11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

W ill held Zara close as he drove back to her apartment. Now was probably as good a time as any to tell her more. "I didn't flunk out of college."

"I didn't think you did. You're a smart guy." Her voice was a little hoarse.

"I nearly failed one class. Got a D and was going to have to retake it since it was for my major."

"Just one?"

"Yeah, actually had As in most of the rest of my classes that semester."

"What class was it?"

"Criminal Justice: Research Methods."

"Doesn't sound like it would be so hard."

"It wasn't. That was the stupid thing. I was distracted and wrote it off as an easy A, so I focused on other classes."

"Then what happened? Why not retake it and move forward?"

"I wanted to be a cop so much that I decided to go to the academy that summer. When I got a job back home, I simply didn't go back to school. I was going to but never made the time to take my remaining classes."

"Then why were you so worried about me seeing you as a failure about it?"

He shrugged as best he could with her against his shoulder. "Because that's how I've always seen myself. And I don't have the best track record for completing things."

"That scares me, Will."

"I can see that, and I'm sorry. I wish I could say I'm the best at follow-through, but I'm not. But I am loyal. Ask Logan."

"And AJ?"

Zara was testing those waters again. Hadn't he asked her to leave it alone?

Will sighed. "I never know what AJ will say, but I think she'd say I'm pretty loyal." Even if he hadn't been a loyal friend to her over the years. But Logan was his best friend.

"I've had more than one boyfriend ditch me when things got difficult."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He pulled his truck into her parking lot.

He turned the vehicle off. "Is there more to it?"

"Yeah. But let's go inside and get my air working."

"Absolutely." He slid out of the truck and offered her a hand. Part of him still wanted to pull away from her. If she was so volatile as to run off at the little argument they'd had earlier, how much worse could her reactions be? But he could tell it was her fear that was driving her. If they could work through that, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Her hand met his, and a bolt of electricity shot up his arm. The draw to her was much stronger than the urge to pull away.

They walked into her apartment, and she punched in the code.

The air in the apartment was thick and warm. Not quite unbearable yet, but it was moving in that direction quickly.

He checked the unit itself, and it was definitely not getting any power, so he tried a charger in the outlet the AC was plugged into. No power.

"It might be the breaker. Do you know where the box is?"

Zara yawned. "I have no idea. Might be in here."

He followed her into her bedroom. "For being such an independent woman, I'm surprised you didn't think to check this."

"Out of sight?" She went to her closet and shoved her hanging clothes aside. "There it is."

He stepped up beside her and opened the box. "Can I ask you a perhaps personal question?"

"We're spilling our secrets tonight, so why not?"

"Where are your closet doors?"

"In the storage unit out back."

"Why?"

She wrapped her arms around her middle. "I just don't like them."

He gave her a sideways look before flipping the breaker. The AC kicked back on.

"Thank you." She went up on her toes and kissed his cheek, the bill of the hat bumping his forehead. She turned to leave.

His chest tightened. "Really?" He caught her wrist.

She wiggled her arm out of his grasp and took his hand. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have …"

He stepped closer to her. "Don't apologize. But I'm feeling a little confused about us right now."

"I'm sorry."

He tilted his head.

They both laughed. But there was a weight in the laughter.

He lifted the bill of the cap and pulled it off her head. "So you won't be able to hide so easily." He decreased the space between them.

His heart was racing so wildly he could barely breathe. And not just because her lips were so enticing, but the question he was about to ask would likely send her running in the opposite direction. "You didn't answer my question about the doors. Does it have something to do with whatever else you're avoiding talking about?"

He braced himself to be pushed away.

But she didn't give him a heave-ho. She stood there trembling.

"Zara?" He ran his fingers across her hair.

"I'm so tired, Will."

"I know." He guided her into the living room and to the couch. They sat. "You don't have to tell me right now." Saying the words hurt. He wanted to know—not because he was dying of curiosity, but because he cared deeply for this woman and desperately wanted to help her.

He stood.

She grabbed his hand. "Don't leave yet though."

"Want something to drink?"

She nodded.

He strolled to the kitchen where he retrieved two glasses and filled them with iced tea.

But when he went back to the living room, he found Zara with her head down on the back of the couch. Setting the glasses on the table, he sat beside her.

Her eyes were closed, though she didn't seem to be completely asleep.

"Hey, I really should go."

Her eyes flitted open. "No." She gripped his T-shirt. "I don't want to be alone."

"Zara, I can't."

"Hold me for five minutes?"

How could he say no to that? Whatever they needed to talk about or work through didn't change how he felt about her.

He settled into the couch and opened his arms to her.

She leaned against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her as close as he could.

Within a minute, she fell asleep. He held her and prayed over her until he realized he was drifting off too. He needed to leave.

