Page 94 of A First Sight

After reaching my place, we hurried inside the lobby without talking to the guard.

As we rode up the elevator, I watched her, noticing every wince and grimace. She said the x-rays didn’t show cracked or broken bones, but she was hurting.

Once inside, the last weight dropped from her shoulders, and she staggered. I put my arm around her and led her to the couch. Then I tucked a blanket around her and poured her a glass of wine. By the time I sat next to her with a scotch for me, she seemed relaxed.

“I need to call Carson and London,” she said, digging in her purse.

“You make the calls. I’ll go order dinner.” I got up, cupped her face, and smiled, my heart hurting. She didn’t deserve this shit-show of a life Dale was causing.

When I went to my office computer to put in the order, my phone rang. I expected it to be Uncle Ben asking about my abrupt departure from work. I answered without looking at the screen.

“Hello?”

“Drake, it’s Carson.”

I blinked. “Oh. Maggie wanted to call you.”

“We just got off the phone. I thought this would be a good time.”

I leaned against my desk. “Is something wrong?”

“Dale Leighton.”

I gritted my teeth. “Aye. Heisa problem.”

“We’re all going to press charges.” Carson continued. “Can I count on you to do the same with the vandalism to your car?”

“Absolutely,” I said. “Anything that can be traced to Dale. I want that fucker buried.”

"I'm with you." Carson’s voice was dark. “I hate this. I didn’t see it. Everyone is asking how we could’ve missed it, but I’m the most to blame. I live here and see her all the time. I should’ve known something was wrong.”

I didn’t argue with him. When it comes to hindsight…well, we all know it’s twenty-twenty.

“The main reason I called was to ask you to take care of Maggie. She needs your help. Again, can I count on you?”

I answered truthfully. “Yes, absolutely. I care for your sister, and I’ll do everything to keep her safe.”

Okay, maybe I was hiding a bit of the truth. I didn’t merelycarefor Maggie.

I loved her.

SIXTY-NINE

MAGGIE

Drake seemed worried.Over dinner, he told me Carson had called him, but we didn’t discuss details. Drake brought the wine bottle to the table. He refilled my glass and asked how I was handling all this. I didn’t want to talk about Dale, have him ruin our time together. He rubbed my shoulder, and I tipped my head to rest my cheek on his hand.

“I’m glad I’m here with you, Drake.” Closing my eyes, I could feel the warmth of him standing behind me. “I’d be lost without you.”

He kissed the top of my head and squeezed my shoulder. “Let’s take our wine and finish it in the living room. Listen to some easy jazz and relax on the couch. We can leave the dishes for the housekeeper.”

“That sounds like heaven.” Cuddling on the couch with Drake was better than any medicine the doctor recommended.

We’d almost finished the wine when my phone rang. It was the police station.

“Maggie McCrae?” a familiar male voice asked. “It’s Detective Kozuch.”

I put the phone on speaker. “How can I help you, Detective?”

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