by M. S. Parker
I would have argued.
But I wanted to see Jal too.
* * *
I’d never been in a police station, and it wasn't something I would look forward to repeating any time soon. The lights were too bright, the floor too white, the noises too harsh and voices too strident.
One girl came through the doors crying, begging the officer who was holding her by the arm to call her mother. In the next breath, she pled with him to please just let her go, she’d only had the one beer.
Of course, if she’d only had that one beer, she wouldn’t have been in this position to begin with. I could tell by the way she was half falling against him that she’d passed only one beer about ten beers ago.
One woman came in, demanding to know where her son was. She was dressed in clothes almost fine enough to rival Diamond’s. When she tried to slap an officer who told her she'd have to wait her turn, I watched as she was restrained.
“Miss Dodds?” The voice was familiar.
The man standing in front of me wasn’t, but I figured out who he was pretty quickly. He was older than I would have expected, black hair going silver at the temples, dark brown eyes, and dimples that had long since deepened to grooves bracketed his mouth as he smiled.
“Mr. Abbott,” I said, rising.
“Call me Adam, please.” He held out a hand.
I shook it, but my focus had already shifted back to Jal. “What’s going on? Have you seen him yet?”
“Currently, we're in the process of me being jerked around out here, and Jal being jerked around in there.” He flashed me a quick smile. “That’s very technical talk, by the way. Make sure you remember it.”
“In legalese, it translates to no, right?” Feeling a little drained and hollow, I fought the urge to drop back down on the bench and just cry. I did sit though. I felt like I'd been through an emotional wringer over the last couple weeks.
He sat with me. “It does indeed translate to no. You might be a natural at this legal talk thing.”
“What’s taking so long? They showed up almost two hours ago. I’ve been here almost an hour.” I didn't try to keep the frustration from my voice.
Adam patted me on the shoulder. “I know it feels like a long time to you, but it’s not. They won’t keep him waiting much longer, but they have to process him and go through all the procedures. You said this was about insider trading, but between you and me, that’s bullshit, because Jal is the most honest person I know. Plus, he’s too competitive to win anyway other than the right way. He wants to know that he can beat everybody just by being smarter and better.”
“He is arrogant,” I said with a soft smile.
“He is,” Adam agreed. “And with good reason.” He rubbed his hands up, then down his face before folding them in his lap. “But insider trading is a big deal. The police will be looking at this the way they look at any crime, crossing all i’s, dotting all t’s.”
“You got it wrong. You dot your i’s and cross your t’s.”
“Right…” The grin he gave me was crooked and warm. “Please excuse me. Part of me is still half asleep, Ms. Dodds.”
I wished I was still half asleep, Jal's lean body wrapped around me.
Looking away, I told myself not to think about it, not to wish or worry or wonder. I'd drive myself crazy that way.
“It will be okay,” Adam said. “I’m a good lawyer, and Jal’s an even better man.”
I nodded.
Then they called his name, and he gave me a quick pat on the shoulder before disappearing through a set of double doors, leaving me to wait. Alone.
But I wasn't going anywhere without Jal.
Not again.
2
Jal
I was pretty sure there wasn't a single experience on the entire planet as humiliating as being arrested. Except, of course, being arrested in front of the woman you'd been working your ass off to impress.
For the first twenty minutes or so, I kept trying to convince myself that it was all a bad dream. Or a mistake that would be remedied as soon as I stepped into the police station.
One of the uniformed officers walked alongside me, his hand gripping my inner arm like he thought I was going to bolt. I supposed plenty of people did, but I wasn’t going to. I wasn't an idiot. I knew I was innocent, and I'd never gotten on the wrong side of anyone at the DA's office or the police force. The smart thing to do would be to wait it out and let my attorney fight my battle for me.
So while a part of me wanted to argue that I was innocent, I responded to their questions politely, even if it was only to say that I didn't want to discuss anything until I spoke to my lawyer. I didn't yell or threaten or even curse, though I was tempted. Fortunately, thanks to my mother and some of the business associates I'd worked with over the years, I'd had a lot of practice controlling my temper.
“Would you like some coffee, Mr. Lindstrom?”
I looked up to see one of the uniformed officers standing in the doorway. I’d been escorted to a plain white room several minutes ago, and I already felt like I was going to suffocate. It wasn’t small, but there was only a table, two chairs, and the door. And, of course, the two-way mirror that took up a good portion of one wall.
“No, thank you.” I was pleased to hear that I still sounded polite. “Will I be able to make a phone call soon?”
The officer nodded. “Yes, sir. Although if you’re looking to call your lawyer, you can save the call. He’s already here.”
“He’s here?” Relief rushed through me. Allie had gotten through to Adam. One of my hands was handcuffed to a hoop on the table, and it rattled when I pulled too hard on it, giving me a reminder that it was there. Still, I felt better than I had only a few seconds ago. “Good. That’s…that’s good to hear.”
The cop nodded. “Still want to make a phone call?”
