Page 24 of Love Me Fierce

At the car, I give him an apple for a snack then queue up his favorite Kid’s Bop playlist. While I drive, my mind drifts to the part time job I applied for yesterday with a geology professor at Bitterroot Community College. He’s got a year of lab results to organize and the pay is almost too good to be true.

When I turn into The Meadows, I’m so deep inside a daydream of Matty and I stepping off a plane in Germany that it takes me a moment to realize something’s not right.

Why is a Finn River Sheriff’s Department SUV parked in front of my unit?

As I cruise to a stop next to my trailer, Everett steps out and walks toward me.

My heart does a fluttery leap into my throat.

Earlier today, he was a big tough cop who treated his son with kindness. A hot single dad withhandcuffs.

Here in my driveway, his serious eyes and calm strength are giving me a totally different vibe.

A caring one.

Why is he here? Has something bad happened?

My mind floods with questions but I focus on helping Mateo gather his things. He jumps down just as Everett joins us, his hands on his hips.

Mateo freezes.

“Mateo, this is Deputy Rumsey,” I say, shutting the car door behind him. “Do you remember him from that time we were driving in the snowstorm?”

“I made yellow snow!” Mateo cackles.

Everett squats down, so he’s level with Matty, and smiles. “Hey, Mateo.” He nods at the toy tape measure he must have grabbed from the seat pocket on his way out of the car. “What do you got there?”

Mateo’s mouth crimps into a look of concentration. “My tape measure.”

Everett reaches to his chest and turns down the knob of his radio, the motion highlighting the lean muscles in his arms. “Cool. Do you like to measure things?”

“The biggest diamond is ten point one centimeters wide.” He sets his art project on the ground and pulls the tape from the housing to show Everett the markings filled with facts.

Everett gives him an encouraging nod. “Wow. I didn’t know that.”

Matty glances up at me, his eyes curious. Mateo doesn’t have the same reaction to cops as I do. He still thinks his dad is a hero, and by extension, that all cops are good guys.

“Your mom needs to go inside your place for a few minutes,” Everett says to Matty. “Think you can hang with me out here? We could put that tape measure to use.”

“Okay!” he says.

I glance past Everett to my front door. It’s not ajar, but the seam isn’t flush, and there’s something off about thedoorplate.

Oh shit.

This is why he’s here. Someone broke into my trailer.

“Your neighbor noticed the doorjamb tampered with and called it in,” Everett says in a low tone.

I glance at Mrs. Ovenell’s unit across from me, but she’s not at her window. At the next unit down, Mr. Graham is outside walking his Bichon Frise but he keeps glancing our way. Was he the one who called the police?

“Can you go have a look around, catalogue what’s missing?” Everett says, standing. “The crime scene tech is on his way. Try to leave things as they are if you can.”

I shoot him a look.Leave things as they are?Is he being vague so Matty doesn’t get worried, or is this way of preparing me for what I’m about to see?

This is all happening too fast. Not just the news that I am the victim of some kind of crime, but that he’s occupying Mateo while I deal with it.

Telling him I don’t need his help is on the tip of my tongue, but it’s too late for that. And though he’s not given me any reason to distrust him with Mateo, that I don’t have a choice in the matter is testing my capacity.

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