring.He did, in fact, appear to be in the mood to rip off Memphis’s head.
Memphis laughed.“I trust you’ll see her to her car safely, Agent Foxx?You certainly seemed focused on guarding her earlier.”
“You sure don’t seem concerned with her safety,” Oliver snapped back.“If you had been, she wouldn’t have been walking alone tonight.You could have picked her up.”
“I can take care of myself,” she assured him.With that, she started making her way back to her car.
“The lady made the plan.I followed it.”Memphis’s voice drifted to her.“I’ll be in touch, Foxx.”His footsteps padded away.
Lark kept striding forward and avoiding the puddles as best she could.Only she wasn’t striding forward alone.Oliver trailed behind her.Without glancing back, she asked him, “Are you really going to follow me all the way back to my car?”
“Have to.”
Treacherous warmth started to spread inside of her.Maybe he was really concerned—
“I parked in the same lot.”
The warmth stopped spreading.
She started walking faster.
Only it wasn’t fast enough because he moved to keep pace at her side.
Silence reigned at first from him, then, as if the words were pulled from him, Oliver said, “You think I’m a total asshole.”
She didn’t argue.
“That’s fair.Is there any chance we could start over?”
Stunned, she froze.Then swung toward him.
Shadows and darkness covered Oliver as he told her, “I’ve wished a million times that we could start over.No, correction, I’ve wished a million times that things had been different.”
“We’re not starting overanythinguntil I get my brother cleared.”With that, she went back to her marching.What time was it?Nearing two?The streets were absolutely deserted.Every now and then, a vehicle would slowly drive down the road, kicking up some of the leftover rainwater that still glistened on the street.
His pace perfectly matched hers and soon they were nearing the parking lot.Just one more crosswalk and she’d be home free.Lark reached the corner and prepared to walk across.
“You want your brother cleared so badly.”A pause.“Is that why you lied to Memphis?”
Don’t look at him.Don’t.
But Oliver caught her hand.Her left hand.He uncurled her fingers.“Didn’t think there was a tell, at first.Then I saw you were digging your nails into your palm.”
“I wasstressed.” A white sedan approached.Dammit.She had to wait for the vehicle to pass.Great.
