Page 69 of Before This Ends (Before)

“She might come to that if you call her by that name.” I touch the top of her head. “Get in so we can go home.”

Without a word, she climbs into the car, then across to her seat and buckles in. I walk around the trunk and get in behind the wheel.

“Can I hold her?”

“As soon as we get to the house.”

“She’s so cute.”

“She is.” I smile at her in the rearview mirror.

“Did you tell Dad?”

I bite my lip. I haven’t, and not only because I haven’t had a chance.

“He’ll see her when he gets home,” I mumble, and she gets quiet, probably knowing what I do—that Miles is going to lose his mind, and not in a good way.

CHAPTER25

miles

The apartment is empty when I step through the door. Emma and Winter are nowhere in sight. I call out to them, and nothing. I try to remember if I saw Emma’s car on the street when I arrived, but I don’t recall if it was there or not. Honestly, my mind was too preoccupied with the information Tucker and I dug up this afternoon regarding Deputy Chief Stedman.

Apparently, he and his men have been covering for Pastor Green, Steven Green’s uncle, for years. Any call that comes through regarding Pastor Green or the World Church is transferred to him or one of his men, and then just like magic, the complaint or helpful information against them disappears. There is never a case file opened, no matter how big or small the accusations are. Or… there hadn’t been until Kristen Stable was murdered and Livy was violated. But I have no doubt that if we did as Stedman asked all those months ago and passed any information we found on the case to him, then he would have tried to make it all go away. And if that happened, Steven Green’s lawyers would not currently be scrambling for ways to get him off the hook for murder and rape.

My fingers flex at my sides.

Figuring the girls are upstairs at Clay’s place or down the hall at Miranda and Tucker’s, I remove my gun and take it to my room, placing it in the safe by my bed. As I’m taking off my button-down shirt to change, I hear the front door open and Winter giggle while Emma talks.

My muscles relax.

I change into a tee and a pair of cut-off sweats and am about to leave the bedroom, when a white ball of fur zooms past me, skidding across the concrete floor. Unable to find purchase on its fuzzy paws, it crashes into the wall next to the dresser, rights itself, then spins back in my direction, and begins bouncing around me.

“What the fuck?” I look down at the dog that is no bigger than the travel mug I use for coffee in the morning.

“Oh, you’re home.” I look up at Emma standing in the doorway, then down at Winter when she picks up the small dog, not even acknowledging I exist.

“Whose dog is that?”

“It’s Emma’s,” Winter informs me with a grin.

“I went to talk to Eli today.” Em rubs her lips together when I zero in on her.

The muscles in my stomach contract. She never mentioned she was going to talk to her ex.

“He had something of mine that I needed from him, and?—”

“And he gave you a dog as a farewell gift?” I cut her off.

She frowns. “No, he’s moving to New York and can’t take Dolly with him. He was going to leave her with his mom, but she lost her job and already has three dogs. He doesn’t want her to be given to someone else if his mom can’t take care of her. I’ve always loved Dolly, so I told him I would take her.”

“Tell him you changed your mind.”

“Excuse me?” She crosses her arms over her chest, then steps out of the way when Winter leaves the room, taking the dog with her. “I’m not doing that.”

“I don’t want a dog, Em.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you don’t have one then, Miles,” she snaps, and I drag in a harsh breath.

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