Finally, at around ten at night, another car pulled into the driveway and parked. A woman who looked remarkably like my—like Rylee—stepped out and hurried inside. She marched into the living room, and they started talking. It quickly escalated into an argument and ended when he roared something and stomped out of the room.
Grade fucking A douche. However, I’d been relieved that he hadn’t struck her. I wasn’t sure I would have been able to keep my gun holstered. The woman, most likely Rylee’s mother, put her head in her hands, and her shoulders shook as she cried.
My whole world paused the next second when Rylee came rushing into the room and threw her arms around her mother. They hugged for a moment, but then her mom pulled away and said something before leaving like her ass was on fire.
Rylee stared out the window, her shoulders drooped and her expression longing and desolate. I had a nearly overwhelming urge to burst inside and scoop her into my arms. To comfort her and assure her everything would turn out okay.
After a few minutes, she turned and left the room, leaving me feeling as if she’d taken away the sun.
I spotted movement in an upstairs window, but it was too big and bulky to be my wo—Rylee. My gut was telling me that her room was on the backside of the house.
A police cruiser drew my attention when it slowly crept by me, and I fought the urge to slump down in my seat because that would only make me look more suspicious.
I fucking hated this place.
I held my breath, hoping it would just continue by, but I always had the shittiest luck whenever I stepped foot in this town.
The cruiser pulled up in front of me, and a cop exited the vehicle. I sighed and flipped on the overhead light, so he could see I didn’t pose a threat.
It was a warm night, so the window was already down when he approached, his hand resting on his holster.
“Evening,” he murmured as his eyes scanned all around me, looking for weapons, drugs, or booze, most likely. When he seemed satisfied that nothing illegal was in plain sight, his posture relaxed just an inch, and he finally met my gaze.
His eyebrows shot up, and he cocked his head to the side. “Nova Rossi?”
I squinted. The brightness in the car and the moon shining behind him made it difficult to clearly see the officer’s face. “Uh, yeah. Do I know you?”
“Kevin Hines, we went to high school together.”
Okay, so maybe my luck wasn’t all bad. Kevin had been a decent kid. Bit of a nerd, but he never looked at me the way the other kids did. And the two times I’d run into him on a trip home after joining the Silver Saints, he shook my hand and said hello.
I turned off the interior light so I had a better view. “Hey, Kevin. I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you with the lighting and everything.”
“No problem. Listen, man, I’m sorry to ask, but I noticed you earlier when I drove home for lunch. Is there a reason you’re parked out here?”
“Fair question,” I returned. “Do you know Chad Boone?”
Kevin’s face remained mostly neutral, but his mouth tightened at the corners and his eyes turned hard. “Yeah.”
“Apparently, my sister is friends with his stepdaughter. Arya was worried about her, so I promised to come check on her. I didn’t want to step on any toes if everything was fine, though.”
Kevin glanced at Rylee’s house and shook his head. “I shouldn’t be telling you this. But from what I hear, it’s bad. Unfortunately, he hasn’t done anything that would give me cause to arrest him. That I can prove anyway.”
I waited for a minute, mulling over my next words, then decided to be honest. “You know he’s in debt to the mob?”
“I’ve heard, but it’s all speculation.”
“Arya thinks Rylee will be caught in the crossfire.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me.” He paused, then murmured, “Haven’t seen Rylee in a couple of weeks.” His gaze came back to me, and he looked long and hard for a silent minute. Then he stuck his hand out, and we shook. Before letting mine go, he squeezed hard and brought me a little closer to the window. “You do whatever it takes to help that girl.” He smiled and shrugged. “Of course, as a cop, I can’t encourage you to do anything illegal or suggest any course of action, but...I’ll let the precinct know I’ve checked you out and not to bother you. Nobody will be sorry to see that son of a bitch gone.”
Then he released my hand and saluted me with two fingers. “Nice to see you, Nova,” he said before whistling a tune as he walked back to his squad car.