“Who’s that?” Maria asked, standing with Evan out front, arms crossed. Lily had gone back into the club a few minutes earlier. In the parking lot, Colin stood with two officers, one of the bouncers, and a man in a well-used sport coat who was chewing on a toothpick.
Evan’s tone betrayed his concern. “Detective Margolis. He’s been waiting for Colin to screw up again.”
“Why?”
“Because he thinks Colin should be in prison.”
“Is that going to happen?”
“I don’t know,” Evan said.
“But he didn’t do anything,” Maria protested. “He didn’t even touch her.”
“Thank God, or he’d be cuffed by now. And he still might be, unless Lily can work her magic.”
“What’s she doing?”
“Solving the problem,” Evan answered. “That’s what Lily does.”
In time, Lily emerged through the front doors, stopping to shake hands with one of the bouncers who had dragged Colin out. She smiled ingenuously as she approached the officers.
Maria watched as Margolis caught sight of her and held up his hand to stop her. Lily ignored him, pressing on until she was close enough to be heard, and for an interminable few minutes, both Evan and Maria watched, wondering what Lily could possibly be saying to him. Eventually, one of the officers followed the bouncer back inside the club while Margolis and the other officer remained with Colin. Margolis was obviously furious, but still no move was made to cuff Colin. The events of the last half hour caused Maria’s thoughts to ping-pong, wreaking havoc on her emotions. She’d been followed to the bar, which meant she’d been followed from the restaurant, which meant she’d been followed from home.
He knew where she lived and he’d followed her here.
Her breath caught, and she distantly registered Evan’s voice.
“Are you okay?”
She squeezed her upper arms. She wanted Colin to hold her, yet she was angry that he’d lost control. Or was she afraid for him? She wasn’t sure.
He knew where she lived and he’d followed her here.
“No,” she admitted, realizing that she was shaking. “I’m not.”
She felt Evan slip an arm around her.
“It’s pretty messed up, that’s for sure. If I were you, I’d be a wreck.”
“What’s going to happen to Colin?”
“He’ll be all right.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Lily looks calm and Margolis looks pissed.”
Maria studied the two of them, realizing that Evan was right. But everything had gone wrong tonight.
A minute later, the officer who’d gone into the club returned to Margolis’s side. They spoke for a couple of minutes before both officers reluctantly headed back to their squad car. By then, Lily was hurrying toward Evan and Maria. Evan let go of Maria to encircle Lily in his arms.
“No charges,” she said. “They’re letting him go.”
“What did you do?” Maria asked.
“I spoke to the waitress and the manager, and I simply told them the truth,” Lily replied. “That you were being stalked, and that Colin overreacted because you’ve been frightened, and Colin thought you might be in danger. They were surprisingly sympathetic. Especially once I gave the waitress an extra-large tip, paid for the drinks that were spilled, and offered the manager a little extra for his trouble.”
Maria stared at her. “You bribed them?”
“I did no such thing. I merely did my best to rectify the situation in a way that satisfied everyone involved. By the time the officer came to speak with them, they were both adamant that no charges be filed. Still, I will admit there was a moment when I wasn’t sure it was going to work again.”
“Again?”
“It isn’t the first time this has happened,” Evan said.
Margolis dogged Colin’s footsteps as Colin approached their group. To others, Colin probably appeared as controlled as he always did, but she noticed something in his expression that hinted at an understanding of how close he’d come to losing it all. He moved to her side as Margolis studied each of their faces. Colin stared back, unfazed, as did Evan and Lily.