Page 105 of Indigo Ridge (The Edens 1)

Without a word, I joined him on the porch, fit the key into the lock and walked inside.

He followed me to the living room, waves of fury radiating off his chest.

I let my purse plop to the floor by my shoes, then faced Griff, ready to get this argument over with.

It would likely be our last. This was the end.

Later tonight, when I was alone in my bed, I’d mourn the loss of Griffin. My rugged cowboy who carried so much on his broad shoulders. I’d miss him. I’d cry for what we might have been. Probably more than I’d cried over Skyler.

Even furious, Griff was handsome. His chiseled jaw was clenched. His eyes, hidden beneath that baseball cap I loved so much, were ice cold.

“You talked to Briggs.” It was an accusation, not a statement.

“Yes.”

“Mom and Dad called their lawyer. He’s to be present for any other discussions you have with my uncle.”

“That’s fine. Briggs could have asked for a lawyer to be there today.”

Griff looked at the wall, his jaw pulsing as his nostrils flared. “It’s all over town. I stopped by the coffee shop. Lyla said she’s been asked about five times why Briggs was arrested today. So now my family is fielding phone calls, having to tell everyone he wasn’t arrested and it was just a routine meeting.”

Goddamn Officer Smith. He was the only one who’d seen me escort Briggs into my office. Not even Janice had been around, having taken a lunch break. Smith, that asshole, was going to learn a lesson in confidentiality first thing tomorrow morning.

“I’m sorry. I tried to be discreet.”

“Discreet would have been having that conversation anywhere but at the police station. Discreet would have been telling me first.”

“I did tell you first,” I hissed, stepping forward to poke a finger in his chest. “I came to you this morning. Do you really think I want to make Briggs look like a fool?”

He didn’t answer.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“I know how this town works. There’s a lot of gossip.”

“Something you’ve explained to me many times. Which was why the only person in the station was Officer Smith. I questioned Briggs in my office with the door closed. No one was present. I recorded the discussion. Me and me alone. But I have a job to do.”

“A job.”

“Yes, a job.” I tossed up my hands. “Do you know how many rules I broke by telling you first? If anyone ever found out, my investigation would be compromised.”

“What investigation? What do you think you’re going to find? Those girls killed themselves, Winn. It’s fucking sad. It’s fucking horrible. But it’s the fucking truth. It was suicide.”

“But what if it wasn’t?” My voice bounced off the walls. “What if it wasn’t, Griff?”

“You think my uncle killed them?”

“No, I don’t,” I admitted. To him. To myself. “That doesn’t mean I can ignore the questions. What if? What if it was your sister who you’d found on Indigo Ridge? What if it was Lyla or Eloise or Talia? I cannot live with the what-ifs. Not when I might have the power to erase them.”

He expelled the air from his lungs in a whoosh. “I’m not faulting you for the questions. Just the manner.”

“I can’t be a police officer for everyone in Quincy but not for you. And if you actually took a step back, stopped acting like a stubborn mule and remembered that I’m more than just the woman sharing your bed, you’d realize that what you are asking of me is impossible. That’s not who I am, Griffin. That’s not who you’d want me to be.”

“I’m not—”

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“You are.” I sighed. “You are.”