Come Undone (The Cityscape 1)

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“This could be important. What exactly did he say?”

I racked my brain, feeling the pressure. “Like I said, that Bill fucked up. He messed with his family. Lou was in jail because of him. He wanted to know why Lou got ten years and he didn’t when they belonged to the same gang and sold the same drugs. Then something about us having fun and that if I was,” I cleared my throat, “if I was good, he’d send me home to Bill afterward.” From the corner of my eye, I saw David’s knuckles whiten from gripping the arms of his chair. “I said Bill wasn’t home. He said, ‘I didn’t say I’d send you home tonight.’”

A thunderous crack filled the room, and I almost fell out of my chair in surprise. David jumped up and cursed.

“What the . . . ,” Cooper said, getting up.

“I’m sorry,” David said. He tossed part of the chair’s arm in the trash and sat down again, careful not to touch the splintered wood. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, steepling his fingers and rubbing his nose. “I’ll pay for the chair. Continue.”

Cooper sat down again while mumbling something and looked back at his notepad. “Ridiculous. I’m sorry, Olivia. Did he make any other allusions to . . . ah, keeping you over night or . . . ?”

“Well, he said to relax and that,” I cleared my throat again, “that I would ‘like it.’ That soon I’d be begging for it. And if I fought him, I’d regret it.” I exhaled, looking down at my own hands. I was hoping not to have to relive this so vividly.

“What was your physical stance relative to his?”

I hesitated and briefly considered lying. “At this point he had me pinned against the wall.”

“And was he restraining you?”

“Well,” I stopped and looked away.

“It’s okay,” Cooper urged. “This is a safe space. There’s no wrong answer.”

“Yes, he had his arm across my shoulders and he was sort of . . . I guess, pinning me with the rest of his body. Suggestively.” Why couldn’t I just say it?

“So he was sexually aggressive with you?”

David inhaled sharply and dropped his face in his hands. He released a string of muffled curse words while I tried not to cry. I should have asked him to leave.

“I’m sorry,” Cooper said. “David, please calm the hell down, you’re upsetting her.”

I wiped away an invisible tear and straightened my shoulders. “Yes. He was sexually aggressive.”

“Fuck,” David said sadly. He shook his head. “I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me last night?”

“It’s fine, David,” I reassured him. “Everything turned out fine.”

“Fine?” he asked, his leg bouncing up and down rapidly. “Everything is fine to you. It’s not fine to me. You could have been seriously hurt or - or worse.”

We were all quiet for a moment. I could tell by the look on his face that Cooper had picked up on David’s extreme reaction. It also struck me as odd. We barely knew each other. There was no denying our attraction, but I wasn’t his to protect. I wasn’t his responsibility. And this wasn’t his fault. So why was he so upset?

Cooper stared at me, prompting me to continue. “That’s when David appeared.” I put on a smile for him, but was looking at the floor.

“Mark didn’t know I was around,” David started slowly. “So I had the element of surprise on my side. I lunged at him, and after we wrestled for a minute, the gun fell from somewhere on his body. I grabbed it. I backed him up against the wall, and he said he didn’t want any trouble. Then he said he had friends on the force. That he’d be out after a night, and he’d come back for both of us. That’s why, like I said Cooper, I really need you to a keep an eye on this for me. I want any and all updates.”

“Don’t worry for now,” Cooper reassured him.

“He didn’t say friends,” I interjected. “He said he had deals. Deals with the cops. He didn’t seem afraid at all.”

“Very interesting,” Cooper nodded, making more notes.

“That’s when you guys arrived,” David finished. “Just in time, too,” he grumbled. “If I - ”

“David,” I interjected overexcitedly. “Here, have some water.” I shoved the glass at him. With a lawyer for a husband, I understood the concept of TMI.

“Well this has been very helpful,” Cooper said. “More so than I thought. Do you have a card, Olivia?”

I fished one out of my wallet and he rose to show us out. “That’s it?” I asked.

“Yes, ma’am. If you’ll follow me, I’d like to get a picture of the bruise, and then you’re all set.”

I let another officer take my photo as Cooper and David talked. On our way out, I thanked him for his help.

