Page 90 of Crash
When she was in Willowbrook, she was relaxed for the first time. It was like being able to take a deep breath after holding it in for years. She felt refreshed and content. Upon her return to the city, she noticed howtensely she held herself in her rigid posture. Almost as if the stress of her environment seeped into her bones. The muscles in her neck and shoulders were more sore recently from constantly being on edge. The sounds of the streets were jarring after weeks spent in the countryside.
She missed small-town living.
Quynh wiped her hands on the dish towel and whirled around. Decision made, she marched up to Griffin, who glanced up when she approached.
“What’s up, sunshine?” Griffin asked.
“Is the offer still on the table?”
“What offer?”
“For me to move back to Willowbrook. I can stay at the apartment or…” She yelped as Griffin grabbed her around the waist and yanked her onto his lap, Pickles getting dislodged with a grumble.
“Yes.” Griffin planted a firm kiss on her lips before she could reply. She melted into his arms as he deepened the kiss, gripping the back of her head and tilting her so he could delve deeper.
The kiss was a promise for the future. For the first time, Quynh was excited about what was to come.
forty-two
QUYNH
Quynh cursed as she struggled to zip up her suitcase. She found it stuffed in the back of her closet and was determined to fit everything she could into it. She sat on top of it and grunted as she finally zipped it shut. Breathing a sigh of relief at completing her task, she collapsed in a heap on the floor, trying to catch her breath.
It was about a week of trying to wrap up her life in the city. Griffin had stayed until Monday morning but left shortly after making her breakfast. He’d dragged his feet, reluctant to leave her, but he needed to get back to his business. It was a painful goodbye as they tried to avoid the inevitable.
But knowing their future together was about to start soon kept her from falling apart. She barely resisted the urge to fall to her knees and beg him to stay with her just a little longer. They hardly slept the night before. Their lovemaking was frantic and desperate. Kisses lingered,and each touch was torturous, knowing they would be separated again.
It wasn’t goodbye.She reminded herself.
They talked on the phone each night, which usually ended with Griffin requesting to FaceTime with her when she was in bed. Things usually got heated after that. Quynh blushed at the memories of them masturbating to each other during a video call.
Modern technology was amazing. She doubted it was why they invented video calls in the first place, but she wasn’t complaining. Recalling his hooded look as lust overtook his expression made her tremble with need.
It had been a long week. She missed his touch. She missed the way he seemed to always know what she needed. She missed her grumpy bear.
Aside from naughty video calls, Quynh worked up the courage to talk to her father. Mostly, it was a one-sided conversation, given his difficulties with breathing, but she didn’t miss the way his eyes teared up when he finally saw her on the screen. It only made her feel more like a terrible daughter for running scared and leaving him behind.
Ruth was harder to get a hold of. She preferred text messages over talking on the phone, which was fine with Quynh. Though it was hard to read the tone through text, Ruth would take more time to soften. Still, she was looking forward to trying.
Her empty apartment echoed as she walked through to make sure she missed nothing. She donated her furniture to the local women's shelter that provided used furniture to women. It made her happy to know her meager belongings could go to someone who needed them much more than she ever did.
After Griffin left, she’d worked up the courage to take Shelly down to the police station. She was anxious about the trip, though she didn’t really know why. The whole situation made her uneasy.
When she finally pulled up to the entrance, she needed a moment to take a deep breath. Walking up to the double doors was intimidating, but she found her way to the front desk without throwing up all over the linoleum floors.
Checking in at the front desk, she was instructed to wait in the waiting area as they retrieved her items. She wasn’t prepared for the detective to come out to greet her. She gulped at his approach.
Her palms were sweating. She tried to wipe her hands on her jeans before shaking the detective’s proffered hand.
“Ms. Le, nice to see you again. Do you have a moment to step into my office?” Detective Callahan asked casually.
“Oh. Sure.” She swallowed nervously before gathering her purse and following the tall detective through the security door. He used his badge to open the doors forthem and led her down a brightly lit, narrow hallway. When they approached an open door, the detective gestured for her to enter before closing the door behind them.
“Please, have a seat.”
She sat down in the tiny chair across from the desk and watched as he made his way into his office chair, fixing his tie as he sat down. The chair creaked under his weight. Detective Callahan leaned forward to meet her gaze, hands clasped together on his desk.
“I wanted to update you on the case,” he started. Her shoulders immediately tensed up again. “After our investigation, we found that Jared Perry had been committing insurance fraud. He was due to be arrested and charged for his crimes. He must have learned about it somehow and took his own life, as you know.” Detective Callahan gestured toward her.
