Chapter Sixteen
As Chris watched Isabela move toward the front door, his mind thrashed around, frantic for the words that would get her to stay.
“I thought you still needed information?”
She paused. “Yeah, I do.”
Finally, an idea popped into his head. Chris walked to her, easing her bag off her shoulder and setting it gently on the floor. He wanted to kiss her again, but instead he offered something else.
“Let’s go outside and get some fresh air. You can ask your questions while we walk.”
Isabela hesitated, but she didn’t reach for her belongings.
“There’s a trail around back of the complex, the trees keep it pretty cool,” he continued.
She sighed, looking resigned. Then a small smile curled her mouth upward.
“Okay. Let me just grab my phone to record,” she rustled through her bag.
They both moved toward the front door to collect their shoes. After locking up, Chris led her around the back of the townhouse, past a small courtyard and onto the narrow trail cutting through the woods behind the complex.
“This is nice,” she said, lifting her face toward the beams of sunlight filtering through the trees.
“It is. I run through here a few mornings a week.”
“So that’s how you keep that physique, huh?” she teased, bumping his shoulder.
“Thanks for noticing.” He offered her a sly smile.
She blushed. “It’s hard not to.”
“Isabela the lawyer, are you flirting with me?” Chris faked his outrage.
She groaned and covered her face. “You’re never letting me live that down, are you?”
He reached out, taking her hands and lowering them to her sides. The connection between them was unreal. He couldn’t remember ever enjoying someone’s company as much as he enjoyed being around her. It was enough to make him take a leap.
“When this is all behind us, can I take you to dinner?”
Her smile was genuine. “I would like that.”
He leaned down to kiss her again but stopped short when a man came jogging toward them.
He was moving fast, wearing a hat, shades and a hoodie pulled over the hat.
Weird running attire but people would do anything to sweat off a few extra calories.
Chris pulled Isabela to the side of the trail to let the man pass.
“We should get focused,” she said, extracting her hands and retrieving her phone. “Okay, we’re recording.”
Chris sighed but nodded. If he ever wanted that dinner, he needed to stay out of jail.
“You’ve had several promotions offered in the last five years and declined them all.”
Before he could be snarky about her not asking an actual question, she continued, “Why?”
He started walking again. “Didn’t want the responsibility. Probably wouldn’t have done very well in those roles anyway.”
“Your captain disagrees. Says you’re one of the most decorated civil servants he’s worked with,” she argued.
Chris hmphed, his lighthearted mood beginning to sink. Deep down, he wanted to scream. He’d let so many people down.
“I was working through some stuff, personally and professionally. Didn’t need the added pressure.”
She paused and took a deep breath, clearly preparing herself for more gut-wrenching questions.
“Speaking of personal,” she began slowly, “you were married for just shy of three years. The divorce paperwork cites irreconcilable differences.”
“Yeah. Should’ve never gotten married. Kim and I dated in high school. When I came home from the military, we got back together. I had changed, she hadn’t. The marriage lasted three months. It just took longer to end it officially.”
Isabela didn’t reply right away. He glanced over and saw her pensive expression. Was she connecting the dots, realizing he was too damaged to trust?
“I hate to ask this, but I have to.” Then there was another pause, in which she started and stopped several times. “Was there ever any physical abuse in the relationship?”
He gritted his teeth but answered calmly. “I might be a screw-up, but I’m not that big of a loser. I’d never hit a woman.”
“Thanks, I...”
“I wasn’t even around enough to fight. I was working all the time. When I wasn’t working, I was with Randall or at a bar.”
She nodded, taking that in, and moved on. “I see you took a thirty-day leave shortly after the July ninth incident.”
“Mandatory.”
“Is that when you entered rehab?” she asked.
His steps slowed as he turned to her, “I never entered rehab.”
“Oh.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Isabela looked nervous, which was very out of character. “I just assumed. You said you don’t drink anymore.”
“I stopped cold turkey. I used the mandatory leave to spend time with my mom.”
Isabela nodded, starting down the path again. “Tell me about your mom, your family, growing up.”
