Page 85 of Love Me Fierce

Outside, the autumn chill bites my hot face and neck. A steady breeze has kicked up, shifting the pine boughs in the trees and casting wavy shadows across the pavement.

Zach steps out of his rig. “I’ll dust for prints in the morning,” he says when we meet at the back of Vivian’s Kia.

“Thanks for taking this on,” I say.

He nods. “You doing okay?”

“No,” I say with a scoff. “Someone with malicious intent was in my driveway and I didn’t even know it. That doesn’t sit well with me.”

“I get that.” He grimaces. “Any chance you were the intended target here?”

“Everyone knows what I drive.” I try to soften the bite in my tone with a full breath. “Sorry. You mean like someone hit Vivian’s car to get my attention?”

“You have any recent break-ups?” he asks.

“Not recent.”

Zach arches an eyebrow.

“I don’t really date.”

Zach brings out his notebook and a pen. “Maybe dating is the wrong word?”

“My most recent ended a year and a half ago. Shawna Farrell.”

He gives me a pointed glance. “Didn’t she try to get arrested?”

I run a hand through my hair. “Yeah.”

Zach scribbles in his notebook. “Anyone else?”

I give him a few names, but it’s been a long time since I contacted any of the women on the list.

“Whoever it is,” Zach adds when he’s done writing, “they’re pretty fucking ballsy.”

He’s right. The higher risk of striking at a cop’s house didn’t deter them. “Or nuts.”

“What’s your gut say?” Zach asks.

“It’s not a neighbor. And if it’s retaliation from someone I popped, they’d go for my rig. Or my garage door.” And they’d write “pig” or some other slur. “This has to have something to do with Vivian.”

Those worries I’ve been pushing aside fight to the surface of my thoughts. Are we right back where we started, with her secrets putting us both at risk?

Is there someone else in the picture besides her ex?

Linden’s warning starts flashing in my mind.When are you gonna learn that not every drowning kitten needs saving, bro?

Fuck!

“Who knows that you two are involved?” Zach asks.

I cross my arms and huff a long breath at the sky. “It’s pretty new, and it’s not like I go around sharing that kind of thing,” I say.

Zach flips his notebook shut and tucks it away. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Talk to the neighbors. Follow up on some of these names.”

“Thanks, Zach.”

“Get some rest.” He heads for his rig. Once he’s pulling away, I give him a wave, then return to the house. Inside, I slip off my shoes, then walk into the kitchen for a glass of water, being careful to stay quiet. In the dark of the kitchen, I review the Ring footage on my phone.

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