Page 89 of Dead Man's Alibi

Which soundeddire.“You’re freaking me out.”Nate looked around the parking lot, expecting to see someone else.Particularly… “Where’s Sam?”

“We’re going to go see her right now.Just…” Cal trailed off and came to a stop.

Nate did too when he saw who was standing at Cal’s car.

Hayes.

For a moment, Nate felt a rage so blinding, he moved forward without even thinking it through or what he’d do once he reached Hayes, but Cal grabbed his arm before he got too far.

“Don’t,” Cal warned.“You just got out of jail.”

The fury in him wasn’t too worried about going back if he got to land a fist in Jake Hayes’s fucking face.If he was released, if someone else had done it—a cop no less—had Jake known all along?Nate wasn’t sure hatred was an adequate word for what was roiling through him.

It was only the fact he just wanted Sam that cut through the pounding need to land a blow.

He was still surprised she wasn’t here, but maybe Cal had told her not to be.Cal would take him home and then…

Home.God, he couldcry, and that was pathetic.So he focused on anger and JakefuckingHayes.

“What are you doing here, Jake?”Cal said, sounding so exhausted Nate was about to get even more worried.

Because he should bepissed, not weary.

“We don’t need this right now.”

But Jake didn’t look at Cal.He was looking at Nate.He had his hands shoved in his pockets, and while he looked pissed, he didn’t look… smug or antagonist.

“I owe you an apology.”

An apology.For falsely imprisoning him?For… all of this?

Nate snorted.“Go fuck yourself and your apology.”

Jake’s expression went hard.“The evidence pointed to you.”

“Fake evidence, apparently.Since I didn’t kill anyone.Did you help him plant the evidence, or are you just that shitty at your job?”

Jake didn’t respond to that right away.His jaw worked.

He looked a bit like he was swallowing something sour.“I made a mistake.I made a lot of mistakes.No, I didn’t help that prick, but I certainly made it easy on him.So, I’m sorry.Maybe an apology means nothing.That’s fair.”

“You’re damn right it’s fair.”Nate looked at Cal.“I don’t want to fucking do this.”

“But I’m apologizing either way,” Jake said before Cal could do anything about it.“I imagine someone will talk you into suing me or the department.That’s your right.”

“Thanks for the permission, asshole.”

“But regardless of what you decide to do, I wanted it to be clear.I apologize.I made a mistake, and Iamsorry for it.I will always be sorry for it.”

Nate nearly hated him as much for this apology, that seemed genuine, as for everything else.Because an apology didn’t change jack shit, even if Nate understood that people fucked up and made mistakes.

And if Jake was telling the truth, he hadn’tmeantto make the mistake.

It didn’t change the fact he’d hurt Sam in the process or fucked with Nate’s entire damn life.

So he didn’t offer Hayes any platitudes.He didn’t offer himanything.He moved around him and got in the passenger side of Cal’s car.He closed his eyes and tried to breathe through everything roiling around inside of him.Relief and fury and… too many other complicated things to name.

He could vaguely hear Cal talking to Jake outside.