Page 58 of Shadows of You

Lawson leaned back in his chair. “Shoot.”

“Need it to stay between us.”

Lawson instantly went on alert. “Is this about—?”

“No,” I cut him off, knowing what he was going to ask. “It’s about Aspen.”

His eyes flared in surprise. “What about her?”

“For starters, her name wasn’t always Aspen Barlow. It was Tara Monroe.”

It took Lawson a few beats before shock spread across his face. “Holy hell.”

“I know,” I said, voice low. “You remember the case?”

He nodded. “There were some crazy conspiracy theories around it. People who thought she lied about the husband attacking her.”

My jaw went rock-hard. “Idiots.”

Lawson grunted in agreement. “The blood spatter on his clothes clearly showed he was the assailant.”

“But people hated thinking the charming doctor could do something like that.”

Lawson shook his head. “I can’t imagine what she’s been through.” He studied me thoughtfully. “I’ve known her for years, and she’s never said a word. You’ve only known her a matter of days, and she opened up.”

I shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t a question, but it called for an answer, nonetheless. “It was happenstance, really.”

The words felt like a lie, but I let them stand. I took Lawson through everything Aspen had endured, and by the time I stopped talking, he looked about ready to tear his office apart.

“What the hell is wrong with people?” he snarled.

“My thoughts exactly.”

Lawson scrubbed a hand over his face. “What do you know about the podcast?”

“From what I can tell, they’ve got a big audience. Almost half a million followers on their social accounts.”

“Shit,” he grumbled. “You think they heeded your warning?”

“Nope. Drove by their rental cabin on my way into town. They’re still there.”

Lawson stared at me for a beat. “And how’d you find out where they were staying?”

I shrugged. “Not really important.”

He sighed. “Roan.”

“I’m not asking you to use the information in a court of law.”

“I know, but—”

“All you need to worry about is giving them an official warning that sends them packing. If they don’t listen, I’ll play bad cop.”

Lawson frowned. “But you’re not a cop.”

“Okay, I’ll playif you don’t get your sorry asses out of here and never bother Aspen again, you’ll live to regret it.”

Lawson was silent for a long time as if choosing his words extremely carefully. “This has to bring up things for you.”

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