Page 28 of Leif

And now the call that something had changed had come. I glanced at the bathroom door. She’d gone in to take a hot bath, and I was sitting on the bed, holding my phone and waiting for the next text.

It’s just a technicality.

The words bothered me. Mel didn’t even know it yet, but she was going to be fired on a technicality. I waited for more information to follow, thankful for my contact, and biting back anger. I wasn’t mad at my contact, I was mad at the department.

Transporting a prisoner across state lines is never to be done by a single officer.

But her partner had food poisoning.Still, that excuse was thin. I knew that. I’d known it all along, but I’d hoped for the best.

That doesn’t change anything, unfortunately.

I lowered the phone to my lap, my mind working a million miles a second. Being a cop meant everything to Mel. Losing that status would destroy her. She’d risked her life. She’d been taken hostage and went through hell. She deserved a hero’s homecoming. She didn’t deserve to be fired.

I’m sorry.

Thanks for letting me know.I knew it wasn’t his fault. I didn’t doubt he’d let this go without a fight.

I wouldn’t either.

I was going to do everything I could to help her. And I hoped she never even found out about any of it. Lifting my phone, I dialed a different number with hesitant fingers.

I heard him pick up even though he said nothing. “I need a favor.”

“You have a lot of nerve calling me.” He didn’t even sound mad, just…cold.

“I know.” I let out a sigh.

“What do you want?”

“Officer Melanie Jacobs is going to be fired.” I glanced at the bathroom door as the water turned off on the other side. I stood up and left the room so she couldn’t hear me talking about this. I didn’t want to be the reason she found out this awful news. Not until I had a chance to try to fix it.

Hitch looked up at me in surprise from the couch as I walked through the living room and stepped out the front door onto the doorstep.

“Why do you care?” The squeak of a chair on the other end of the line told me he was leaning back in his office chair. He was likely behind that same old desk I remembered him behind when I was a young boy. I’d been terrified of him then. Now I simply felt nothing for him, which might have made things worse.

“I just do. Can you help her keep her job?”

He sighed. “Fine. But I don’t owe you shit after this. I don’t give a damn if she keeps the job or not, we’re done.”

I nodded. I knew that calling in this favor would ruin this already rocky relationship. “I understand that. Can you do it?” I also hoped he wouldn’t get suspicious of my reasons or start asking questions. Not that he gave a damn, so he probably wouldn’t even waste his time thinking about it.

“I’ll try. Don’t call me again.” He hung up, and I stared at the phone, wondering when things had gone so wrong. A lifetime ago, we’d been close. Now we were as good as enemies.

My phone lit up, and I answered Draco’s call. “Haven’t heard from you in a while.” He sounded concerned, and I let go of the anger and concern and tried to trust that everything would work out exactly how it was supposed to.

“I think I’m in love with her.” I ran a hand down my face, then blinked and scanned the tree line.

Draco was silent a moment, and then I heard Luna let out a victorious shout in the background.

“Congratulations!” she said.

I chuckled. “Thanks. I think.” Her congratulations sounded positive, at least, instead of mocking as I expected. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” she said. “And the morning sickness is awful!”

I smiled. An image of Mel swollen and pregnant with our child filled my mind, and I tried to shove that thought away. We’d made no promises and hadn’t even discussed our stances on kids. It was too soon to be thinking about things like her carrying my child. She didn’t even know how I felt about her.

Draco spoke up, sounding tired and worried all at the same time. “Are you okay?”

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