I considered it for a moment. If Adam were here, the only other person I could think of to call would be my father, but what in the hell would I tell him? I didn't actually know that much. They'd read me my rights, which had included telling me what I was being charged with, but I had no idea what possible evidence they could have since I was innocent.
As the door shut, I brought my free hand up and braced my elbow on the table. With my head in my hand, I tried to think everything through. The whole thing could've been a mistake, but that would be one serious ass mistake. It wasn't like I was a mid-level employee whose log-in information or phone records could've been switched around.
The next question, of course, was who had I pissed off? That was the only thing that made sense, really. I’d pissed somebody off, and they’d decided to go for the balls.
I was still trying to figure it out when the door opened abruptly, and two men in suits entered. One of them, I didn’t know, but the other one? I knew him, and I was so relieved to see him that I surged up right. I would have hugged him – except I was restrained. The chain clinked, reminding me of the leash, and I gave it a disgusted look as I held my free hand out to Adam.
“Thanks so much for getting out here as quick as you did.”
Adam didn’t respond. Instead, he gave the cuffs a look of supreme disgust and turned toward the other man.
“Joseph, you and I go back a long way. I’ve always considered myself a fair man, and you as well.”
Joseph lifted his chin. “I like to think so.”
“Then why in the hell is a man arrested on suspicion only for a white collar crime sitting here handcuffed like a hardened criminal? He’s barely even had a speeding ticket.”
After giving Adam a less than friendly look, the detective came over and unlocked the cuffs.
“I'd like to speak to my client alone,” Adam said.
Joseph scowled but didn't argue. A few seconds later, Adam and I were alone in the room.
I rubbed at my wrists and Adam came up, clapped me on the shoulder. “Damn, kid. You’re having one hell of a day, aren’t you?”
That was an understateme
nt, to say the least. “Yeah. I guess Allie got a hold of you?”
He nodded. “Once we get this wrapped, she’s out front waiting for you.”
For a split second, a wash of embarrassment washed over me, and I wanted to tell him to go out there and make her leave, but other thoughts stepped up and took over. I hadn’t done a damn thing wrong, and I wasn’t going to act like I had.
And it would definitely be nice to see a friendly face when this was done.
“Okay.” I met Adam’s eyes. “What do we do next?”
* * *
Logically, I knew it didn’t take forever, but it sure as hell felt like it.
By the time the cops agreed to let me go, I wanted to take an hour long shower, burn the clothes I was wearing, and down about half a bottle of aspirin.
Adam advised against the last part, but I only halfway heard him.
Allie was still here.
I’d lost track of time while Adam was dealing with all of the paperwork. In reality, it had only been about eight hours, though it'd felt like weeks. Adam told me that if the cops had wanted to, they could've kept me longer, but between who my family was and Adam's own connections, he'd managed to work some magic so that I was released after eight hours.
Eight hours.
And Allie had waited.
Crossing the floor to her, I pulled her to me and held on tight. I hadn't realized until that moment how afraid I'd been that this would ruin everything. She curled her arms around my neck and buried her face against my chest. Her body shook, and for the first time, I found myself thinking of her as delicate.
“It’s okay,” I murmured against her hair. “It's all going to be okay.”
“I should be telling you that,” she said, her voice muffled.
I kissed her temple. “Okay. You can tell me.”
She didn’t say anything. She just hugged me, tighter and tighter. “It was taking so long.”
“I know.” Smoothing my hand over her hair, I half turned us, giving my back to the people in the waiting room. It wasn’t much privacy, but it was better than nothing. “Are you okay?”
“No,” she answered honestly as she looked up at me. Her pale green eyes were rimmed with red.
I gave her a partial smile. “Me neither.”
Adam cleared his throat politely, and I sighed, reminding myself that there were things I needed to deal with. Reluctantly, I pulled back, keeping one arm around Allie's shoulders as I met Adam’s eyes over the top of her head.
He had a faint, curious smile on his face and more than a little speculation in his eyes. We were friends, and he knew about the engagement with Paisley, though I doubted he'd heard it was over. I’d have to deal with his personal questions, I had no doubt, but that would come later.
“I’m going to start digging around, see if I can get some hard data on this alleged witness, a copy of his statement…something.” He kept it professional. That was one of the things I'd always liked about Adam – his ability to separate friendship and business. “And while the judge released you on your own recognizance, it would make things look…tidier if you would turn over your passport voluntarily. As a show of faith.”
I didn't like the idea of doing anything that even suggested I shouldn't be trusted, but I could see Adam's point too. Handing over my passport meant I wouldn’t try to avoid fighting the charges against me.
“Fine.”
He covered a few more things, some of which I agreed to, while others I flat-out refused. All the while, Allie stayed at my side, her hand making soothing circles on my back, though I wasn't sure which of us she was reassuring more. Finally, when I couldn't take anymore, I told Adam that I'd discuss it more with him later and took Allie home.
* * *
Everything was too quiet.
