20. Michael
Chapter 20
Michael
“ W hat did you say?”
“I said they caught him trying to flee the country. The silent APB we put out showed up when he tried to book an impromptu flight and they were able to arrest him quickly.”
My lips spread into a grin at the news, and I imagine what Savannah’s voice is going to sound like on the phone when I tell her the news. It will be a gasp at first and then some disbelief while she tells me not to tease her.
Then she will probably demand to see him for herself.
A woman, like her, is a believer in cold, hard facts.
“Then I’d better tell her face to face,” I mutter.
The person at the other end of the line rattles off the location where Eric is being held and then ends the call. Putting my foot on the accelerator and kicking the speed up a notch, I make my way to Savannah’s house.
“What are you doing here?” She asks, covering a yawn, when she opens the door to find me on the other side. I’ve woken her up.
My chest tightens when I cannot help my gaze that strays lower, taking in her version of pajamas which consists of a long button-down shirt with nothing underneath. Her hair is messy but all I can think of is how easy it would be for me to run my fingers through it and smooth it out.
And when her tongue darts out to touch her lower lip, I desperately want to be the one to moisturize them.
But—
“You need to come with me,” I say.
She cocks her head. “Just like that? And you think I’ll say yes?”
“It’s about your case,” I say. “Will you?”
Her eyes widen. “Why didn’t you say that to begin with? Give me fifteen minutes. Come in while I get ready.”
I shake my head. “I’ll wait for you in the car. That way you’ll get ready faster.”
Savannah looks at me like I have something askew somewhere and then she shrugs. “Alright. Suit yourself. I’ll be out in a jiffy.”
Then she closes the door and I sigh as it shuts. I could have taken her up on her offer to come inside. I would have said yes the second she asked, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist her.
In the safety of her home, where no one could see us, I would have kissed Savannah until we ended up in bed.
And I don’t need that happening right now.
True to her word, she gets into the car wearing oversized overalls and a sweater thrown on top. Her hair looks like it was hastily brushed and she has no makeup on her face.
“Where are we going?” She asks, buckling her seat belt.
“To the police station.”
“Uhm, what?”
“Yeah,” I nod, starting the car. “We are headed to the station. There is someone there you might want to see.”
She gasps.
“Don’t tell me—wait,” Savannah turns to me and I glance to see her wild, unbelieving eyes. “Don’t tell me they found Eric?”
I nod, smiling. “They did. The bastard was trying to leave the country but we got him.”
“Seriously?” She puts her hands to her face. “We got him? For real? Like, he’s behind bars right now? And I get to see him?”
I look away from the road and her facial expression has my chest rumbling. “Anyone looking at you without context would think you just won the lottery or bought a new house. They would have no idea it’s a criminal investigation and you just found the person who might have murdered your ex and framed you.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Isn’t that better than winning the lottery or buying a house? I’d give everything up to keep from going to prison.”
I want to stop the car and kiss her quickly, but I keep driving.
“You seem to be forgetting my promise, young lady. I did say you wouldn’t go to prison, didn’t I? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you don’t believe in my abilities. And I am already doubting how much you trust me.”
“It’s enough,” she says, “to know that I have nothing to worry about.”
My heart does a super flip at her words and a proud smile tugs on my lips.
“Good,” I nod. “Now, let’s go see what he’s up to.”
***
“Good day to you too, Ms. Rogers.”
I don’t have to be told that the detective doesn’t like me because her eyes that regard me with contempt do all the talking. However, I also know that her displeasure is a personal one because I have seen the general dislike that cops have for lawyers and it looks nothing like hers.
“Isn’t it nice to have the world in your pocket?” she asks in a biting tone.
“The world?” I ask, feigning ignorance.
“Where is she?” she asks.
I know she is talking about Savannah, whom I told to go ahead and deal with the procedures before seeing someone in holding. It was as if I knew I’d run into Elaine Rogers.
“Who?”
She frowns. “Don’t play dumb with me, Mr. Stone. I know you went to the higher-ups to request an audience with Mr. Windsor. But let me tell you this, Mr. Windsor is innocent. Once the time limit allowed to hold an innocent person is over, he will be released.”
“Because you have no evidence to keep him or because you want to get a promotion and you decide who gets put behind bars?” I say boldly.
“The murder weapon was found in her house. What other proof do I need?” She retorts.
I take a step forward, keeping my gaze trained on her. The detective might be intimidating to a lot of people, but I have been in a room with people a lot scarier than her.
“What is the issue here? The fact that your colleagues are now your superiors? Or that you feel insecure because you couldn’t reach the rank you wanted in a certain time frame? Or are you so desperate to win a case you will try to pin this on anyone to get a promotion?”
Steam comes out from her ears as her eyes flash with anger.
Easily riled up, I note. Bingo.
One more thing to use in court.
I hate to be the bad guy, but Elaine Rogers needs to be taught a lesson.
“I don’t care about rank or position. I am only doing my job and I will do it to the best of my ability. By following the law, Mr. Stone.”
I chuckle sardonically.
“The law, huh? Well, that’s alright. I also plan to follow the law. We just have to find out which of us can interpret it better.”
With that, I turn on my heels. I hear her hiss and I feel the anger from her coming my way, but it doesn’t faze me. I am not delusional enough to conclude that the ball is now in our court, but it is closer than it’s been in the past few weeks, and I plan to take advantage of it.
Savannah opens the door before I get to it, storming out. The scowl on her face tells me it didn’t go well.
“He’s denying it, right?” I ask, getting straight to the point.
She nods. “Yes, he is. The bastard. He says he didn’t do it and that if anyone offed Brandon, it was me.”
“And he looked you in the eye when he said those words, and it was all you could do to keep yourself from punching the glass that separated the two of you.”
She cuts me with a stare. “How did you know?”
I shrug. “We are more alike than you think. I would have felt the same way.”