“That I should have never involved you in any of this. Because you’re a cop, it’s complicated everything. I’ll figure it out on my own.” I regretted the words the moment I said them.
Mike’s nostrils flared, and he threw up his hands. “Fine. Do this on your own, Syd. Have at it, Nancy Drew.” He turned and walked out without another word, slamming the front door as he left.
I stood, frozen in shock for a moment, and then I leaned against the couch, feeling like I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life.
Why didn’t I talk to him? The first tear fell… and then the second. The next thing I knew, I was sobbing. I sank to the floor, unable to stop it. What is the matter with me? My emotions were all over the place. I wanted to know what happened to my best friend. I wanted to make sure we figured it out.
A knock at the door startled me, but I kept crying. I couldn’t pull myself together.
“Syd, it’s Mike. I’m coming in.”
I furiously wiped at my face to hide the tears as the door opened. Mike rushed to my side, held my face between his hands with a possessiveness that sent tingles through me, and searched my eyes.
“I can’t leave you like this. You are the best fucking thing that has ever happened to me, and I just can’t walk away. Let’s talk this out.”
I threw my arms around him. “I don’t want to lose you, either. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking, and I let myself get all worked up. Of course you had to turn over the evidence.”
“Think about it, Syd. It could have cost me my job if I hadn’t called that in and turned everything over. Yes, I should have talked to you about it first, but I’ve never had to balance the two like this. I had no choice.”
When I thought about it logically, it made sense. “I know. I got too caught up in it all. And knowing it was Vickie made me feel like I had to know what was going on. I have a bad feeling about what she might have uncovered.”
“Me, too.” His thumb came out and wiped the moisture from my cheeks. “I want us to figure out a middle ground. The last thing I want to do is jeopardize my job. But I also want to keep searching for the truth regarding the Alchemists.”
That seemed like the right thing to do. “I’ll return the jump drive tonight. I don’t want to cause you issues with your job. Wesley said he would be my lawyer, and I’ll tell the police you had no idea.”
Mike nodded. “For this to work, we have to be honest with each other. We have to trust each other. And I will remember to talk with you instead of at you.”
That was a good start. “I can do that. I need to tell you something—off the record, if possible. I printed what was one the jump drive.”
Mike smiled. “I would expect nothing less. Why was Wesley here?”
I heard a bit of jealousy in his tone, and I wanted to reassure him. “He’s just a friend, Mike. Vickie was his best friend, too. We were inseparable as kids. I texted him on the way over here to let him know Vickie’s body had been found. As soon as he saw the text, he came over. And I know the other day when he showed up late seemed odd, but it wasn’t. Wesley has always been like a very protective older brother. I assure you; nothing is going on between us.”
“I trust you, baby.”
But I sensed Mike still wasn’t going to trust Wesley, which was probably normal, considering he was a cop.
Mike
Sydney looked up at me, chewing on her lip. “I do need to call Wesley, though.”
Frowning, I asked, “Why?”
“Well, if I’m going to take the jump drive back, I need him there with me.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. I hated that she had to call Wesley. I didn’t like the guy at all. “Do you have a plan for how you’re going to do this, Sydney? Taking it could be considered tampering with evidence. If Doug wanted to, he could arrest you.”
She nodded. “I know. I think I’ve got it figured out, but the less you know, the better. You should probably head back to the station.”