“You, too.”
I had made it to the door when he cleared his throat. “Wouldn’t it be funny if my brother and your father ended up being cellmates?”
My heartbeat slowed. This was him saying he knew who I was. What family I came from.
I glanced over my shoulder. “God has that kind of humor.”
When Harley and I settled in the F-150, my shoulders ached like they did after a full day of yard work. Leaving the monastery always had me on edge because I didn’t like the secular world, but what’d just gone down was . . . I was ready to get back to Saint James.
“Did you grow up here?” I asked as I pulled into traffic on Velvet Drive. The way she had her bare feet propped up on the dashboard made me smile. She obviously felt comfortable. Safe.
“No, I’m from the mainland. I grew up in an RV. My parents and I traveled a lot because they were in a band and always on tour, so no place or state was really home. I moved here three years ago because I wanted to settle down somewhere, and Darkwater Refuge has it all: beautiful beaches, shopping,delicious food, exciting hiking trails. And . . . I needed a new beginning.”
Skyscrapers and the occasional palm tree defying the concrete rolled by, and we once again passed the headquarters of Lincoln Grady Distillery. Keaton’s ice-gray Porsche was parked in front of the luxurious glass tower. He sometimes came up to Saint James, and we talked for hours. Baptizing him a couple of months ago after he’d turned his back on his secular life had been one of the best moments of my life.
I glanced over at Harley. “A band?”
“Yeah, kinda like ABBA, but Christian. They were actually quite popular. I loved hanging out backstage.”
“Sounds exciting for a kid.”
“It was. Lonely, too. I had no siblings, and as soon as I made friends, we moved on.”
I’d never had a lot of friends either, mainly because I was an awkward kid. The perfect target for bullies. “Did you find your new beginning when you moved here?”
“I guess.” She let out a mirthless chuckle. “Just not the one I wanted.”
“What kind did you want?”
“I don’t know. One where I don’t end up falling for the wrong guy. Seems to be my specialty.”
The frustration in her tone hit me unexpectedly. How had a woman like her ended up with a guy like her ex? Those five minutes in Harley’s kitchen had been enough to figure out he wasn’t good for her. Rome’s reaction wasn’t exactly confidence inspiring either.
A police cruiser following us caught my eye in the rearview. It tailed us several blocks, then the emergency lights flashed along with a shortwhoopfrom the siren.
“Seriously?” Harley huffed. “We didn’t do anything wrong. I bet this has to do with Craig.”
I pulled over, stopping along the sidewalk bustling with tourists and business people. Then I let down the window and placed my hands on the leather steering wheel where they were visible. Half a minute later, a short African American woman wearing a DRPD uniform stepped up.
“Hello, sir. I’m Officer Moore of the Darkwater Refuge Police Department. It has been reported that you are armed. I need you to step out of the vehicle so I can conduct a search.”
Harley jolted upright in her seat. “What? He’s a monk, for Pete’s sake. Are you going to arrest him for wearing the armor of God?”
Stifling a grin, I unbuckled my seatbelt with one hand while keeping the other in the air.
“Place the right hand on your head, the left behind your back.” Officer Moore opened the door. “Face away from me and step out of the vehicle.”
“Tell Craig he can’t do this!” Harley unbuckled and opened her door.
“Ma’am, I need you to stay in the vehicle!” Officer Moore barked.
Harley dropped a couple very unladylike words, but slumped back into her seat.
I complied and climbed backwards out of the F-150.
“There you go. Put your other hand behind your back.” Cuffs clicked around my wrists, digging into my flesh. “I need you to walk to the back of the vehicle, Mr. Grady.”
Not the least bit surprised that she knew my name without having seen my driver’s license, I did as told. Headed to the rear of the pickup with Officer Moore trailing me. A dashboard camera was mounted in the cruiser, no doubt filming us.