Fifteen

FIFTEEN

Everett

L eo was officially the worst co-conspirator for a stalking mission.

We'd be on this "case" for three days straight, watching Carmen's moves the moment she left the house in the mornings, and somehow, I'd restrained from strangling him and locking his body in my trunk.

Carmen's daily routine—driving across the state for shopping, wedding and house planning, more shopping—was as entertaining as watching grass grow, and Leo's commentary made it even more insufferable.

"We need more cheese puffs," he said, leaning back in the passenger seat. "I can't completely focus on today's assignment without fresh cheese puffs."

"You know what?" I cranked my engine. "I think we can just call this all a wild goose chase and move on with our lives."

"Not yet," he said. "She has two more things on her schedule today: shopping for custom shoes and a dress fitting. We're just now getting to the exciting part."

"You're being sarcastic, aren't you?"

" Yes ." He laughed. "Look, if Carmen was cheating on you, and hey—maybe she was—we have no way of proving it. If Dahlia caught some guy sending her flowers or something, it could've just been some asshole from her past, but that's not a crime."

"Once and for all, Leo—" I looked over at him. "Whose side are you on?"

"At this very moment, whichever side gets me a good night's sleep."

"Fine." I checked the time. "You can go back to your car. Just let me know when Carmen goes inside the dress shop and I'll go home. I might need to atone for this in the biggest way possible."

"You can start by writing me a check."

"Get out."

He laughed and stepped out of the car.

Slamming my door shut, he jaunted out of view.

Just so you know…

Just so you know, I looked into everything you claimed and…

I know unresolved emotions linger between us regarding how things went down, but the past needs to remain in the…

I couldn't figure out how to send a final text message to Dahlia.

As I was redrafting it, I heard a familiar laugh echoing through the alley.

I glanced through my rear-view mirror and spotted Carmen.

Armed with more shopping bags, she was watching something on her phone. Then she walked past my car and crossed the street.

I called her.

"Hey babe," she answered.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Some last-minute strolling in Nashville. I needed fresh air."

"Want some company?"

"Are you going to teleport here between now and my fitting?" She smiled. "I'll see you at home tonight. Can't wait to show you this thing I bought for our honeymoon. Love you."

"Love you, too," I said, ending the call.

She rounded the corner, and I stared at the screen, waiting for Leo's inevitable call.

minutes passed without an alert, so I called him instead.

"Yeah?" He picked up on the first ring.

"Why didn't you call me?" I asked.

"Because unfortunately, Carmen hasn't made it to this street yet," he said. "Trust me, I'm watching like a hawk."

"I watched her turn the corner a couple of seconds ago."

"Dude, no one has gone inside this dress shop. I promise. There's no one even—Oh, I see her. She's getting into a car."

"What type of car?"

"A Mercedes AMG, I think, and…" His voice trailed off. "It has New York tags."

"Are you going to follow?"

"Ten steps ahead of you," he said. "They're driving north, so come that way so you can get in my car."

I pulled onto the street and tried not to let my mind run wild.

If Carmen were cheating on me, I'd be beyond upset, but I wouldn't be as crushed as when Dahlia did it to me.

I wouldn't allow myself to be…