Page 58 of I Do With You

“Leeson told Eli that he’d bring him in, but I haven’t seen them. His daddy went storming out of here about two hours ago, though.”

Shepherd comes up behind Jim, his face buried in his phone as he says, “Word is, they’re at the hospital in Glendale, getting Roy’s nose checked out. You totally broke it.” He comes forward to fist-bump me through the bars, but I show him my handcuffs.

“Gravity checks don’t work as well if you can put your hands out,” I explain, and I watch realization dawn on Jim’s face.

“You okay, son?” he says, low and hard. He makes it clear my answer is important to him.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just ready to get out of here and back to Hope. Is she all right?”

Shepherd answers, “She’s spiraling. Short version—she told Roy off, chased after you, broke down in tears, filled us in on what happened, proclaimed her undying love for you, and then declared that she wasmarching down here to rescue you and nobody could stop her. We barely managed to hold her off by coming ourselves. Mostly because she would’ve come in guns a’blazing and gotten herself arrested too. Would’ve been right there, tapping her toe and demanding to speak to Judge Silverthorn herself.” He points to the bench, looking downright giddy at that imagery. I think he probably wishes he could’ve seen that.

Wait. Did he say ... Hope loves me?

There’s no way that’s what she said. We only met days ago, and she’s been through so much. I know there’s something huge and intense between us, but she’s not a woman who throws around her heart that easily. And more importantly, she wouldn’t entrust someone like me with it for anything more than a rebound.

That’s what she called it. Called me. And I can be that for her. Or a vacation fling, if she still wants to come to California.

But I’d sure as fuck like to be more. A lot more. I’d love to be her everything.

Confessions of a sinner, unworthy, unloved, abused. Never enough for anyone. Until you.

“She said ...?” I question, wanting to be sure I didn’t imagine that.

Jim clears his throat and glares at Shepherd, backhanding him in the gut. “That’s between the two of you. Shut up, son.” And then he looks around, getting back to the business at hand. “Let me find someone to get you out of here.” Cupping his hand to his mouth, he bellows, “Hellooooo?”

A door opens somewhere, and then Deputy Eli reappears. “Can I help you?” he asks Jim, who lifts his brows sharply and points at me with a dead stare.

“Yeah, you can let him out. Now.”

Eli sighs, holding his hands out wide. “Jim, I wish I could. But the sheriff said to hold him the full twenty-four.”

Shepherd holds up his phone, waving it back and forth tauntingly. From what I can see, it’s a frozen image of the place where Hope and I had lunch. “Might want to check in on that order because the wholetown’s seen Roy start that shit. If word gets out that you’re holding a tourist on falsified charges to hide the fact that the sheriff’swittle baby boyhas anger management issues that seem to come straight from his daddy’s teat, given he stone-cold tripped my friend here, well ... I’d hate to have my name attached to that lawsuit.” Snapping his fingers like he just remembered something, he adds, “Hey, Ben, didn’t you say you’ve got some fancy-schmancy LA lawyer that handles your business stuff?”

I said no such thing. Shepherd’s making shit up on the fly, including a big assumption that if I’m a business consultant, I must have a lawyer. Although the truth is, I do have one who reviews contracts for me. Like the one with AMM Records, which he assured me was a standard contract that needed no addendums, changes, or pushback. I believed him then. I don’t now, and wouldn’t hire him to read a magazine for me. He also wouldn’t bother with something like this, but I bet he has a criminal lawyer pal who would. For me, especially.

I don’t think that’s going to be necessary, though, because Deputy Eli looks downright green. “I know,” he hisses, scanning the room like someone might hear him speak out against his boss. “You think I haven’t seen the video? Marcus told me about it before we even got to the station.”

That must’ve been the phone call he took in the car. I wonder how he knows the boat-tour operator, but in small towns, it’s probably a case of everyone knowing everyone or being one degree of Kevin Bacon away from knowing them.

“Yeah, Deputy Eli,” I say conversationally, “how do I go about pressing charges against Roy Laurier for assault? Oh, and of course, Sheriff Laurier, Deputy Leeson, you, and the entirety of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Department for conspiracy to kidnap, false imprisonment, and excessive use of force.” I let every bit of darkness I possess bleed into that threat as I dramatically overstate the severity of everything that’s happened.

“Shit,” he mutters under his breath.

Am I going to do any such thing? No. But I could, which gets me back to the trash-talking. Don’t write checks you can’t cash, and while I don’t want to go to the bank, I will if I have to so that I can get the fuck out of here and back to Hope.

We have some things beyond a trip to California to discuss. Like if she loves me. And what my job actually is, because it’s sure as fuck not business consulting.

I can see the war raging in Eli’s eyes. He doesn’t agree with what the sheriff did or is doing, but he also doesn’t want to lose his job. Finally, his own morals win out. “If I lose my badge for this, I’m coming at you, Barlowe.”

Jim nods tersely, taking that challenge, and offers Eli a handshake. About ten seconds later, I’m free, from the cell and the handcuffs.

“I’m pretty sure my lawyer helped you understand the possible ramifications here, and you did a good job looking out for the department’s—and the sheriff’s—best interests,” I tell Eli as I shake his hand, too, adding a hint of hard asshole to my tone. I was never offered a phone call, but it’ll help him to have a cover story if shit hits the fan with Laurier.

We walk straight out the front door, and I take a big breath of fresh air. I’ve never been outdoorsy, but I’m feeling like outside is exactly where I want to be. A bit of sunshine, freedom, and a woman I need to see ... right now.

“You really gonna do any of that?” Jim asks me, his eyes narrowed as he takes my measure.

“What? Sue?” I clarify. When he nods, I say, “No, just offering a different perspective for Deputy Eli.”

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