CHAPTER 37

"S o, what does this mean? And why are you here?" Marin asked and looked from Frank to Kieran and over to Carina. "Frank said you weren't on this case anymore."

"I'm not," Carina replied.

"She's with me," Kieran said and took Carina's hand.

"No shit?" Marin asked her sister.

"Yeah, no shit," Kieran replied.

Carina smiled and said, "I'm not here as a lawyer. I'm just here for her."

"She's my moral support."

"Moral support? She tried to lock me up," Marin noted.

"She's been helping me try to get you out of here, actually," Kieran argued.

"Technically, I was trying to help find the truth."

"Babe, you're not helping here," Kieran told her.

"Babe? It's ‘babe' now? You're a lesbian? What happened to that ex-husband?"

"He's still my ex-husband. Carina is my current girlfriend."

"Well, hopefully, a future one, too," Carina said.

"Can we get back to the reason we're all here, please?" Frank requested. "I'm getting a headache."

"Yeah, when do I get out?" Marin asked.

"Well, you don't," Frank replied.

"What are you talking about? The asshole confessed. Don't you have him on film or something? Take that to a judge and get him to let me out of here."

"Marin, you didn't kill anyone, but you still have fraud counts," Frank explained. "The DA has agreed to give you two years, and you'd be out in one on good behavior."

"I'm going to prison for changing my name?"

"You didn't just change your name; you did it illegally, and that's a problem. I did, however, convince the ADA to let you serve out your remaining time here at county instead of at the state's max prison, so you won't be transferred. And you'll have time served credited to you, so it's less than a year. All in all, I think you'll be out of here in maybe six months, assuming you can find a place to live since you'll be on probation after that."

"Carina got Kevin, the ADA on the case now, to agree to let you live with me for six months. After that, you can go wherever you want."

"Live with you?" Marin asked.

"Is that okay?"

"I have to live with someone?"

"It's the connection to family here that gave the DA the reason to let you out earlier than he would've otherwise. Kieran is not your babysitter, though. You'll have an ankle monitor and will be permitted to go anywhere within a few miles and to a job, which you'll also need to find," Frank replied. "It's only for six months."

"Do you even want me there with you?" she asked Kieran.

"Yes, of course, I do," Kieran replied. "You're my sister, Marin. I want to have time to get to know you where you're not in cuffs and an orange jumpsuit."

"But living together? Do you have space?"

"I have an office that I can turn into a guest room, and I can work in the living room. There's space out there for a few months. It's not a big deal. Plus, I'll be staying at Carina's place sometimes, so–"

"I can't hear this," Frank interrupted. "You're supposed to be there every night."

"So, a babysitter, then?" Marin asked. "You said she wasn't a babysitter."

"She's–"

"I'm your sister," Kieran said. "And we have a whole lot of DNAdiscovery.com matches to go through together and decide who we want to contact. We might be able to find our birth parents together." She smiled, and Carina squeezed her hand. "After the six months, I'll help you find an apartment here or somewhere else, if you want."

"I don't know what I want. I might want to go back to Florida after."

"Okay. That'll be up to you."

"But I'd want to, you know, keep in touch if I leave. I never had a real sister. I never had anyone fight for me how you have since we met."

"She's the reason you're not going to trial for murder," Carina volunteered. "Sorry, Frank."

"Don't be sorry. I can admit that Kieran figured it all out. She was my official outside consultant, after all." He winked at Kieran. "That's what it says on all my paperwork, anyway, to make it okay that she had info she probably shouldn't have had otherwise. At least, not when she had it."

"I couldn't have helped had you not sent me that footage you weren't supposed to and filled out that paperwork, I guess."

"True," Frank said and gave Kieran a smile.

"I guess I should thank all of you." Marin looked at Carina then and added, "Well, not you, maybe. You were fighting against me – in the beginning, at least – and now, you're maybe fucking my sister, I think. So, that's not cool unless you're really good at it and Kieran's all about it. You all about it?"

"Okay. Can we not call it fucking ?" Kieran requested.

"Is she not doing that for you?" Marin asked, looking deeply concerned.

"She's taking care of me just fine."

