Page 70 of Healing Hearts
Saying that to him goes against everything we agreed to in the beginning. I don’t know if wecango back to being friends if I declare my feelings. Despite what he said, I could see himwithdrawing if he wasn’t either on the same page as me or ready to admit he was. Trent’s past weighs so heavily on him, and it’s difficult to know if the success of these past few months with the shop, with me, has made that weight heavier or lighter.
At this point, I think I could survive us going back to being just friends. It would be hard—so, so hard—but I would rather that than not have him in my life at all.
Given where we’re at, it’s hard to imagine not leaving my door open, having him slip under the covers, curling around him, breathing in the scent of his vanilla-based cologne with a hint of motor oil.
If anyone had told me I’d one day find motor oil to be an aphrodisiac, I’d have been mortified. But here we are.
My phone rings as I’m driving toward my real estate office, and I see Maggie’s name on my dash display. I hit Answer, and I say, “I wasn’t avoiding you after your little comment.”
“Can you pull over?” Maggie says, and I can hear the tension in her voice.
“I’m almost at the office. Is everyone okay?”
“No one is in imminent danger,” Maggie says. “Call me back when you get to the office.”
Ever since our dad died, we’ve both been twitchy about calls with this sort of vibe, so I know Maggie understands how seriously I take her tone. The minute I’m in the real estate parking lot, I call her back.
“What’s going on?” I ask as soon as she answers. From the buzz in the background, she must be at town hall in the mayor’s office.
“I just heard that the police raided Trent’s shop. He’s been taken in for questioning.”
“What?” I breathe out the word, shock hitting me like a wave of ice-cold water. “What?” I say again.
“Dan Ramouli was arrested a few days ago on suspicion of running a drug ring in Utica that’s spilled into Little Falls.”
“Oh no,” I say. “He came to Trent’s shop and threatened him.”
“Did he?” Maggie sounds surprised. “Dan was always such a dick. You don’t think Trent—”
“No, absolutely not.” I have zero doubts about Trent’s culpability. He’s so paranoid about his past coating him that he’s probably dying inside right now.
“If I go to the station, do you think they’ll let me see him?”
“He’s not arrested,” Maggie says. “I’m being told he was brought in for questioning. I sent Mom down, just to see. I’d go home and wait. He should be released. I just…” I can almost hear Maggie shaking her head. “I can’t believe he’d get involved inanyof that again.”
Iknowhe hasn’t. I have zero doubts. But the other thing I know, the thing that’s causing my stomach to sink with dread, is that Trent isn’t going to take any of this well.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Trent
My head is so fucking mixed up that I don’t know what I’m thinking or feeling. After vowing I’d never end up here again—obeying the speed limit, always getting a designated driver, ignoring Dan’s threats to my business—I still somehow ended up under suspicion.
My lawyer, Thomas Rodriguez, came as soon as I called. We’re in a separate room to meet before I get questioned, which I suspect means he thinks I actually could be mixed up in this. I’ve got nothing to hide.
“Alright,” Thomas says, consulting his notes. “The police traced a drug ring from Utica to Little Falls. The problem is that it appears to have started in Little Falls around the time you took over Mullen Mechanics. Or at least, that’s when the police have been able to trace it back to.”
“Nobody can be saying I’m part of this,” I say. “I didn’t do shit.”
“Dan has said he approached you, and you agreed to run some drugs.”
“What?” I practically yell the word. “That slimy motherfucker. That’s not true. It’s not true. They won’t be able to find one ounce of evidence to link us.”
But then I remember the break-in, how we all assumed it was Dan, but we never got a clear answer about who did it. We cleaned up the shop after that, but what if Dan planted something. That’d be just like him. Whoever had been in there had tried to break into my computer system, so they were clearly aiming to do more than steal a few tools.
“Are they arresting me?” I ask.
“You’re correct in that they don’t have any evidence, other than Dan’s comments, to link you two.” He takes a deep breath. “Yet. They have the warrant to search your shop, your computers, and your security system.”
