Page 92 of The Luminosity of Loriana Harper

His felt cold in comparison to hers.

“Thank you. I enjoyed tonight.” Then he went out the door.

Loriana doubted his statement, but wasn’t going to argue. She owed him an apology. Pretty much, at this point, she owed everyone an apology.

Zach held up his phone. “Arnav was just settling in for the night with a hot toddy. He hadn’t sipped it yet, so he put it in the fridge and has headed out for the detachment.” He tucked his phone into his back pocket. “I have no idea how long it’ll take.”

“But he’ll advise Mitch?”

“Yeah.”

“How much is that going to cost?”

Zach set his jaw. “Tonight’s a favor he owes me. If Mitch needs more, he’ll have to cough up some cash.”

Loriana didn’t know the specifics of Mitch’s current financial situation, but she knew he preferred to eat in so he could save money. That didn’t bode well for finding money to pay an attorney. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Are you an alibi?”

“I tried to be.”

His eyes narrowed. “You didn’t lie, did you?”

“No, Mr. Prosecutor, I didn’t. Was tempted to, but didn’t.” She sighed. “I mean, maybe there’s video from his condo. I don’t think he left the whole time.”

“But undoubtedly there are ways to sneak in and out without being seen. Mission City isn’t a high-crime area. Even if there are cameras, chances are they don’t cover everything.”

“You’re not helping.”

“Do you want me to be anything less than brutally honest?”

God, he knows me well.They’d never gone out—he was around ten years her junior, and she’d been his librarian—but they’d interacted a few times since he’d come back from law school with a shiny degree and a driving need to put criminals behind bars. Whether that was driven by losing his sister at such a young age, or because he wanted to see justice done, his drive was formidable.

I hope he never turns on me.

Her phone buzzed with an incoming call.

Zach indicated she should answer.

“Hello?”

“Loriana? It’s Tristan. I just wanted to let you know Marnie is home safe. I’m going to drive Owen back. Should we come in, or just go home?”

Weariness and fatigue hit her—and hit her hard. “It’s up to you.”

“Well, I think everyone’s had enough excitement for one night. We’ll just head home.”

She gave out a little laugh. “You’re right, Tristan. Thanks for coming tonight. Thank Owen as well.”

“Yeah. Come by the store and I’ll give you a drink. Take care.”

“You too, Tristan.”

She disconnected the call and gave Zach a long, level look. “Ten years is a long time.”

Zach growled, low in his throat.

“Seriously. And Marcus wasn’t even driving.”

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