Page 5 of Whatever It Takes

He stared at me in disbelief. “Really, Charlotte? You’re going to give me shit when I’m trying to help you.”

I crossed my arms over my stomach, trying to get my pulse to return to normal. “I have a lot going on right now. I can’t deal with you too. Please, I’ll do whatever the police tell me to do, but you can’t be the one to help me. I’ll deal with anyone but you.”

He looked like my words wounded him and that confused me. He was the one who blindsided me when he broke off our engagement. I had to come to terms with the fact that I lost the love of my life. I grieved for him and never quite recovered. I promised him forever, and I meant it. Too bad he didn’t.

A stabbing pain hit my chest at the reminder. It was like tearing open a wound that never completely healed.

“Look, Mrs. Anderson…” Detective Rubin’s gaze shifted over to Quinn in warning and then back to me. “We’re not here to make things worse for you. The US Marshal’s office will be reaching out to you again tomorrow. If anything new develops in the meantime, please contact my office. We have officers patrolling your neighborhood looking for anything out of the ordinary. Please keep your doors and windows locked at all times. In other words, be vigilant.”

I silently nodded my head as he made his way to the door.

Quinn stood off to the side. He looked torn on whether he should stay or go. His mouth parted slightly like he wanted to say something. My eyes bored into his, pleading with him to give me some space. As curious as I was to confront him and demand an explanation, I just needed a minute to catch my breath.

Detective Rubin clasped Quinn on the shoulder. “We should get going.”

It seemed like it was taking every ounce of his self-control to turn away from me. “Yeah.” He hesitated on his way out and looked back at me one last time.

We held eye contact for a long, uncomfortable minute. His stare was stirring things up inside me that I thought were long dead and buried. But that’s the thing about long-lost loves. Sometimes they return when you least expect them.

I wanted to convince myself that this meant nothing, even though I knew in my heart that this was going to change everything.

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