Carina probably looked a little smug then.

"So, you'll be loud when I move in? Should I get headphones or something?"

"Anyway…" Frank stood. "I'm going to go finalize this deal, if you're in agreement, and before you say no to this one, too, Marin – this is the best you're going to get. It's either this, or years in prison."

"Yeah, fine. I'm in. I can handle six more months of this." She turned back to Kieran. "You'll keep visiting?"

"Of course," Kieran said. "I can't get here every day, but I'll try every other. The time will fly by."

"I doubt that. But it's better than being here forever," Marin said. "You really think we can find our birth parents?"

Frank cleared his throat and said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Marin. With a deal for you to sign."

"Oh, okay. Sure."

Frank opened and closed the door behind himself.

"I don't know if we can," Kieran said honestly. "But we have some connections that might know who they were, at least. Maybe if we can learn what happened or find out if they're still around, that'll give us something."

"But don't you have a mom still?"

"I do. She'll always be my mother. I love her. Just like I loved my dad. Still, when I found out that I was adopted, I couldn't help it. I battled with myself, but I knew that I wanted to know. I'm sure it's no fairy-tale ending, but I don't need that. Maybe just the truth about who they were and why we were dumped in an alley."

"That would be a good start, yeah," Marin agreed.

"Well, we should probably go now. Visiting hours are almost over, so they're going to kick us out. Do you need more money in your account?"

"No, I'm good. Maybe next week, though. Thanks."

"No problem," Kieran replied. "And I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Hey, can my sister and I have a sec?" Marin asked Carina.

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Sorry." Carina stood up and let go of Kieran's hand. "I'll just be outside."

"Okay. Thanks." Kieran smiled at her.

Carina left the room and greeted the officer waiting outside it this time. Now that Marin was no longer charged with murder, they were a little more relaxed about her visits. A few minutes later, the door opened, and Kieran came out.

"Everything okay?" Carina asked.

Kieran smiled and shook her head.

"She wanted to know how I got a hot lawyer."

"Diego?" Carina teased.

"She said hot ," Kieran replied.

"Good answer," Carina said, laughing. "The others are probably at the bar already." She took Kieran's hand. "Let's go celebrate?"

"She asked if I'd get her noise-canceling headphones," Kieran added as they started walking.

"Well, maybe you should . It would be nice. Your office is right next to your bedroom, and if the office becomes her room, she'll definitely hear us."

"I was thinking we'd maybe just have sex at your place, and you could just sleep over at mine."

"Awkward morning-afters with your sister are not your thing?"

"I don't know. I've never done that."

"Well, you can stay over at my place whenever you want. Are you sure you're okay with giving up your office, though? You love it so much."

"It's only for six months. More, if she needs to stay longer, but there's room in the living room, and I don't want her to sleep on the couch after getting out of jail."

"If she needs longer, you could consider just staying with me more," Carina suggested.

"More than a few times a week?" Kieran asked as they handed in their badges and left the jail.

"Yeah. Like, when your lease is up."

Kieran stopped and turned to her.

"You're asking me to move in right now, aren't you?"

"No one said right now ," Carina tossed back.

"No, I mean, you're asking right now for me to move in one day ."

"Oh, yeah. I'm throwing it out there as a possibility for the future."

"Throwing it out there, huh?"

"I'm only suggesting that should this relationship still be happening, which I hope it is, you could maybe move in with me unofficially when the six months for Marin is up, and she could stay at your place on her own more until she finds one. It would give us some practice living together, and when your lease is up, you might as well not sign a new one."

"How likely are you to be using that gym you bought stuff for?"

"Now that Tinley's gone and has taken the bed? Probably never. Why?"

"Can I maybe put a desk in there and have my own setup like I do at my place?"

Carina smiled and said, "Tomorrow, if you want."

"It's not a living together thing necessarily, but I want to give Marin some space, too. Once she settles in, I'll do it; set up a monitor or just bring my laptop in there. Maybe I can work from your place after I sleep over some days, and she could be on her own a bit."

"That's six months away, though." Carina wrapped her arms around Kieran's neck. "What about now ?"

