Her Last Day (Jessie Cole #1)(13)

“The police are keeping your gun for now. I have the GoPro. I’ll upload the video and then give it back to you.” Andriana backed out of the parking space and merged onto the main road. “We have a little less than four weeks to prepare for court.”

Jessie frowned. “You know I can’t afford to pay you. I’ll have to let the court roll the dice, appoint me an attorney, and call it a day.”

“Don’t be silly. We’ll barter.”

Jessie stared out the window and watched the other cars go by in a blur. “I have nothing you could possibly want.”

“You can babysit my kid once a month.”

“For the next ten years?”

“Yeah,” Andriana said with a smile. “That would work.”

Twenty minutes later, Andriana dropped Jessie off on Nineteenth Street in front of the old purple house in Midtown she rented. Surprised to find the front door unlocked, she walked inside. For the next few seconds, she stood on the landing and listened to the noises floating down from above. The house was small. There was no downstairs per se, only a straight-and-narrow set of wooden stairs leading up to the living area above, which consisted of two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a family room.

She made her way quietly up the stairs until she saw the back of Olivia’s head. She was sitting on the couch, watching TV. “What’s going on here?”

Olivia shot to her feet. “You’re home!”

Jessie made her way to the TV and turned it off. “Yes, I’m home. And so are you. You should be in school.” Out of the corner of her eye, Jessie saw something move. Lying on a blanket near the large-paned window overlooking the street was a dog with a cast on its back leg. She looked at Olivia and raised both hands in the air. “Seriously? Do you really think this is what I need right now?”

“No,” Olivia said, “but what was I supposed to do? Nobody was there to pick me up, so I started walking home. And then bam!” Olivia waved a hand toward the dog. “That poor animal flew through the air. The car that hit him just kept right on going. It was horrible.” Olivia’s eyes watered. “Was I supposed to leave him in the middle of the road to die?”

“No. Of course not.” Jessie raked a hand through her unkempt hair.

Colin stepped out from the kitchen. He was drying his hands on a dish towel. “The dog’s name is Higgins,” he told her.

Jessie sighed.

“Higgins needed surgery, so we weren’t able to pick him up from the vet until this morning.”

Olivia snuck off to her room, leaving Jessie alone to deal with Colin and the dog. Jessie decided to start with the dog. When she bent down close, a low growl erupted from the animal’s chest. He lifted his head high enough for her to see a curled lip and sharp teeth. Jessie pushed herself upright and took a step back.

“First time he’s growled at anyone,” Colin told her. “He must not like you.”

“Story of my life.”

“Oh, that can’t be true,” he said, his tone patronizing. “I like you.”

She crossed her arms over her chest.

“The problem is, I like you too much. It’s been that way since the first time I ever saw you.”

“And yet you didn’t bother to call me after your divorce was final.”

He looked baffled. “Is that what this is all about? That’s why you’ve been pushing me away?”

She shook her head, wishing she hadn’t said anything. “It’s complicated.”

“Try me.”

“This isn’t a good time.” She lifted her hands in frustration. “I shot a man, Colin. He could die.”

“Yeah. You’ve had a rough night. We’ll talk about this some other time.”

“Thanks,” she said. “For everything. Even the dog.”

He kneeled at the dog’s side and stroked the animal’s midsection as he looked up at her. “So, we’re friends again?”

“We always were.” She cared about Colin more than he knew, but she was hurt that he hadn’t contacted her after his divorce. And hurt again when she’d told him she wasn’t ready to date only to watch him walk out of her life. “So, what’s the deal with Higgins?” she asked, changing the subject. “He’s so thin. Is he going to make it?”

“No telling how long he was roaming the streets before he was hit. He’s drugged up right now, but once he wakes up, he’ll need to move around. The cast will protect his injured leg.”

“How much do I owe you?”

“Never mind.”

“No. You’ve got enough problems. How much?”

“Nada. It’s bad enough you’re the one who’s going to have to take care of him.” He looked up at her. “What’s the deal with the Koontz guy? Did they drop the charges against you?”

She shook her head. “It turns out Koontz spent the past week telling his partner at his law firm that he was being stalked by a woman who looks like me. Apparently he was afraid for his life and made sure everyone knew about it.”

Colin gave the dog one more stroke across the ribs before he stood. “What was the deal with this guy? I mean, why were you following him?”

“My client needed proof he was stalking her so she could get a restraining order.”