Page 80 of Catch
Link gave me a steady look, his tone calm and reassuring. “Miles told me on the way here that if he ended up in jail, I should take you home.”
Home.
The word hit me like a lifeline, grounding me in its simplicity and promise. I knew exactly what he meant, and my chesttightened with a mix of relief and dread. I nodded, my throat too tight for words, and hurried to pack a few essentials. A change of clothes, my phone, and a handful of personal items shoved into a bag.
Linc guided me to a small car that he’d somehow wrangled into the VIP lot. I climbed in beside him, immediately smelling the old coffee and wished I had a whole carafe to sip from. As we pulled away, the amphitheater lights faded into the distance.
The hours it took to drive back to Miles’ house were quiet, and the weight of everything pressed down heavily on my heart. My phone buzzed constantly with calls and messages, but I ignored them all, except to check for news on Miles.
When we finally pulled into the long, familiar driveway, a thought hit me. “Sam said he’d leak my location. If he does, the media will know where I am. It won’t be safe here.”
Linc’s expression hardened. “I’ll stand watch out by the main road. Sam can’t afford the fallout of making that threat a reality. But just in case, I won’t go anywhere until Miles gets home.”
I wanted to believe him, so I nodded, giving him a quick hug before stepping out of the truck and walking toward the kitchen door.
Inside, the house was just as I’d left it. The guitar sat in the living room beside my lyrics, which were now neatly piled into a short stack. There was also a cluster of crocheted necklaces that Miles and I had made lying next to them. I slipped one over my head, letting the memory of those peaceful moments settle me.
By the time I made it to his room, exhaustion had consumed me. I peeled off my stage clothes piece by piece, the shower washing away the night’s chaos. Wrapped in one of Miles’s shirts, I climbed into his unmade bed.
The calls had stopped. The sun was rising, casting a warm glow across the room and for the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself relax, knowing I was safe.
Chapter Forty-Seven
MILES
“How comeI knew I’d be getting your ass out of jail?” Captain Sullivan asked as we walked out of the police station in Chattanooga.
I grinned, but the weight of the night lingered in my shoulders. “You know me too well, Captain.”
My one phone call had gone to Linc—not to bail me out, but to check on Loxley. He’d dropped her off safely at my house and was now camped out in his truck at the end of my driveway, keeping an eye out to make sure no one found her. I’d also asked him to call someone to come get me out of the mess I was in and I honestly thought he’d call West. But no, instead he called Captain Sullivan.
And while I was grateful the captain had driven all the way up to Chattanooga and somehow convinced the station to let me go without charges, I knew the drive home was going to be long. He’d been holding back by suspending me for a week, but now? Now, I was going to get a lecture that would make Gramps’ talks feel like child’s play.
And I deserved it.
I’d lied to him. Wasted his time. Wasted his assets.
In hindsight, if I’d been honest with him from the start, he probably would’ve had my back. Hell, he might’ve even helped me hide Loxley. But I didn’t give him that chance, and now I was paying for it as he kept repeating the same words:
"You're a damn good officer, Miles, but you can’t just pick and choose when to uphold the law and when to toss it aside. You’re supposed to set an example, not become part of the chaos. How do you expect people to respect the law if you treat it like a suggestion? Next time, I might not be able to bail you out. I might not want to, either.”
When we pulled up to my driveway, Linc was still there, his small Honda parked under the canopy of trees. Captain Sullivan gave me a stern look before I got out and then gruffed. “You tell that boy to take the day off and rest. I’ll have other units keep on watch in case anyone rolls into town looking for trouble.”
“Will do, Captain. Thanks for everything.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” he muttered. “Just keep your nose clean, Miles.”
I stepped out of the car and walked over to Linc’s driver-side window. He was leaning back in his seat, arms crossed, and as soon as he saw me, he started laughing.
“Man, you look like shit,” he said, shaking his head.
“Yeah? Well, I feel like a million bucks.”
“A million bucks isn’t much these days.”
“That’s fair,” I chuckled, punching his shoulder lightly. “Still true, though. Won’t feel like a billion until I’ve had a shower and climbed into bed next to my girl.”
His eyebrows shot up, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Still wild hearing you call Loxley Adams, your girl.”