For a few seconds, I stood near the door, keys clutched tightly in my hand while Allie moved around restlessly just a few feet away. The cops hadn't had a search warrant, so the place wasn't turned upside-down. In fact, it looked exactly the same as it had when I left. And the silence wasn't anything new, but for some reason, it grated on my nerves.
Tossing my keys down on the table near the door, I moved over to the entertainment center and hit a button. Music began to pump out.
Too fast. Too loud. Too vibrant.
I changed it to something lower. Soft jazz came spilling out, and I braced my hands against the wall, letting the music flow over me. The fading sun shone in through the windows, turning the living room shades of gold, warming my skin as I stood there.
Too many things going on inside my head.
None of this made sense, and I needed it to.
They’d asked me about accounts I didn't work on. Hell, I was the CEO of the entire company. I barely worked hands-on with any accounts anymore. Sure, I technically had access to everything, but any time I wanted to check out an employee's accounts, I went directly to them. I'd always run the business that way.
“Are you okay?” Allie stroked her hand up and down my back.
Reaching around blindly, I caught her wrist and tugged, pulling her into my arms.
“Okay.” Turning the word over in my mouth, I pondered the question. Such a simple one, so mundane and…ordinary. Okay. It was the type of question you’d ask anybody after they went through something rough, be it big or small. Somebody trips and you ask are you okay? Somebody loses a family member, and they take a few days off. Next time you see them, you ask, are you okay?
And if you get arrested for insider trading and fraud, somebody will ask, Are you okay?
“I don’t know,” I said truthfully.
“Should I…” She hesitated, then tried again. “Would you like me to leave? I can…well, I can catch the bus if you’d like to be alone.”
“No.” I shifted us so that I trapped her body between me and the wall. I didn't want her to leave. I needed her here, needed her presence to center me. “No. That’s not what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“For now, I only want this.”
I might have gone on holding her for the rest of the night, taking some small comfort in her presence, but my landline rang. She let her hands slide from my back to my hips, but I didn’t release her.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” she asked.
“No.”
The call went to the antiquated answering machine I'd kept for the rare occasions I wanted to have a conversation on the record. A voice, strangely muffled and muted, came rolling out.
“Hello, Jal. I understand you’ve had a trying day.”
Slowly, I lifted my head and looked over at the phone.
The voice continued, “You don't have anyone to blame but yourself. You made a promise, and I can't have you backing out of it. Should you decide to rectify the situation, I'm sure you'd find that your current problem would disappear. You'll want to hurry though. I'm not a patient man. And don't even think of trying to fuck with me, Jal. In this game, I don't care what I have to do to get the win. I will always come out on top. When I play the game, I play to win.”
The line went dead just as I lunged for the phone.
Too late.
“What the ever-loving hell?” Allie breathed out.
I tried callback and got nothing but noise. Caller ID showed that the call had come from a blocked number and probably re-directed so it couldn’t be traced. The robotic voice had sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it.
“No. He couldn't have...”
Allie’s voice was shaking, and I turned around, immediately concerned. Her face had gone ashen, her eyes wide. “Allie?”
She looked at me blindly, not truly seeing me.
“It’s me,” she whispered.
Shaking my head, I went back to her, put my hands on her shoulders. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s my fault. That call…my dad…” She cleared her throat, trying to speak and failing. “That call…it was from my father. Kendrick.”
“
How do you know? The voice was all muffled and synthetic.”
“I’ve heard him saying that phrase many times before – …when I play the game, I play to win.
Allie turned away and started to pace, smoothing her hands restlessly over her hair. Her gaze darted to the phone and then to me. She started to speak, but stopped, chewing on her lip. I wanted to take her in my arms, tell her that her father wouldn't do something like this, but the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach acknowledged that this was exactly the sort of thing Kendrick Hedges would've done.
“It’s my father for sure. He’s doing it because of us – because of me. It’s my fault.” Allie's eyes swam with tears.
“No.”
Catching her in my arms again, I pulled her up against me. “No.” I shook my head and said it again. “No. He’s doing it because of me. Because I broke things off with Paisley. None of this is your fault.”
Pressing my brow to hers, I closed my eyes. I'd always gotten along with Paisley's father, more than her mother anyway, but I knew he'd never been above twisting things to get what he wanted. I just never imagined that he'd go this far.
“I should go,” she said, her voice wooden.
Something like panic gripped my heart. I couldn't deal if she left. She was the only thing keeping me sane. “No. I want you to stay.”
“But–”
I nipped at her lower lip, and when she gasped, I took her mouth. I didn't hold back, didn't try to be gentle. I poured every ounce of my need and desire into the kiss. After a moment, her arms circled around my neck, and she pressed her body against mine. Slowly walking her backward, I shifted and guided until the couch was just behind her, then I lowered us both so that I was stretched out over her.
“Stay,” I said, sliding my lips down the elegant line of her neck. “Please stay, Allie. I want you to stay. I need you to stay.”
3
Allie