Page 5 of Crossroads of Innocence
She shook her head and cleared her throat. “He tried to strangle me. I got away, but not before he punched me. I was in shock—in denial really. I rode awhile before heading to the police station to report everything. That’s when I saw him. Standing by the front door with a group of officers. Laughing. He looked up and saw me then gave chase. Said he knew I killed that man by the lake. That I had something to do with his death. I didn’t even know what the hell he was talking about. I just ran, and I haven’t stopped running since.”
Wade worked his jaw back and forth, agitation twitching the muscles at his temple. “Can I see the photos?”
She unzipped her bag and pulled out her most prized possession, fiddling with some buttons until the pictures littered the small screen.
Wade crossed the room and stood beside her, the heat of his body enough to turn down her nerves a few notches. She had to stop herself from leaning her head on his shoulder as he studied the scene she’d captured on camera.
“And you’re sure one of the men in this picture was killed?”
She let her head fall forward, her camera left to dangle at her side. “The next day the guy’s face was splashed across the news. He’s dead, and I have a picture of the last known person to see him alive. I have the evidence, and clearly someone is willing to go through a hell of a lot to get it back.”
“Okay,” Wade said. “But one bad cop can’t turn an entire police force against you. Can’t keep the honest officers from coming to your aid.”
A sob caught in her throat. She’d gone through the same thoughts a hundred times. “How am I supposed to know who’s good and who’s bad? Who’ll help and who’ll finish what they started? Besides, once news about that man’s death hit, there was no way I could trust anyone—could convince anyone to believe me.”
His frown deepened into a scowl. “Why not?”
“Didn’t you talk to the detective?” she asked, throwing up her hands, the strap of her camera slapping the air. “Didn’t you ask why he was here, looking for me?”
“I was a little overwhelmed when he showed up flashing your picture. He didn’t give me any details, and I didn’t ask. I was trying too hard to keep my shit together. So just tell me what I need to know.”
She swallowed the bile creeping up her throat. “He pinned the guy’s death on me. Back in Mill Harbor, I’m wanted for murder.”
3
Disbelief dropped Wade’s jaw, and he lowered into a chair at the two-person table in the kitchen. He propped his elbow on the hard wood and used the tips of his fingers to keep his head upright. If his mind raced before, his brain threatened to spin right out of his ears now. “This is definitely not how I saw this conversation going.”
Jude shoved her camera in her bag then swung the pack onto her back. “I get it. Showing up after so long isn’t fair. I shouldn’t have come here. Shouldn’t have asked you to help. I’m putting you in a bad position. I’ll figure something else out.”
She made three strides toward the door before he was back on his feet, closing the distance between them. He grabbed her hand, spinning her around to face him. Electricity shot up his arm, kickstarting his heart and making his palms sweat. “Sorry. This is a lot to digest,” he said, dropping her hand. Touching her was a horrible idea. No way he could keep his wits about him if his body hummed with anticipation and longing.
“I understand. I threw a lot at you.”
He snorted. “Ya think?”
She offered a half-smile as Macey trotted to her side and nestled against her legs. “I can leave. I don’t deserve your hospitality or your help.”
He wanted to agree, but he couldn’t force the words from his cotton-coated mouth. She’d broken his heart and turned his entire world upside down, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t lend a hand. Couldn’t show kindness and empathy, even if it killed him to stand in the same room as her and not demand to know why she’d left in the first place.
Refusing to get tangled in the past, he focused on the current problem. He had no experience in law enforcement or criminal investigations, but he was friends with plenty of people who did. “You need to call the police.”
“No. I already told you. That’s not an option.” Defiant as ever, she crossed her arms over her chest.
“How do you expect to get out of this mess?” He shoved his hand through his hair. “You think that detective will give up on finding you? If he chased you down here—came to your hometown to ask your old friends and family about you—he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. He’s proven you can’t run. Can’t hide. And I can’t keep you safe by locking you away in my apartment forever.”
Tears filled her eyes and her bottom lip trembled.
Well, hell.
Unable to resist, he pulled her in close for a hug. The familiar scent of lavender and vanilla slammed against him, bringing with it a hundred different memories of the girl he used to love. He gritted his teeth, determined to comfort her and nothing more. “I know you’re scared. I want to help. But I can’t do that on my own.”
She relaxed against him. “I don’t know who I can trust.”
Keeping one arm looped around the curve of her spine, he pulled back to see her face. “You trust me, right?”
Nibbling her bottom lip, she nodded.
Her admission was a double punch to the gut. If she trusted him so damn much, why hadn’t she confided in him years ago, let him help with whatever had driven her away? “Then you need to let me call my friends. This situation is bad, and it could get worse if we can’t find a way to set the record straight.”
