Page 6 of Crossroads of Innocence
“Friends?” she asked, her full lips turning down. “You said you wanted me to call the police.”
“I’ve got a lot of friends ’round here. Things have changed since you’ve been gone. I don’t run from the cops after throwing toilet paper in every tree in the Crawleys’ front yard. I consider most of the officers on the Pine Valley Police Department close friends now, not to mention some new folks in town with more experience with this kind of stuff then you’d think possible.”
Her entire body tightened, and she took a step away. “No matter how good of buddies you are with these cops, they’ll notify the authorities in Mill Harbor I’m here. I can’t risk it.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what the proper protocol is, but I know Cruz and Lincoln will do what’s right.”
Uncertainty danced in her eyes. Time might have passed, but he still could read her like a damn book. She wanted to bolt, and if she did, there was no telling what would happen.
Needing a new plan, he struggled to come up with an alternative. “What if we spoke with someone you trust first?”
“You’re the only one I trust.” She sighed, exasperation clear on every rigid line of her body.
“What about Chet?”
The V between her light brows deepened. “What about him?”
“He was a cop. He’s downstairs now. He could pop up here and you can lay out everything. Get his take. Maybe he’ll have another idea. If nothing else, he’ll understand how things work.”
Shifting her weight, she twirled a finger along the end of her ponytail. “Chet was a police officer? Man, I’d be terrified if someone as intimidating as Chet pulled me over. Why’d he stop?”
The truth of what had forced Chet to quit a job he’d once loved twisted Wade’s gut, and he turned away and crossed the room to the sink before Jude could decipher any reaction. “He quit after his wife and daughter were killed. Do you want some water?” He asked, not wanting to dive into the hell their friend had lived through.
Wincing, she dropped her gaze to the floor. “Sure.”
Something changed in her voice and she met him in the kitchen, waiting for him to fill a glass from the faucet before sitting at the table. “Thanks.”
He settled in the chair across from her and took a long sip of cold water. “What do you think? Can I ask Chet to come up?”
She cradled her hands around the clear glass and blew out a long breath. “Sure. I trust Chet. And I’ve missed him. It’ll be good to see him, no matter how messed up the reason.”
Her words made the muscles in his stomach clench. She’d told him she trustedhim, ran back tohimwhen she had nowhere left to turn, but she’d never said she missedhim. He beat back the ridiculous jealousy and plucked out his phone from the front pocket of his jeans then glanced at the time. “He’s working the bar. I’ll shoot Chet a text and ask him to come up when things die down.” Closing time was just around the corner. He’d tell Chet to let the servers know they could cash out and he’d see to everything else once everyone left.
“Okay,” she said, then took a sip of water.
He sent the message then drummed his fingers against the top of the table, unsure of what to do while they waited. Jude had already confided what led her to his doorstep, and the one thing he wanted to discuss sat like lead at the back of his throat.
Coughing, he stood. Space. That’s what he needed. He couldn’t just sit across from Jude and pretend like everything was normal. “Hungry? I could make you something.”
She scrunched her nose. “Not really.”
A soft knock drew his attention to the front of the room.
“Is that Chet already?”
He shrugged and hurried to the door. Maybe things had slowed down since he’d been upstairs. He swung open the door and came face-to-face with the big blue eyes and blond hair he’d been tiptoeing around for months. He skirted out to the hallway and blocked Summer’s view inside. The last thing Jude needed was for the biggest gossip in town to find her in his apartment.
* * *
Jude caughta brief glimpse of the gorgeous blond woman from the bar before Wade disappeared into the hall and closed the door. The urge to dash across the room and plaster her ear to the thin wood had her scooping Macey off the floor instead and settling the dog on her lap. “He can talk to anyone he wants. He’s not my boyfriend anymore and hasn’t been for a very long time.”
Macey stared up with her big brown eyes as if she understood all the turmoil boiling in Jude’s gut.
Sighing, Jude scratched behind the pup’s furry ears. Nervous energy swirled inside her, and she tapped her toe against the floor. Time ticked by with excruciating slowness.
Wade swept back inside and offered her a tight smile. “Sorry about that.”
Feigning indifference, she shrugged. “No problem.”
