Page 29 of Never Trust the Living (Battle Crows MC 7)

Yet…

I moved to my truck and opened the passenger side door. Then I yanked open the glove compartment and grabbed the box that’d been sitting there for nearly six months. The ring that I’d been planning on giving to Mimi and hadn’t.

The ring that’d been practically burning a hole in the glove compartment of my truck as I thought about Mimi never wearing it over the last few weeks.

Overall, leaving Mimi had been a good decision.

I loved her, but I didn’t love her like I should love her.

We’d been high school sweethearts and moved into adult lovers. But what we were not, was forever meant to be.

That wasn’t saying that Dory was my forever, either.

But it looked like she was about to sell the lie that she was.

“Look,” I said. “Dory’s the real deal to me. Would I have a ring for her if she weren’t?”

“I just don’t believe it,” Detective Alto snapped. “There’s something going on here.”

Did I also mention that Detective Alto was Mimi’s cousin?

They were close, and it was obvious that Detective Alto had it out for me after breaking Mimi’s heart.

When I’d told Dory about it the day they’d found Amon’s body, she’d said,“Well, that explains the hatred between you two. And somewhat me. But why did he hate me before? Why didn’t he believe what I had to say about Amon previously?”

“You’ll break her even more if you do that,” Alto said stiffly.

I shrugged and shoved the ring into my pocket.

I guess that meant that I would have to head toward Dory’s place now.

We’d have to sell this for real, now.

No more playing and pretending.

What we had to do next would be a game changer.

• • •

DORY

“We’re going to try to make this work,” he said to me. “We’re going to stay married. We’re going to make this a real relationship. We’re going to sell this lie. You on board?”

I was on board with anything that wouldn’t have me seeing the inside of a jail cell.

“Yes.”

He slid the ring that used to be his ex-girlfriend’s onto my finger, then grinned.

“It fits.”

I felt my heart sink. “It fits.”

Some other girl’s ring fit.

Yay for me.

• • •

---