Page 13 of The Other Side of Green

“Where you going?”

“Going to claim my innocence.”

Evan whistled through his teeth. “Want me to find you a lawyer?”

My shoulders fell. I had to hold onto the small facts that Lyra had shared with me about what went down here after I left. After I ran, rather.

“No, it’s cool.”

“Okay, you know where I am.”

“Sure do. Thousands of miles away.”

“Hey, I offered to hold your hand.”

“Stay there. I appreciate it though.”

“Keep it real, bro.”

“Oh, Evan.” I caught him before he hung up.

‘Yep.”

“Try not to drink all the stock. You never know, we might get to keep the place yet.”

“Yes, sir.” He hung up and I fell back in the leather seat.

Why hadn’t the Collins family made a move?

It wasn’t right. They weren’t the type of people to think things through first. They acted swift and instinctively. I knew that. I’d made enough counter deals with them over the last few years.

Did they even know Lyra had gone? And if they didn’t, then why not?

Knowing I wouldn’t find any answers sitting in my car the rest of the day, I pushed open the door, the heat of the dry day smacking me straight over the head. I guess the air con was working after all.

Clicking the remote, I left the black car parked next to the sidewalk and just hoped I’d have a car when I got back, even just the wheels would be nice. Technically, right now it was all I owned.

Well, apart from Blue’s Bar… something didn’t seem right.

Without giving myself any more time to think, I pushed through the precinct’s front door. The front desk was busy, one officer nodding at a woman who waved a stick around as she told him her grievances. On a bench by the far wall stood three youths, all dressed in tracksuits and hoodies.

Another officer stepped up sipping from a cup of coffee. “Yes, sir?” He took in my clothes, my car key I laid on the front counter all with one practiced sweep of his eye. “How can I help?”

“My name is Jack Cross and I’m here to talk about an attempted murder that happened four years ago.”

The noise of the room faded, and I felt the weight of every stare in the place.

Chapter Four

Lyra ~ Present Day

“What are you doing?” Luca leaned against the doorjamb to the kitchen.

“Cooking,” I stated, pushing a sticky curl back with my forearm.

“I see that, but why? And where did you get all the food?”

Ignoring him, I opened the oven and slid in the lasagna. When I straightened back up it was to find him with his arms crossed and that look on his face which said he wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.