“We’ll call you if we need anything else,” Cooper told me. “Like I said, I don’t expect this to go to trial and if it does, it won’t be for a while. But I’ll keep you in the loop.”

“Thanks again, Coop,” David said with a handshake. “Let me know about that chair,” he joked and a grumble was his only reply.

~

On our way out, I asked David if we should send a fruit basket as a thank you, and he laughed.

“He might get suspicious if we send a joint fruit basket.”

“Oh really?” I asked. “That would make him suspicious. Not running into each other late at night. Not your reaction in there.”

“He asked me, when you were getting your photo taken, if it was accurate how we ran into each other. He warned me that if you and I were hiding something, the statement could be inadmissible.”

I gasped. “But it is accurate!”

“I know, I told him. He’s skeptical, though.” He was quiet as he opened the door for me and made his way around to the driver’s side.

I looked at him over the roof of the car. “Why were you so upset?”

“Not were, Olivia. Am. I am upset, and for a lot of reasons. For one, it pisses me off that your husband isn’t - ”

“Wait,” I said, holding up my hand. “It’s fine. I don’t need to know. Let’s not drag Bill into this.”

“It’s a little late for that. It seems this is his mess, in fact. What does he have to say about it?”

My mouth opened briefly before sealing into a tight line.

“Olivia?” he prompted. I slipped into the seat, pulling the door closed behind me. He followed a moment later, but didn’t move to start the car. “Does he know?”

I shook my head. “He’s been in meetings all day.”

He pursed his lips and said gently, “You need to talk to him.”

“What am I going to say?” I asked the window, tugging at my earlobe.

He started the car and reversed from the spot. “Tell him the truth.”

I jumped at the sound of my phone and looked from it to David and back.

“Go ahead,” he said without looking at me. “Answer it.”

“Hi, Bill.”

“Hey. This case is turning out to be more intense than I realized. I’ve taken some depositions, but I might have to come back next week.”

“Um,” I started. “I had another incident last night.”

“Incident?”

I opted for the shortened version. “I left work late, and Mark Alvarez was waiting for me on the street.”

“Oh no,” was all he said.

“He chased me down Adams and into an alley. I ran into a friend of Andrew’s, amazingly, who works nearby, and together we mana

ged to subdue him until the cops arrived.”

“Holy shit, Liv! So they have Mark Alvarez in custody now? I knew that bastard would break his parole. He didn’t even make it three months.”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Yes, in fact, I’m just leaving the police station where I spoke to Detective Cooper.”

“Cooper, yeah, I know him. Olivia, you really shouldn’t talk to the police without me present.”

“But nothing really even happened,” I retorted. “I just gave a statement.”

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah, a little shaken up, but,” I paused, glancing at David, “fine.”

“Good babe, I’m glad. I don’t know why he’s involving you. I’m so sorry I can’t come home right now. Can you get one of the girls to sleep over tonight? I think I can be back by tomorrow afternoon. Or do you want to come here?”

“No, he’s detained, and I have this party tonight that I cannot miss. Gretchen and Lucy are coming so maybe I’ll go home with one of them,” I said.

“I’m going to talk to Cooper and make sure this is taken care of. Promise to take it easy. Aren’t you still sick from the trip?”

“No.”

“Okay babe, I have to go if I want to get anything to eat today.”

“You haven’t eaten yet? It’s almost four o’clock there.”

“I’ve been seriously swamped.”

My heart pounded, and I rubbed my temples.

“Liv?”

“There’s something else,” I said, lowering my voice. I took a shaky breath. “Bill, Davena passed away last night.”

Silence on the line conveyed his surprise. I stared hard out the window as I waited.

“Liv, honey, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s terrible. Poor Mack.”

“Yes, terrible. Did you know it was that bad?”

“I knew, but no, I didn’t really know.”

He moaned. “I am so – oh God. You must be, just . . . should I come home tonight?”

I set my jaw as I continued to watch the passing cars. I’d been strong for years, keeping the hurt inside and managing day to day. Couldn’t I make it one more night before dissolving? Because that was what I wanted to do. To let someone else take over for a while. “No,” I sighed finally. “I’ll be fine until tomorrow.”