Page 82 of His Virgin Romance Series

“It has to be someone I know,” I said quickly. “Because they managed to get into my apartment without actually breaking and entering. There was no disruption, nothing out of the ordinary, and the drugs would have had to be in my closet for a few days at—”

I stopped abruptly as suddenly the puzzle pieces came together in my head and I realized who it was that had framed me.

“Jared?” I heard Manolo’s voice call my name as if from a great distance.

I remembered that day, months ago now, when Manolo had stopped me for my broken taillight. He had let me off the hook out of respect for the work I did and the role I played in keeping the community safe, but I had hidden something from him that day. I remembered vividly, seeing the bag of pot fall out of Brent’s front jacket pocket and cursing him in my head for putting me in this situation in the first place.

I remembered going to his apartment and flushing the pot down the drain. He had been a little annoyed with me, but he hadn’t freaked out like I had assumed he would. It was almost as though he had a larger stash hidden somewhere, so the loss of the pot he had left with me was not a great loss.

Then I recalled the so-called “business” he kept talking about. He never gave me any details about it; he hadn’t even given Rachel many details. He was always so shady. Rachel had said so herself.

And then another little detail hit me, and I felt goosebumps erupt on my hands. Detective Jones had told me that the drugs had been found in my closet. I remembered Rachel mentioning to me that Brent’s closet was always locked. It was the only place in the whole apartment that seemed to be completely off-limits to everyone apart from Brent. Everything connected in my head, and suddenly, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt the person that was responsible for setting me up.

The saddest part of all of it was that I wasn’t surprised.

“Jared?” Manolo’s voice was louder this time.

“I think I know who did it,” I said.

Manolo frowned. “Who?”

“I have this friend. His name is Brent Jacobs,” I said. “I met him a few years ago. I know he smokes pot, but I thought that was the extent of it. He quit his job a few months ago to start his own ‘business.’ Except no one really knows what his business is in the first place.”

Manolo nodded. “You think he’s the dealer?”

“He could have gotten into my apartment easily enough. He paid attention when he wanted to, and he would have known that I keep a spare key under my mat outside my front door.”

“How would he have known that?”

“I’m dating his sister.”

“Fuck,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” Manolo nodded. “I’m going to check this out. If there’s anything to find, I’ll find it.”

I sighed in relief. “Thanks, Manolo; I owe you big time.”

Manolo gave me a brief nod and headed towards the door. He was about to leave when he turned to me abruptly. “I think your lawyer just got here.”

“Thank God,” I sighed.

“Hang in there, Jared,” Manolo told me before he left.

I sat there with my head in my hands, cursing the day I met Brent Roberts. The fucker was trying to ruin my life, and if we didn’t get to the truth, then he would succeed, and everything I’d worked so hard to build would be gone.

Then I thought about Rachel and realized that never meeting Brent would mean never meeting her. I wondered if that was for the best, especially given how easily she had believed I was guilty.

I thought about it for exactly five seconds and realized that despite everything, I still loved Rachel and knowing her was worth meeting Brent.

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