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Max stepped closer to his side.
“Of course. Elite is the best swim team in the entire state. All of you are a great pride for Virginia.”
“Funny way the law has of showing it,” Rush deadpanned.
“That’s why I’m here,” Dad said, glancing at Niles.
Niles stepped forward. “How about we get the cuffs off the senator’s son?”
Detective Paul motioned for the officer to do just that, and he did, but the set of his jaw and the glint in his eyes told me he was not happy about it. I ignored his resentment, pulling my hands free of the restraints.
Instantly, I stepped around Kruger for Matthew, who avoided looking at me altogether, choosing instead to stare at his feet. Frowning, I glanced at the handcuffs on his wrists, worrying they hurt. “These too,” I said, motioning to the officer.
At first, he ignored me, but the detective cleared his throat, and the cop came over, using the speed of a turtle in a puddle of peanut butter.
Annoyed, I snatched the set of keys right out of his hand. His eyes narrowed, and I turned my back on him to go to my boyfriend.
“Let me see,” I said quietly.
He hesitated, then lifted his hands so I could unlock the metal. The second he was able, he pulled his hands away and stepped toward Kruger.
Oh, I don’t like that.
“Hey,” I said, reaching for his wrist. “Did those hurt? Were they rough?”
“Don’t touch me,” he said, withdrawing to jam his hands in the pockets of the denim jacket.
The rebuff stung, not just my pride but my heart too. I didn’t understand why he was suddenly averse to me, not when we were like Velcro before.
“What happened?” I asked, confused as hell. It was hard to be mad, though, as I watched him try to hide in plain sight. I didn’t like the wild look in his eyes, the way they were glassing over. In mere moments, he seemed to shrink an entire size, and something a lot like fear swelled in the space around him.
Anxiety, I could understand. But fear? Why are you so afraid?
“Matty.” Jess stepped up to his side, holding out a white paper cup with a black lid snapped on the top. “Now that your hands are free, drink this.”
“You brought me a trauma latte?” he asked, staring at it.
“It’s tradition,” Jess replied.
“Tradition,” he echoed and took it instantly, lifting it to his lips.
I was mildly surprised he’d taken it, but then I realized tradition was just another word for routine. And right now, routine probably comforted him.
“We got one for you too, Arsen,” Madison said, offering an identical-looking latte to me.
“Thanks,” I said, accepting the coffee but never taking my eyes off Matthew. I was afraid I’d miss something, even a small detail that would unlock the way he was behaving.
As he sipped, Jess pushed against his side, looping her arms around his waist. He tucked one arm around her, actively avoiding my open stare.
So it’s just me he doesn’t want to touch? What the fuck?
“Now that that’s taken care of, should we get to the matter at hand?” Niles said. You’d think for as smart as he was, he’d be able to read the damn room.
“Hold on there a minute, bro,” Jamie told him. “We’re all still trying to process the fact that Arsen’s dad is a senator.”
“Go process somewhere else,” Niles said, voice pinched. “Now’s not the time.”
“It’s not a secret. Didn’t any of you know?” I mused. I mean, sure, I never went around announcing it, but we had the same last name, and I thought it was general knowledge.
