“Do you know what guilt by association is?” I ask him.
“Uh…” He scratches at the burgeoning scruff at his jaw. “Getting in trouble for something someone else did?”
“Right. For example, if you all wandered inside to, say, grab a Coke, and Smith pulled a gun out of his ass, you’d be guilty of armed robbery, the same as Smith and Dale.”
His face creases in disbelief. “Nuh-uh.”
“Uh-huh,” I counter. “And if Smith lost his cool—as he’s known to do—and shot Devan’s husband, Ed, who’s working tonight, and he died, you’d be just as guilty of murder as Smith and Dale. Premeditated murder. That carries the death sentence.”
Realization dawns in his expression, fear shining in his dark eyes. “Are you shittin’ me?” He cuts a look at Chloe and flickers a smile that doesn’t hold. “He’s shittin’ me, right?”
“I’m not,” I say, relieving Chloe of having to answer. “Google it, but in the meantime, steer clear of those two if you want to hold on to that Golden Bears scholarship you’ve got.”
Chloe pulls in a sharp breath. “You got a scholarship to UC Berkeley? Oh my God.” She reaches across me to give Chase a forearm squeeze before pulling back. But her breasts are still against my biceps and my cock is still throbbing. “That’s incredible. Congratulations. Your parents must be over the moon.”
He chuckles. “They are.”
“Then they’d tell you the same thing I’m telling you,” I say. “You’re a great kid. You’ve got amazing things waiting in your future. Don’t blow it by hanging with future convicts. Make your excuses and get your butt somewhere they aren’t.”
“Okay, okay,” he says good-naturedly, “but you know I gotta throw shade.”
I smirk. “Of course.”
Chase straightens away from the car and walks backward, making frustrated gestures. “Man, that ain’t cool. Don’t dis my friends like that.”
As soon as Chase clears my bumper, I crank the wheel and continue through the parking lot and back onto the road.
“Is that what they call community policing?” Chloe asks, her head on my shoulder. “I never understood that.”
“Sort of. In a small town, almost everyone is community policing because we all know everyone. That’s community policing, walking the streets, getting to know the people, root out the bad seeds, try to either get them to grow or bury them.”
“Interesting metaphor. Is what you told him about guilt by association true? I mean in the eyes of the law?”
“Oh, yeah,” I say with emphasis. “And kids don’t understand just how easy it is to get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person. Or how easily and quickly it can ruin their lives. I’ve seen it hap
pen way too often.”
“Looking back, I can see how lucky I was. I spent my fair share of time with the wrong people, but I never knew how close I came to real problems. Is that why you’re so strict with Piper?”
“Piper doesn’t know what strict is. But, yeah, that’s why I want her to stay away from troubled kids who are criminals in the making.”
Chloe strokes her hand up and down my thigh, rekindling the fire between my legs. “She’s lonely.”
“I know. I get it. But if she doesn’t break ties with those kids soon, I’m going to be getting a call from the jail—or worse. I appreciate you watching out for her.” I curl my hand over hers and pull it to my mouth for a kiss. “Now, where were we?”
15
Chloe
I wander back to my boat from morning yoga and meditation, disappointed Xavier won’t be there waiting for me today. I shower and dress for the day in shorts and a tank top, looking forward to connecting with my online students and getting some words in on my book.
But first: coffee.
I slide into my flip-flops and start toward the market. One of the perks to living here—aside from the freaking perfect weather—is that I can grab coffee or a snack whenever I need one. Today, Piper’s working, so coffee is also my excuse to drop in and say hello.
The morning chill is melting away with the sun, and the first sounds of fun on the lake touch my ear. As gravel crunches under my flip-flops, I pull out my phone and text Laiyla and KT.
Sure could use some girl time at Rainbow Falls today. Can you break away this afternoon?