Chapter Twenty #3
Griff kept his tone level. “You’ll have the chance to do that. But your alone time won’t be here. It’ll be in a holding cell,” Griff said. “You’re not walking out of this station.”
“I don’t want to walk out,” Margo insisted, meeting his gaze. “I deserve to be punished. It’s the only way I’ll ever be able to live with myself.”
Griff didn’t respond. He simply nodded once, then stepped out to have an officer escort her to the cell.
The truth was finally out. But justice still had a few more steps to go.
Griff stood from the table and reached over to stop the recorder. “Interview paused at 10:12 p.m.,” he said into the mic. He met Margo’s tired, tear-streaked gaze. “Someone will be back in a minute to escort you to a holding cell.”
Margo didn’t look up. She stared at the table instead, shoulders hunched, voice flat. “I’m sorry about Caleb,” she muttered. “But not Hannah. She deserved to die.”
Griff said nothing. There was no justification for cold-blooded murder—no matter how twisted the reasoning.
He and Lily walked out of the interview room. Jacob was waiting in the hall, arms folded, his jaw tight.
“I was in observation,” he said quietly. “You want me to book her and get her settled in a cell?”
Griff nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, Jacob.”
Jacob gave a quick nod, then moved past them toward the room.
The moment the door closed behind him, Griff exhaled. His chest felt like it had been cinched tight for hours. It had been a hellishly long night. A hellishly long case. And even though the truth was finally out, it hadn’t brought relief. Not yet.
“Need air,” he muttered.
Lily didn’t say anything—just followed him silently out of the station.
They stepped into the cold night, the air sharp against his skin, the scent of lingering smoke still hanging from the fire earlier. Griff led them to the truck. They got in and closed the doors behind them.
For a few seconds, they just sat there.
The silence didn’t feel empty.
It felt earned.
They sat in the truck, the cab quiet except for the sound of the engine. Griff glanced over at Lily, her features caught in the faint glow of the streetlight spilling through the windshield. She looked tired, but not worn out—strong, still standing after everything. Still standing with him.
He cleared his throat. “So, I was thinking…”
She turned her head, brows lifted. “Yeah?”
He met her gaze. “I want to take you out. A real date.”
Her eyes widened, surprise flickering across her face. “A date? Griff… we had sex.”
He grinned. “Yeah. I want more of that.” His voice lowered a notch. “But I also want more. A date. Dinner. Maybe somewhere you don’t have to wear Kevlar.”
“A date,” she repeated like she wasn’t sure she heard him right.
“For starters,” he said, shifting to face her better. “Let’s pretend we’re fast-forwarding this whole thing. We’ve already had dozens of dates. We’ve ended up in bed a dozen times. We’ve kissed so many times you’ve lost count.”
A smile curved her mouth. “Okay… we’re fast forwarding. What happens next?”
He leaned in slowly, and when he kissed her, it wasn’t soft or tentative.
It was deep. Hot. Everything he’d been holding back, everything he hadn’t said.
Her mouth met his with just as much hunger, her fingers curling into his jacket, dragging him closer.
They weren’t in a bedroom, weren’t even alone in the world, but for that moment, they may as well have been.
When he finally drew back, his breath was shallow, his forehead resting lightly against hers.
“Now,” he said, voice low, “after all those dates, and all that sex, and all those kisses…” He paused, his hand brushing her cheek, “I can tell you I’m falling in love with you.”
She blinked. “Falling?”
A beat passed. Then she whispered, “Well, the fast forwarding must’ve worked. Because I’m in love with you.”
His heart thudded hard. “You’re sure that’s not the adrenaline talking?”
She smiled, slow and certain. “No. That’s my heart talking. And my heart’s never had trouble making up its mind.”
He kissed her again, gentler this time. “And what’s your body saying?”
She grinned, her fingers finding his again. “That it wants you. Still. Always.”
Griff exhaled, his thumb tracing her knuckles.
Then he looked out the windshield, the dark sky above them, the lights from the station behind. They’d just closed the darkest chapter this town had seen in years.
Now, maybe they could start a new one. Together.
Lily leaned her head back against the seat, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “Where do we go from here?”
Griff reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together. “First?” He gave her a sideways look, full of heat and intent. “Back to my place. Into bed. We’ve got a lot of those fast-forwarded rounds of sex to catch up on.”
She laughed—real and rich and everything he wanted to keep hearing.
“And after that?” she asked, her voice softer now, a trace of vulnerability behind the humor.
He turned serious, lifted their joined hands to press a kiss to her knuckles. “After that… anywhere you want to go. As long as it’s with me.”
She leaned in, resting her forehead against his. “That sounds like the best plan I’ve ever heard.”
Griff started the truck, still holding her hand. And as they pulled away from the station, past the scorched shadows of the past and toward whatever came next, he knew one thing for damn sure.
This wasn’t just a beginning.
It was the beginning.