He kissed her head and slipped out from beneath her, easing her down to the couch. He found a light-weight afghan and covered her shoulders. He kissed her temple and was tempted to say I love you, but he kept that declaration for a time when she was awake and could fully take in the truth of those words.

The next afternoon, Zara got to the station and looked for Will. She'd wanted to call him after waking up, which didn't happen until eleven o'clock. At some point, she had wandered into her room and slept for the remainder of the night in her bed.

She hated being so confused about her and Will's relationship. Had she been clear enough that she regretted her part in their fight? Why hadn't she apologized or told him that she didn't want them to be over?

But she didn't see Will anywhere.

She rushed to roll call, but he didn't come in until the sergeant was already getting started. The wink Will sent her almost undid her in front of the rest of their shift.

After the briefing, Will was called aside, so she didn't get to talk to him then either. She had to get to work and trust that they'd get a chance at some point along the way.

The shift proceeded as normal. A few run-of-the-mill calls. A bunch of traffic stops. And a lot of driving around town. She was headed back toward the station when a call came over the radio for a fight that had broken out in front of a club. She was close. After she reported in, she drove straight there.

She pulled up in front of the address. Dispatch had failed to tell her what kind of club. The rundown building appeared to be one step less shady than a back alley after midnight.

The sign read "The Hive." The very leggy women on the sign left nothing to the imagination of what kind of "club" this was.

Among the half dozen cars parked outside, a woman and a man were screaming at one another. Another man stood to the side with a phone to his ear. Others were gathering around, cell phones up as if they were recording.

Zara sighed. As if all her actions weren't judged enough with a body cam, bystanders taking video made her self-conscious. How would someone misconstrue her actions?

There were enough bad cops out there and enough people looking for any little thing to accuse cops of, the last thing she needed was to be distracted with that line of thinking. She needed to be focused on handling the situation.

She spoke into the radio. "Appears to be domestic, plus crowd gathering. Request backup."

Pulling the car to a stop in front of the strip club, she got out.

"What seems to be the problem here?"

The couple froze and stared at her. The light from her squad car illuminated them.

Ernie. Rainie. You have got to be kidding me.

Backup better get here immediately.

Zara rested one hand on her pistol and the other on her Taser, prepared to draw either if necessary.

Rainie put her hands on her hips. "Seriously, of all the freakin' cops in Hazel Hill, and they send you ?"

"Well, it seems that I was the closest, so why don't we have a nice conversation. What's happening here?"

"She hit me," Ernie bellowed.

"I'm out of jail for less than twelve hours, and he's already at a freakin' topless bar. Who goes out to get a lap dance on a Wednesday night?"

"You didn't expect me to go to church, did ya?"

Zara kind of wished she could just Taser the both of them and be done. "Ernie, maybe it wasn't the best choice."

"You tell 'im. Wait, you still want him for yourself. You conniving little—"

Another squad car pulled into the parking lot, and Logan appeared.

"Everything going okay?" he asked.

"Ernie and Rainie seem to be having a little spat about the fact that Ernie decided to spend his time at this establishment tonight."

The man Zara had spotted with the phone to his ear stepped forward. "Spat? Not hardly. She busted into my building and shoved several of my patrons. One of the girls got a scratch on her back when she fell into a table."

Ernie said, "Yeah, and then she whacked me upside the head with her purse." He stared at Zara as if calculating his next words very carefully. "She assaulted me, and while it may not qualify legally, that thing is a deadly weapon."

Logan stepped up beside Ernie. "How about we go talk over here?"

Zara exchanged a nod with Logan. She moved toward Rainie, though she didn't want to get whacked with the leather purse that hung from her shoulder.

Zara motioned away from the crowd. "Let's go sit on my back bumper."

"I'd rather not. I'll stick to where all their"—she pointed at the people—"cameras can record whatever happens here."

Zara wasn't sure that's what Rainie really wanted. Not after her behavior yesterday.

"You know Ernie told me what a lousy cop you are. Of course he's grateful for that. Apparently, up in Indiana you liked to party as hard as the people you arrested."

"I'm not here to talk about my past, Rainie. We're here because of the way you acted going into this establishment and because you hit Ernie."

"You telling me that you'd be okay if your man decided to spend the evening here instead of with you?"

"No, I totally understand your frustration with him on this, but you didn't handle it well, and for someone who is out on bail, you're treading some thin ice."

Rainie kicked a rock across the ground.

Maybe she was actually calming down and they could deescalate this without having to arrest anyone.

"Rainie, I need to check with the owner, but if he doesn't press charges, why don't you go home? And you and Ernie can talk this through tomorrow when he's sober."

Rainie's gaze darted up to Zara's. "If anyone needs to be arrested, it's Ernie. It's all his fault. If he'd treat me like he promised he would, we'd be fine." She glared past Zara to Ernie who sat on Logan's bumper.

Logan had turned and was talking to the owner of the club who didn't look happy and kept pointing at Rainie.

