Page 106 of Space Oddities

The woman officer throws me a quizzical look as she inserts the cell door’s key. “That’s an odd expression for someone leaving jail.” The bars slide open with a bang.

I step out, raising my arms for her to cuff. “I’m only trading one jail for another in Georgia.”

Instead of unhooking the cuffs from her belt and snapping them over my wrists, like I thought she would, Officer Lydia’s hand clamps down on my shoulder and she steers me down the hall. “Rose mentioned you were a writer, but I didn’t think anyone could be more dramatic thanthatBarbie doll.” She sounds disgusted, but her lips are tilted in a smile.

I stumble slightly, my legs stiff from sitting for so long. “What do you mean?”

She steadies me and helps me the rest of the way down the hall. “You’re not being extradited.” She opens the door, where a familiar gentleman in a suit stands next to Rose, now wearing an LCPD T-shirt. “The warrant against you was revoked. You’re free to go.”

I stop, her words not computing. “I’m… free?”

“T.D.!” Rose bounds over, leftover body glitter catching the morning light. “You ready to go?”

Still, I don’t move.

“T.D.?” Rose grabs my arm and shuffles me into the room. “Are you in shock? You don’t seem to understand that we can go.”

Confused, scared, and cold, I can’t help but snap, “Then would you be so kind as to explain how that’s possible?”

Rose blinks. “Ah, yeah, sure.” She looks over her shoulder to her lawyer. “Give us a sec, will you?”

He heaves a long-suffering sigh. “I’ll just finish up the paperwork while you ladies talk.” He heads over to Officer Lydia, now standing behind a desk with a small stack of papers.

It dawns on me where I know him from. He’s the guy who came when Rose was arrested at Boondoggles a few weeks ago.

“Your lawyer got me out of jail? What about the felony charges?”

Rose nods, leading me over to a sitting area. “My lawyers handled the paperwork, sure, but Ian got you out of jail.”

I sit. Thankfully, there’s a hard wooden chair behind me when I do. “Ian?”

Rose sits next to me. “Yep. He even took care of the felony charge. Had the warrant revoked.”

“But... when…” I press my palm into my eyes, hoping to wake up my brain. “Howis that possible?”

She shrugs. “Not sure. All I know was that he was in Georgia when you were arrested, and he took the first flight out.”

“Flight?” My voice cracks.

“Yeah, and now he’s yelling at some other lawyer named Mitchell about taking too long and how many zeros he’s adding to the lawsuit.” She tilts her head, sending more body glitter drifting down to her black T-shirt. “Though evenIdon’t understand that bit.”

I thought I was cold before, but apparently that was nothing to the ice now clawing through my veins.

“Dude.” Rose leans forward, scanning my expression. “You don’t look so good, T.D. And that’s taking into account you just spent the night in jail.” Rose wraps an arm around me and hugs me. “You and Ian both. I’ve never seen Ian look less Captain-America-y than he does right now.” Another shrug. “But I guess that’s what a red-eye flight will do to you.”

“Where is she?” Rose and I turn to see the disheveled Captain America storming inside, glaring at Rose’s lawyer. “What’s taking so long?”

Looking at him, with his greasy blond hair sticking off in different directions, his beard heavier than I’ve ever seen it, and his gray T-shirt wrinkled and sweat-stained, all the emotions I’ve been repressing since the arrest, heck, since I started running from the law all those years ago, come rushing to the surface. “Ian?” I stand.

He whips his head in my direction.

“Ian?” I repeat, all other words failing me.

Wordlessly he rushes over, pulling me in tight again his body.

He stinks. It smells great.

“I got here as soon as I could.” He pulls back, his hands moving up to cradle my face, searching my eyes. “Are you okay?”

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