Page 133 of Your Side of the Offense

"Thank you for coming." I inhale his cologne, and I could sob tears of gratefulness.

"I got you." He covers me with his body.

A throat clearing pulls us apart.

"This is Bruce, your lawyer. Summer," Harvey introduces us and we shake hands.

"You are free to go home, Miss Bailey," Bruce says.

"Why?"

He chuckles. "All charges were dropped."

"How?"

He gestures for us to leave, and we do. Harvey’s vintage Camaro is outside waiting as well as a Range Rover I don't recognize.

"You are very fortunate, Miss Bailey. I'll leave the explanations to Mr. Ford. You both have a wonderful evening." He nods to both of us, and we stand a little as I inhale fresh air. He waits with me and watches me take air like I just came out of the sewer.

After a minute, the awkwardness of the whole situation comes back to me. He somehow got wind of what happened, so he knows I ran into Tracey.

"I'm sorry." It’s all I can manage because I don't know what he feels about everything.

"Why?"

His cologne massages my senses in such a warm caress, I want to lean in closer and inhale some more.

"I acted out of impulse. I just got so fucking mad when I saw her. Did you know she was in this city?"

"Yes," he answers.

"Oh."

I wait for him to continue, and he doesn't. We continue standing there even as I am getting chilly. But this is an important moment.

"She is in hospital. She had an emergency procedure."

"Why?"

He chuckles. "You shoved her face in the sand, demon child."

I grin a little in pride.

"I saw the video," he says with a small smile.

"Video?"

"Online. It was taken down before too many people saw it," he says.

That sobers me instantly. I forgot people pull their phones for everything. How did I not consider that wouldn’t happen? I just hope my parents don’t see it.

"It's contained," he reassures me.

"How were the charges dropped, Harvey?"

He keeps my gaze. "I told her to."

"Oh." My mouth hangs open. "How?"

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