Fidelity (Infidelity #5)(20)

Dread filled my stomach as Chelsea reached for my trembling hand. “What does it say?”

I looked to Nox who’d been reading the screen with me.

“It says she’s stable,” he said.

“Your dad said she had a difficult time during the flight,” I refuted. “What does that mean?”

“She’s stable,” Isaac repeated.

“Is she with someone, like, is there a doctor?”

“Yes, princess,” Nox said, kissing my cheek. “She has better care than she had at Magnolia Woods.”

I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the positive. I wanted to ask more, but Nox was no longer looking at me, or the phone. His attention had moved to the scene outside the window.

I turned that way too, noticing a police officer walking toward the SUV.

“Sir,” Isaac asked, “do you want me to—”

“No,” Nox interrupted, opening the door. He tilted his head toward his phone still in my grasp. “Keep that in case my dad texts again.”

I nodded. The loss of his warm leg against mine combined with the whoosh of cool evening air brought on a shiver. I scooted toward him.

He reached for my knee. “No. Stay in here until we get you.”

“But…”

“Princess, I love you. Now is not the time to argue.”

It wasn’t Nox’s tone or even his words. It was the determination in his light blue eyes that kept me silent. In this frenzied scenario, he was telling me to trust him. Though his demand was similar to the ones Alton had made, telling me not to fight his proclamations, Nox’s intent was completely different.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded and reached for his hand. “I love you too. Please don’t get arrested.”

“I don’t intend to.” With that, he and Isaac stepped from the SUV and closed the doors.

I leaned my head back against the seat and took in the scene. Inside the car, Clayton stayed at the ready, still in the driver’s seat with the engine running. Chelsea squeezed my hand. For a few moments, we all sat mute, watching through the windows as the silent movie played out in front of us.

Beyond the tinted glass, blue lights continued to swirl, giving the tarmac a classic colorless hue. In this scene, the police cars were merely props as Nox and Isaac approached the officer. With Nox’s suit coat missing, his white shirt glowed with the lights of the cruisers.

Their heads moved as if they were speaking, yet we couldn’t hear their words. My eyes widened as Isaac pulled back his jacket and revealed his holstered gun. I expected him to hand it to the policeman or for the policeman to take it. Neither occurred. I looked toward the floorboard, wondering what Nox had done with the gun he’d been holding.

“What do you think is happening?” Chelsea whispered.

I shook my head. “I can’t even guess.”

“What if they ask us about Melissa?”

I shrugged. “I’ll be honest. You should too.”

“Alex, I’ve already lied to them. I told them that Bryce and I were a couple when we weren’t.”

My stomach churned. “If I were your attorney, I’d advise you to be honest now. This isn’t just a missing person. Chels, the news broadcast said they found a body.”

“Can I… will I… get in trouble?”

One semester of law school hardly made me the best one to give advice. “I think you should talk to a real attorney before you say much more.” I looked her in her hazel eyes. “I’m so sorry you’re messed up in this.”

“I know he’s capable…” Her voice was low, barely a whisper.

Letting go of her hand, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

“I-I,” she began, her voice cracking. “I-I just want to leave.”

“Neither one of you is going back.”

Both of our faces—Chelsea’s and mine—popped up as the two of us stared toward the front seat. Clayton’s gaze met mine in the rearview mirror.

“Is that why you haven’t turned off the car?” I asked.

“Ma’am, I have my orders.”

For a moment I wondered who’d given Clayton his orders, and then, I didn’t care. In the last two hours Nox and his team had done everything I’d needed. My momma was stable, though I didn’t know what had happened. She was out of Magnolia Woods and in New York with a doctor and Oren Demetri—another connection that was still a mystery. Chelsea and I were away from Bryce and hopefully on our way to New York.

Outside the vehicle, Deloris was now beside Nox and Isaac as two officers continued to speak with them. There was a third man standing back from the discussion. By his lanyard I believed he too was with the police. He was the only one not in uniform. Every now and then, the officer who seemed to be doing most of the talking would point toward our car.

My breathing hitched as that same officer walked beside Nox and came closer to the SUV. Pushing a button, Clayton lowered the front-seat passenger’s window.

“Alex and Chelsea,” Nox said, coming close to the open window. “This officer needs to speak with you.”

My heart beat faster as I deciphered his unspoken meaning. He’d called me Alex. That meant the policemen knew who I was. I nodded toward Chelsea. “Remember what I said.”