Page 22 of Donut Overthink It

Another man came to stand over me as if I was gonna make a mad dash for it. Like I’m a fucking magician and could remove these cuffs with an invisible key.

“Where is she?”

I look up when I hear his voice. “She hasn’t been booked.” An officer I have never seen tells my boss as he stands by the entrance wearing a scowl on his face.

“Then release her to me!” he orders, and my heart starts to race.

Release me? Can it be that easy? What did he do to get me out?

As if he senses me, he looks to his right and meets my eyes. He narrows them on me. I immediately go to take a step toward him, but the hand on my upper arm prevents me from moving.

Mr. Kyle pulls his cell out of his pocket and hands it to the officer. I can tell by the way the officer’s body stiffens that it’s not good. Moments later, Mr. Kyle’s eyes land on mine once again, and I look away. Shame and embarrassment take over me.

The officer comes up to us and speaks softly to the one holding my arm. “You can’t be serious,” he hisses, and then his fingers dig into my skin. I bite my lip to keep from crying out from the pain. “Un-fucking-believable,” he growls before shoving me forward. I let out a yelp in surprise before he steps behind me and undoes the cuffs.

I start to rub my wrists, looking down at the floor when I see a pair of black shiny shoes step in front of me. I hold in a sigh of relief knowing that it’s Mr. Kyle. “Let’s go, Miss Burns,” he says before turning and walking away.

With my head down in shame, I follow my boss out of the Chicago police station while tears blur my vision.

AIDEN

I drive through the night to her apartment with a silent Hadley sitting beside me. She hasn’t said a word to me since I picked her up at the police station. The one call I made worked in my favor. Thankfully, someone owed me a favor. I didn’t plan on cashing it in so soon, but I didn’t have a choice. I wasn’t gonna let them arrest her.

They didn’t even book her. I met them at the station, and once I arrived, they released her from the cuffs and sent her on her way. But I have a feeling that’s not the end of it. Police don’t like to be told what to do, and they were pissed about the phone call they received to let her go. Now it doesn’t matter if she’s innocent.

We pull up to her apartment building, and she hasn’t even asked me how I know where she lives. I come to a stop next to her black Audi. I put my car in park, and she just sits there. Her face down, hair shielding those beautiful blue eyes from me. Her hands in her lap, and she sniffs. I watch as she runs her fingers over the red marks the handcuffs have left, and my teeth grind in anger. I hate that two men had her in such a vulnerable state.

Taking a deep, calming breath, I ask, “Did they hurt you?”

“I didn’t do it.” She finally speaks softly, ignoring my question.

“I believe you,” I say without thought.

Slowly, she lifts her head to look at me, and a tear runs down her already wet cheek. “What did you do to get it taken care of?” she asks.

“I made a phone call.”

“And?”

I sigh. “I have to make another call in the morning to have the charges dropped, but that doesn’t mean you’re free and clear.”

She nods once. “What now?”

What now is the million-dollar question. “You tell me what happened.”

“How much?”

I frown. “How much?”

“How much money do you want?” Her voice is soft.

“I don’t want your money.” I know what she makes. And although it’s nice, it’s not enough to afford me. Not unless she has a trust fund, but I highly doubt that.

She frowns. “Then what do you want?”

I think about her question, and a smile spreads across my face. This is my chance. I know for her, this is a low, but for me, it’s a high. I’ve never been one to miss an opportunity, and this is one if I’ve ever seen. “I want you,” I say simply.

She rolls her eyes. “Not this again. I’m not in the mood to banter with you, sir …”

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