Zara stepped into Rainie's vision. "Hey. I need you to stay calm. I'll go talk to the owner too and find out where we're at. Can you be chill, or do I need to cuff you and put you in the back seat?" She pointed to her squad car.

Rainie crossed her arms and leaned back against the cruiser. It was something.

Zara turned and walked to Logan and the owner.

"I want her arrested. People can't come into my business in a fit of rage and have no consequences. She's a total lunatic and needs to be locked up for good. People like that shouldn't be allowed to roam free."

Ernie stood. "Don't talk about my girl like that. She's not crazy."

Logan put a hand to Ernie's chest. "Chill, man."

The crowd was inching nearer. It was only a dozen men and about five barely clothed women, but they were all getting too close for comfort.

Zara turned her attention to them. "Y'all need to back up. Better yet, go back inside or go home." She spread her arms and walked toward the crowd, but they didn't back up like normal people.

They needed more police officers on site. She clicked her radio. "Requesting further backup." She gave the address. Hopefully, officers from the new shift would show up. Ones that got some sleep recently. She was too tired to deal with this.

Rainie moved toward the club owner.

Oh no!

Zara abandoned the crowd, but she wasn't fast enough. Neither was Logan.

Rainie shoved the club owner, who shoved her back again.

Everything turned to chaos. Zara could barely figure out whose limbs were whose, as multiple men and women grappled for one another.

Two squad cars pulled in, sirens blaring. Thank You, Jesus.

Zara needed to focus her attention on finding Rainie in the midst of the fighting. She looked over just in time to see Rainie taking off. Ernie was right beside her. They were not getting away from this.

Zara slapped Logan's arm and pointed to the fleeing couple.

Logan and Zara abandoned the crowd, which hadn't quite gone to full blows, and gave chase.

In about ten paces, Zara caught up with Rainie. Zara slammed into her body and nearly took her to the ground. She grabbed the woman's arms and spun her around to avoid falling.

Once she'd gained solid footing, Zara said, "You're not getting away so easy. Rainie, you're under arrest."

The woman tried to rip her arms out of Zara's grasp, but Zara was stronger.

Ernie shouted, "Don't resist, you stupid woman. You'll just make it worse for yourself."

Rainie stopped fighting and allowed Zara to cuff her.

Too many times over the years, she'd heard people speak this way to one another, and it always drove her batty. The whole I'm going to be nice to you and insult you at the same time was so ridiculous.

She and Logan hauled the couple off to the squad cars. Once Rainie and Ernie were tucked inside, Logan and Zara helped wrangle the crowd. The brawl dissipated without any significant injuries.

When Logan told the owner to close for the night, he was livid and demanded that charges be pressed against Rainie.

Zara kept her mouth shut and let Logan handle it, but she wanted to tell the owner about how she thought he should be arrested for running such a filthy "business." No woman should be paraded in front of a bunch of drunk men to be ogled over. Zara knew what it was like, and it wasn't right.

The owner stalked inside his establishment, and Zara and Logan walked back to their cars where Rainie and Ernie waited.

Logan tapped Zara's arm. "Are you doing all right?"

"Tired. I suppose you heard about last night."

He turned and faced her. "I did. And while I'm normally the one to be the downer when talking about relationships, I do think you and Will will be fine. Just be honest with him."

"A downer? Why?"

"They never work out for me. It is what it is. Let's get these two oafs off to lockup. Think we need to press charges on Ernie?"

"Probably not, and while I'd love to see him rot in jail, I don't think he actually broke any laws tonight. But wouldn't hurt to take him in and then let him loose."

"His car is here though. Isn't that rather mean?"

"Eh. Maybe, but he did run from us."

They climbed in their cars, and Zara followed Logan back to the station. It was already after one in the morning. So much for seeing Will before going home.

As they drove, Rainie didn't stop talking. She babbled on and on about Ernie and herself. But she wasn't happy. It quickly became clear to Zara that the chip on Rainie's shoulder that she'd thought was the size of Texas was more like the size of Alaska.

"And you." The pronoun came out in a hiss like a venomous snake's. "I can't believe you're doing this to me. You want him all to yourself, don't you? He told me. But he isn't going to be happy that you locked us up. You'll pay for this. You're gonna have to find out what it's like to be locked up. I bet you have something dirty in your past that you want to keep hidden. Ernie'll dig it up and plaster it all over. You'll lose your job. Although, maybe I'll just let Ernie take you out back. You're gonna regret this."

Did this woman not understand that the dash cam was running and recording every word she said? "Threatening a police officer is not in your best interest."

"Whatever. I swear. I'm not threatening you, I'm calling it the way I see it. You're gonna get locked up just like you're locking me up."

The rest of the drive, Zara tried to tune her out, but never before had Hazel Hill felt like such a large city.