My professor dismissed my last class with a painful reminder of our exam the next day. I pretended not to sweat over the first exam of the term, especially when it counted for twenty percent of my final grade. The last two weeks had been peaceful to the naked eye, but I had been consumed with thoughts of going to prison for the rest of my life.
I made my way across campus to Green Library since Cubberley’s limited space was already full with other students studying.
Damn, it’s hot.
I wanted this test over with.
I wanted school over with.
I wanted this investigation over with so I could go back to wondering about the simple things, such as, if Keiran and I would ever get married and if he’d ever get over his fear of having kids. Two weeks ago, when I asked him if marriage was on the table, it had been my deepest desire to ask about kids.
Having kids wasn’t something I always aspired to do but having them with Keiran set my heart on fire. I just needed him to want it, too.
I reached the library and settled in for a few hours of studying. If I could, I would stay put all night, but I knew how anxious Keiran could get when I wasn’t in bed and waiting on him. I stifled the urge to roll my eyes and flipped open my first chapter.
Three hours and three double espressos later, I was ready to call it quits—at least until I made it home where I would pull an all-nighter. I packed up my bag and entered the cool summer night air. The sun had long since set so I was grateful my car was parked nearby.
I only managed to make it ten feet before I was surrounded for the second time in my life. I recognized the two detectives who cornered me at the grocery store two weeks ago.
“Well, Ms. Monroe. It appears you won’t be getting out of this one so easily.”
My only thought as I was handcuffed and led away with an audience nearby was that I was grateful Keiran hadn’t been around to witness me getting arrested again. Without Dash or Keenan around, it was unlikely he would have kept his composure.
At least, he was safely home by now though I didn’t know how long that would last when he realized my absence wasn’t due to me losing track of time.
*
I couldn’t do this again. My leg bounced, my palms were sweating, and my heart beat wild in my chest. This time was real. They had a warrant for my arrest. A new development was all I’d been told before being held in a room with bright lights and a dingy white table.
Despite the late hour, it was at least an hour before I saw anyone. Detective Grayson and Roberts entered with grave expressions meant to unnerve me. I was already a step ahead of them and felt like passing out now would be the sane thing to do. I didn’t have a good feeling about this but tried not to let it show.
“Sorry about the wait. When you’re catching bad guys, time just gets away from you.” He chuckled alone in the quiet room until it became awkward enough for him to get a clue. I watched his jaw harden as he cleared his throat and took a seat. “I’ll get right to it. Does the name Laurie Finch ring a bell?”
“Why would it?” Keep it together.
“She was the nurse who identified you at the facility the day your boyfriend’s father was murdered.”
“What is this about?” I wasn’t willing to fall victim to his games. I’d make him tell me everything he knew rather than the other way around. And just as suspected, he didn’t pass up the opportunity to gloat.
“It appears your boyfriend intimidated the witness against testifying. Are you saying you know nothing about that?”
“I wasn’t aware there were criminal charges. Let’s start with that. At the time, he allegedly intimidated this witness, were there criminal charges brought against him or me?”
“You well know of our investigation—”
“You’re reaching for the clouds when you can’t even see the sky. Was the warrant even real?”
“Oh, it was very real, Miss Monroe. Thanks to your boyfriend, it was the break we needed to convince a judge you’re guilty.”
“Innocent,” I snapped, “until proven guilty.”
“We’ll see.”
“I hope you have something else under your sleeve or else I plan to make a fool out of your so-called justice system once again.”
“We have a statement from Mrs. Finch claiming that your boyfriend admitted to the crime and offered a large sum of money to keep her mouth closed.”
What?
No.
The cuffs clinked on the table as my hands shook.
“You’re no longer prime rib, sweetheart.”
God.
Keiran is.
I wasn’t aware of what he had said after. I could see his lips moving but everything had gone silent. I only remember the room spinning before I lost my grip on consciousness.
When I came to, there was a nurse standing over me, and I was left with an unwanted sense of déjà vu.
“You’re awake.”
It was seventeen-year-old me all over again.
I lifted my hand to block the light. My eyes were sensitive as if I hadn’t seen daylight in weeks.
“What happened?”
“You lost consciousness and have been out for about a day. Dehydration and stress will do that to you.” She dropped the clipboard and effectively dismissed me by leaving the room.
*