Page 49 of Wishing Stone

My eyes widened in shock. It didn’t matter if I had only done what I thought was right by coming here tonight. If he was in cuffs, there had clearly been an altercation—and it was most likely over me.

Shit.

There would be no talking Alexander from this ledge now. I may have pushed him a little too far this time. Putting one foot in front of the other, I marched toward the three men displaying a confidence that I didn’t really feel. When I reached them, I looked back and forth between the two officers.

“Will someone please tell me why my husband is in handcuffs?” I demanded.

“It’s because he—” one officer began.

“Never mind. The reason doesn’t matter,” I interrupted. “Release him, now.”

The two officers looked back and forth between themselves. I was sure they were contemplating whether Alexander was worth the mountain of paperwork his arrest would bring.

Eventually, one of the officers glanced at Alexander.

“Is this your wife?” he asked him.

“It is, Officer Bailey,” my husband replied through clenched teeth.

With a shake of his head, Officer Bailey moved behind Alexander. “I suppose there’s no harm in letting you go. No reason for you to run into that building like a crazed lunatic anymore now, is there?”

“No, officer,” Alexander said curtly. A moment later, his hands were back out in front of him. When the officers walked away, he eyed me coolly as he took turns rubbing each wrist.

“Alex, I’m so sorry,” I said hurriedly. “I only came here to—”

“Stop talking,” he ordered. Stepping up to me, he yanked the masks from my face, then quieted my tumbling words with a hard press of his lips. There was nothing tender about his mouth. This was an angry kiss driven by worry, fear, and relief. After a few seconds, he tore his mouth from mine and growled in a low voice, “I’m so fucking angry with you.”

“I know. And I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it. I have half a mind to take you over my knee and spank you right here—and I don’t care who’s around to see.”

“I dare you to try it,” I challenged.

“Don’t provoke me, Krystina.”

I angled my chin up stubbornly. “I think I have the right to provoke you all I want after the way you lied. Your need to control everything has gone way too far this time. I may have gone against you by coming here tonight, but I’m done living like a prisoner.”

“What are you talking about?” he quipped.

“Don’t you dare play innocent,” I countered, shaking a finger at him. “You’ve kept me locked up in the house needlessly for months. The virus is practically nonexistent—in particularly, in the city. I’ve been extremely busy with holiday ad campaigns for the past three months and wasn’t following the news—as you were well aware. So imagine my surprise when I popped on the news last night.”

“Your point?”

“Oh, don’t even consider being blasé about this! The news reported zero cases in the last seven days—zero! I know you, and I know how religiously you follow national and local news because of your businesses. Don’t try to pretend you didn’t know this.”

“I did know. I just didn’t know it would be that big of a deal to you. We agreed to take precautions to ensure your safety while we are trying to get pregnant. End of story. Not telling you about it doesn’t make it a lie.”

“Omission is the same as lying,” I countered. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, a stab of guilt hit me. I was accusing Alexander of doing the exact thing that I was doing. I wasn’t lying about my pregnancy but omitting the truth, just as he had. I was the pot calling the kettle black.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. After the stress of the past couple of hours, the last thing I wanted to do was fight with Alexander. All I really wanted was to curl up under a blanket, cocoon in the comfort of my husband’s arms, and pretend as if this were all just a bad dream.

“Look, Alex. Let’s just—” I stopped short when I saw Hannah being led to a police car parked about fifty feet away from where we stood. The officer who had her in his custody placed his hand on her head and guided her into the backseat. “I’ll be right back.”

“The hell you will,” Alexander snapped, but I ignored his protests.

“Wait!” I called out to the officer. Pulling free from Alexander, I rushed over to the vehicle before the officer could close the door.

“Ma’am, I need to—”

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