Page 43 of Renegade

It had to be.

I thanked them and went back inside, stopping to grab two beers from the fridge on my way. I was only going to take a couple of sips—just enough to keep me relaxed. If Elizabeth suspected something, the last thing I needed was to look like a guy with the answers.Fucking David. Leaving me to deal with his shit.

Elizabeth took a sip from her beer and then placed it on a coaster, all while seemingly lost in thought.

I watched her closely, looking for any signs that she knew who was behind the break-in. If she suspected her best friend, then she was certainly hiding it well.

“Elizabeth, are you okay?”

She jumped again and looked over at me, “Yeah, just trying to figure out who would’ve done this and why.”

I took a small swig of beer. “Yeah, it’s not normal by any stretch of the imagination. It’s like it was done just to prove they could get in, unless something scared them off.”

She nodded and then immediately broke down crying. I pulled her up against my chest and took a deep breath. I was immediately assaulted with a memory of Charlotte. I met her once, but it was like her scent was on Elizabeth.

That might’ve been scarier than the fact that someone broke into her house.

I tried reassuring her. “Hey now, it’s going to be fine. David’s going to be here in the next couple of hours. Just relax; you’ve been so strong dealing with this.” She placed her head on my shoulder and there it was again; I could almost see her face in my mind.

I closed my eyes and imagined she was there. I ran my hands up and down her back, certain I could feel the green satin against my palm.

She leaned in closer to me and inhaled deeply. And, with that, came the realization that this was not Charlotte. It was Elizabeth and we were closer than would be considered appropriate by anyone with eyes. The tears came back full force and she buried her face against my neck.

“Why don’t you go try to get some sleep and I’ll stay on the couch until David gets in.”

She nodded and stood up, “Thanks, Mike."

I gave her a small smile and she went into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. I hadn’t thought of Charlotte in years and tonight, of all nights, my brain decided to reintroduce me? I damn near groped Elizabeth, imagining she was some chick I met on the beach a few years ago. I had to be losing my fucking mind.

I settled back against the couch cushions and closed my eyes just as the sound of retching came from the master bedroom. I jumped up and ran in to find Elizabeth laying with her face against the porcelain toilet seat.

I wet a hand towel down and held it to her forehead. “You’ve had an incredibly stressful evening and now you’re sick? —you poor thing.”

She managed a weak smile, “Pretty sure you would’ve preferred to spend your evening in a more relaxing manner.”

“Not when my best friend’s wife is in trouble. Let’s get you into bed.” It really was the only fair thing to do. God knew she’d picked my drunk ass up off the floor dozens of times over the years. I helped her up and into bed before going back to the couch.

I dozed on and off until David got home an hour later.

“Is she okay?” His face was a barely contained mask of fury.

I sat up and cracked my neck. “She’s okay. I boarded up the window. I can swing by tomorrow and help you get a new one installed.”

He nodded and stared into the fireplace. “Any ideas on who could’ve done this?”

I sighed. “Well, it’s looking like it was someone who knows one of you. My best guess? It was Jess. The only thing taken was a wedding picture—that seems pretty telling.”

His jaw tightened. “Did you share your theory with Beth?”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t have a death wish. It was just my two cents, man. Take it for what it’s worth.”

He frowned again. “It wasn’t Jess.”

“How can you be so sure, David? You don’t know how these things work sometimes. I’m telling you—you played with fire—”

He cut me off. “Jess was with me in Amarillo.”

I actually laughed out loud. “She was in Amarillo with you. Well, why wouldn’t she be with you? That’s your thing now, I guess. So, you told me all that shit last night as a way to clear your conscience?”

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