Chris reached down and grabbed her hand. He squeezed, hoping she understood. This wasn’t her fault. His frustration wasn’t with her. She gifted him a sweet smile as his thumb stroked along hers.
“Ah, my family ... nothing exciting. Born and raised around here. Went to school close by.”
“Any siblings beyond your sister?” she asked.
“Just the one older sister, Beth. She’s got a daughter, Sophie.
I mentioned my niece plays basketball. My mom has early-onset Alzheimer’s.
” At Isabela’s concerned look, he said, “She’s still doing okay.
But between Beth’s and my schedules, we needed to place her in assisted living. I try to visit her a few times a week.”
“I’m glad you have that time with her. What about your dad?”
Chris glanced up at the canopy of trees. The light filtered through in long golden rays. “He was a cop too. Died when I was in high school. Got T-boned during a pursuit.”
Isabela stopped walking. “I’m so sorry.”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Me too.”
She didn’t try to fix it. Didn’t drown him in platitudes. She just stood there, steady and present. It was a rare gift. It made him want to offer her a gift as well.
“The night of July tenth, the day before my mandatory leave, I got into a fight with a patrol officer outside a bar,” he admitted.
“I was on a bender and the officer was on a power trip, had some things to say. Randall was with me. Got me out of there, drove me home, and then chewed me out the next morning. That’s when I started taking my counseling seriously.
I stopped drinking after that. Randall called in favors for me.
My superiors told me I needed thirty days to get myself together.
That was fair. I refused to make the only person who’s always had my back look bad. ”
She looked slightly taken back. Whether it was from his voluntary purging of information or his deplorable behavior, he wasn’t sure. But she only said, “Sounds like Randall’s a great friend.”
Isabela smiled up at him, and something inside threatened to come unglued.
Swallowing thickly, he said. “Yeah. Randall’s a good one.”
Her face turned pensive. “Why didn’t you tell me he was Black?”
Chris’s body tensed, just a fraction. “I didn’t think it mattered.”
“Come on...” she said skeptically.
“Randall and I took the detective’s exam together.
We both wanted to get into Criminal Investigations but ended up in the Special Investigative Unit instead.
From the beginning, he felt like a brother.
He’s been there for me through some heavy shit.
Skin color has never mattered for me. I wasn’t raised that way, and don’t think that way.
I won’t minimize our relationship by reducing him to a specific color. ”
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen, surprised. “I think this is good for now. I didn’t realize how late it is.”
“Hot date?” he asked before he could stop himself.
“Yeah. With my mom’s empanadillas and a night of paperwork.”
He chuckled, relieved. “Sounds intense.”
Chris turned them down a narrow path that would take them back to the townhouse. After retrieving her bag from his living room, he walked her to her car. Before she could get in, he touched her arm.
“Are you still going to be my attorney?”
“Huh?” she looked up at him, thrown.
“Well, you said we couldn’t have a conflict.
If kissing you is a conflict, then I guess we have a problem because I don’t want to stop.
I also don’t want to lose you as an attorney.
You’re smarter than every SPOG lawyer combined.
” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and was relieved when she didn’t flinch.
Instead, she laughed, looking flattered, then sobered. “I honestly don’t know what to do. I do believe I can do my job. If you’re honest with me and willing to disclose the details I need, even regarding July ninth, we’re going to beat this charge, okay?”
She was offering him a chance to come clean, to reveal all his secrets. He couldn’t do it. Not when she finally looked at him with something other than disgust in her pretty eyes.
“Yeah, okay, but there’s nothing else worth disclosing.” He shrugged.
Just like that, he closed off again. He could tell from the look on her face that it stung.
“Drive safe,” he said, opening the door for her.
She stepped away, then paused before turning back. “You realize nothing you say to me is going to send me running. I have a job to do. The more I know, the easier that job is.”
He nodded, then caught her hand. Drawing her in gently, he kissed her again, slow, deliberate, quietly devastating. He kissed her like it might be the last time, because part of him believed it was.
Sooner or later, she’d see him for what he was, a man with too many scars and too few answers. When that happened, she'd walk away. He’d let her, but not yet. Holding on until she pulled back breathless, he whispered, “Drive safe.”
“Bye,” she whispered.