Page 5 of Cuffed (Everyday Heroes 1)
But my past is far different from her past.
Leave it be. Leave her be.
“You done chitchatting, Malone? We have a job to do.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I nod to Nate but hold up a finger before turning back to Desi. “Tell me something? Has she had a good life?” The question is out before I can stop it and is so very different from the one I had intended. I feel like a douchebag for asking, but I need to know. “Sorry. Never mind. Nice to meet you, Desi.” I smile and walk away.
I take about five steps before she speaks. “From what I know, she has.” I stop and look back to her. “The girl is a bundle of perpetual motion and laughter. Maybe it’s a cover. Maybe it isn’t. But it’s how she’s been since I met her ten years ago.”
“That’s good to hear. Thank you.”
“Why would you ask that?” She angles her head and takes a step closer.
“When we were little, she was that friend. You know, the one who—”
“She’s that to me, too. I get it. No need to explain.” Her face softens, and her posture relaxes. “I can give you my phone number if you want.”
My smile shifts to a grin. “Uh, well—”
“I’m not hitting on you, Officer Sexy. Although, while I’m sure you’ve charmed more than your fair share of women out of their clothes with your smile and uniform alone, you’re not my type.”
I choke on a laugh, loving this woman I’ve just met and her brazen personality. “My ego isn’t liking you right now.”
“Ego, shmeego.” She waves a hand at me in indifference before digging in her purse and pulling out a business card. “Go on. Take it.” She holds it out to me. “You know, just in case you change your mind . . . or if you want to check on her again.”
I take the card she offers, and with one last look that tells me somehow she understands, she turns to her friends and they walk away.
“You ready?”
Nate looks irritated that I’m not reacting. “Sure. Yes. Sorry.”
“Who was the woman?”
“Someone I haven’t seen in a while.”
“An old girlfriend?”
“Nah. We’re talking third grade here.”
“It’s you, Malone. You probably had the girls lined up to play four square with you back then.” He chuckles, and I roll my eyes. “Why’d she bail?”
“I’m not quite sure.” I look down to where I’m turning the card over in my hand and stare at Desi’s name but think of Emmy instead.
One thing is certain, Desi isn’t here on vacation. The address on the card and area code are both local, which means she lives here. Does that mean Emerson lives here, too?
Forget about it. If Em lives here and hasn’t sought me out, she doesn’t want to see me.
But I know I can’t forget.
I’ve never been able to.
She obviously doesn’t want this ghost from her past around.
That’s the funny thing about ghosts, though.
You can’t control when they appear or how they might affect you, but they always haunt you.
The engine’s roar fills my ears.
