Love by Association

Meri wouldn’t have been told about Julie’s rape. That was all yet to come. What was going to be done about Smyth’s past crimes.

“Max and Meri are my closest friends,” she said, looking directly at Colin. She wanted him to care. To look at her real life and have it matter to him.

He nodded politely, looking toward the door.

“He’s a pediatrician,” she continued and added, “His first wife was my best friend, Jill.”

Julie came forward, took a seat on the end of Chantel’s bed. Claiming ownership? Chantel wanted to think so. But knew she wasn’t thinking all that clearly. “The friend you told me about? Who was murdered?”

She nodded. And hoped Julie wouldn’t blame her for the parts she’d left out.

“And you were there?”

The fact that Julie asked the question told her she didn’t know what to believe. What parts of what Chantel had told her were true. “Of course. Everything I told you about that day was true. I just didn’t tell you I was in uniform. Or that Jill had lunged for the guy with the gun because he was about to shoot her partner.”

Colin visibly pulled back, and she knew she’d lost him. She could have withheld that last detail. But there was going to be no more hiding.

She wasn’t good at it.

And he didn’t deserve it.

“You said you all became family over what happened,” Julie said then, looking at Wayne and Meri and Max, who were all standing on the opposite side of her bed, between her and the door.

Colin remained standing in the corner—clearly ready to go. But he wouldn’t leave without Julie.

Meri smiled and nodded at Julie. “My ex-husband, who was a former Las Vegas detective, was after me. I had to leave Max and our young son to protect them from him.”

“She went rogue and thought she could take on the fiend on her own,” Chantel said drily, laying her head back against the pillow as it grew heavier.

“Max knew, though,” Meri said, and the look she gave her husband cut through to Chantel’s heart again. As it had the day they’d been in that same hospital, with Meri in the bed, after they’d found her stumbling half-dead outside the home where her ex-husband had beaten her. “He called Chantel, who called Wayne, and the three of them didn’t give up until they found me.”

Glancing at Colin, Chantel looked for any sign that he was proud of her, that he cared at all.

He was studying Max. And Wayne.

“Is Maria with the kids?” Chantel asked, referring to Wayne’s wife. It had to be close to midnight.

“Yes, and we aren’t going to stay long,” Max said with a glance over his shoulder, and then a raised eyebrow to Chantel.

“Not now that we know you aren’t here alone,” Meri added and with a grin turned to include Colin. “I understand now why you were asking me all those questions when you were over for dinner...”

Questions about being two people at once. About keeping her distance. Keeping her life straight.

“Chantel and my brother are seeing each other,” Julie said, her chin in the air. But she wasn’t looking at Chantel’s guests. She was looking straight at Colin.

He excused himself and left the room.

CHAPTER THIRTY

COLIN WAS ON the golf course Sunday morning when Julie texted him to let him know that she was headed to the hospital to get Chantel and take her home.

He thanked her for letting him know. Because he always liked to know where she was. And then concentrated on his shot. Focused. Kept his eye on the ball. Swung.

And took a penalty for hitting it in the water.

* * *

JULIE CHATTERED ALL the way home from the hospital. She explained that Colin wanted to be there to pick up Chantel, too, but that he’d had a business meeting he couldn’t avoid.

He was playing golf. He’d already told Chantel about the game he’d scheduled with a business owner he was courting for the firm.

Even if things had been good between them, she wouldn’t have expected him to cancel. She was perfectly fine. She shouldn’t even have stayed at the hospital overnight except that she’d been too tired to argue about it.

Asking Julie to drop her at the Landau so that she could collect her things, and her car—the department was arranging for the rental car to be picked up there—she thanked her for the ride and agreed to meet her for lunch the next day.

She teared up when Julie gave her an unexpected hug when she went to open her car door and get out.

This whole bump-on-the-head thing was really messing with her.

* * *

COLIN HAD NO intention of seeing Chantel Harris again. She’d done her job. He was grateful. Would have his assistant send her some candy or something along with a thank-you card and a check to cover the time she’d spent undercover without pay.