"Now, we're meeting friends at a bar, and we only met a few months ago." She winked at Carina.

"I'm telling you that you can set up the office now , if you want. I'll help you. That way, when you do stay over now, you'll have it, too. I want you to have your own space, babe. You never got that in your old house. It doesn't have to mean that you live with me. It's just a desk and some monitors that can be easily moved if you get sick of me." Carina smiled at her.

"Can I ask you something serious?"

"I don't know. Am I going to be disappointed or sad?"

"I hope not," Kieran replied as she wrapped her arms around Carina's waist.

"Then, ask away."

Kieran bit her lip and held on to it for a moment before letting it go.

"How soon is it okay to… tell someone that you love them?" she asked. "It took literal years with Diego, and I don't think that was a good thing, but it might be too soon for us, and I don't want to scare you or–"

"Kieran?"

"Yeah?"

Carina cupped her cheek and said, "Babe, there's no right or wrong time. You just say it when you feel it. And I think you have to know that, if I'm over here telling you to set up an office in my house and talking about you moving in with me one day, this isn't some short-term thing for me." She smiled because she couldn't keep herself from doing it. "I love you."

Kieran's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I said it." Carina gave her a challenging expression.

"I was going to say it first," Kieran replied.

"Well, you didn't, so I did."

"I totally gave you the all-clear with my question, though, so I should really get credit here. I mean, come on, Carina."

"Just say it," Carina said laughing.

"No, now I'm not going to. You'll have to wait until I'm in the mood again," she teased.

"What? Kieran, come on."

Kieran's hand went to the back of Carina's neck, and she pulled her in for a searing kiss right there in the parking lot of the county jail.

"I love you. Better?"

"I am kind of glad we're not having kids, so we don't have to tell them we said that for the first time in a jail."

" Outside of a jail. There's a big difference."

Carina took Kieran's hand, and they headed toward her car. When they pulled up at the bar, Kieran got out first, walked around, and took Carina's hand. They walked into the bar together just like that and met their friends at the booth.

"Hey. I hear you were victorious in proving your sister was innocent," Kenna said before Kieran could even sit down.

"Jesus, Kenna. Let the girl at least order a drink before you ask her for the story," Ada suggested. "And I hear my wife played a pretty big part in closing three cold cases along with another pretty important one to us this year."

"Busy few months for you, huh?" Hollis noted before she took a sip of her drink and wrapped an arm around Raleigh's shoulders.

"It's what I love to do," Dylan said. "As weird as that sounds."

"And she's very good at it, which is why we're here to also toast to the fact that she's been made a captain. It's official and everything," Ada offered.

Dylan blushed a little and didn't say anything.

"Congrats, Dylan. You've earned it," Raleigh said.

"Agreed," Ripley added.

"Hey, I'll wait until after you get that drink, but I think the story's even better now. Can we talk later?"

"Yeah, in like, six months, when my sister is out of jail. So, chill," Kieran replied.

"That's usually my line," Ripley added.

"Hey!" Kenna looked over at her wife with a wide smile on her face.

Carina laughed and said, "I'm going to order at the bar. I'll be right back. What do you want?"

"Whatever you're having."

"I'm having wine," she said.

"Then, wine," Kieran replied and kissed her cheek.

Carina smiled and walked to the bar, where she waited for the bartender to approach.

"Hey. Your usual?"

"Two, please," Carina replied just as Jessa walked out from the back office and spied her at the bar.

"Hey," Jessa said as she walked over. "We're so busy; you had to come to the bar to order. Can you give me, like, fifteen to get the line down, and we can go in the back?"

"I need to talk to you about that, actually," Carina replied and nodded toward the group.

"Oh, you're here with your friends. Got it."

"And my girlfriend," Carina revealed.

"Shit. Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile.

"Okay. Got it. Let me know if anything changes again. And have a good night, I guess."

"I hope it doesn't," Carina said. "With my girlfriend, I mean."

"Understood," Jessa replied. "Her drinks are on me," she added to the bartender. "For old times' sake." She then winked at Carina, and Carina knew that she understood that they wouldn't ever be having sex in this bar again.