Page 9 of Tangled in Vows

Chapter 3

Holden

Day 30 without you: I don’t regret my actions, but I miss your smart mouth more than I thought I would.

Detective O’Neal nods to his officers in the foyer. “Take him down to the car. I’ll be right there.” He leans against the doorway that opens up to the vaulted living room. “I thought I wouldn’t hear from you or Phoenix for a while after what happened, yet here we are. New woman, new trouble, huh?”

You can’t kill him.

You cannot kill him.

“Are you trying to piss me off?” I raise my brows and fold my arms over my chest.

Okay, maybe I take a threatening step toward him too.

Just a tiny one. If I’m not allowed to rage the way I want to, I might as well have some fun.

Sue me.

His shoulders drop, and he holds up his hands. “Not at all. I was just hoping you wouldn’t need me again, for your guys’ sake.”

“Well, that makes two of us. Trust me, it wasn’t my idea for some asshole to break into Olivia’s condo with a long list of sick fantasies to act out.”

Just thinking about what could have happened if I hadn’t been here has me seeing red.

You still can’t take your anger out on the cop.

We’re supposed to be good, remember?

You told Olivia there wouldn’t be a murder in her home.

And no, you can’t punch a hole in the pristine white wall either.

O’Neal tips his head. “Fair enough. I’ll see what I can get out of him. Especially since this building is supposed to be well-guarded, meaning he might have had help.”

My blood boils at his comment. A lot of people will lose their jobs after tonight. I have no patience for carelessness. “Keep me updated?”

“Of course.”

A loud bark from upstairs breaks the tension, and the detective tilts his head toward the door. “I’m out of here. You’re sure you don’t want any of my men to stay?”

“I don’t mind extra eyes outside the door or in the garage, but no one will stay inside her home.”

I already feel stabby enough without more men sniffing around Olivia.

The corner of his mouth twitches. “How do you know Miss Parker again?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “I didn’t say how.”

“Right.”

He laughs like we just shared a joke, and I’m ready to show him out of the condo. Forcefully.

“Didn’t you say you were going to leave?”

He tips an imaginary hat. “Always great seeing you, Holden. I’ll be in touch.”

The second he crosses the threshold, I grunt and shut the door behind him. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to check the message.

---