Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan, #3)(33)

“I should probably point out that if you stop now, you’re only guilty of a second-degree misdemeanor.”

I froze as Nick’s cane clicked steadily closer. “Is that bad?”

His reflection shrugged back at me through the glass. “Sixty days in jail and a five-hundred-dollar fine. That’s a pricey bag of Cheez-Its, if you ask me.”

The metal compartment banged shut as I jerked my hand free. “I missed dinner,” I said defensively. “And my purse is in my dorm room with Vero, and I can’t go back in to get it because she’s probably…” Nick raised an eyebrow. “… sleeping,” I finished. “And that damn vending machine ate my only dollar.”

He bit back a smile. “I was just getting ready to grab some dinner myself. I’ve got a key to the kitchen. Want to come with?”

I tried not to look too eager at the prospect of a hot meal. “That’d be nice. Thanks.”

“Great.” His grin spread wide. “I just need to grab my things from my locker. Back in a sec.”

I gave the vending machine one last shove as Nick disappeared into the men’s locker room, leaping back like a thief when the gymnasium door flew open behind me. Joey stumbled backward through it, as if he’d been pushed. Charlie followed him into the hall, a basketball tucked under his arm as he pressed a hard finger to Joey’s chest.

“Don’t think I don’t know who you are or what you’re all about,” Charlie said, his scar twisting with his scowl. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll back the hell off, Balafonte. I worked with Nick Anthony for six years, and that man is no fool. If he hasn’t seen through you yet, he will.”

Joey batted Charlie’s hand aside. “The way he saw through you?”

My Cheez-Its chose that exact moment to slide down the vending machine with a thump. Charlie and Joey stepped abruptly apart, both of them turning toward the sound as my crackers dropped into the tray.

“Sorry,” I said, breaking the tense silence. “Didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just getting something to eat.”

The locker room door nudged open. Nick hobbled a few steps into the hall and paused, his eyes sweeping over the three of us. “Everything okay?”

Joey cleared his throat. “Yeah, I was just gonna run out and grab some dinner. Figured maybe you’d want to come with. We can swing by the lab on our way and pick up those reports you’ve been waiting on.”

Charlie chuckled quietly, bouncing his ball with a cocksure smile. “Thought you were a detective, Balafonte. Read the room.”

Joey glanced at the duffel in Nick’s hand, then the gym bag by my feet.

“Sorry, partner,” Nick said as he limped toward me. “I’ve already got plans for dinner. But do me a favor and text me if you hear back from the lab before I do. I can drop by and pick up the reports in the morning.”

Joey’s eyes narrowed. “You’re taking her off campus?”

“Never said I was.”

“You never said you weren’t.”

Nick turned to his partner. “What’s the matter with you?” he asked in a low voice.

Joey shrugged. “Nothing. Your program, your rules. I just don’t think it looks good to go bending them because you want to get in her pants. That’s all.”

Charlie’s ball stopped bouncing. Nick’s knuckles tightened around his cane.

“Hey,” Joey said, throwing up his hands, “I’m just being honest with you, Nick. That’s what partners do.” He pierced Charlie with a cold glare before disappearing into the locker room.

Charlie dropped his ball. He came up beside me and gave the vending machine a hard shake. A pack of M&M’s dropped into the tray alongside my Cheez-Its, and I was pretty sure I hadn’t paid for them. He handed both snacks to me with the tip of an imaginary hat. “The lady’s hungry, Nick. If you don’t take her to find something to eat around this place, I will.” Charlie clapped Nick on the shoulder, scooped up his ball, and dribbled it into the locker room.

“Sorry about that,” Nick said, frowning at the door as it drifted closed behind them. “I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with Joey. I’ll understand if you want to pass on dinner. I can walk you back to your dorm.”

“No,” I said quickly. The last thing I needed was for Nick to see Javi in our room. Or worse, shimmying down the drainpipe outside it. I glanced over his shoulder toward the locker room. I could either dine on vending machine snacks and risk another run-in with Joey, or I could go to the kitchen with Nick for a hot meal and maybe ask a few questions of my own. I hoisted my gym bag over my shoulder. “I’m starving. Let’s go.”





CHAPTER 13


Nick and I made our way at a leisurely pace toward the building that housed the cafeteria. We paused at a crosswalk, allowing a police car to pass us. I watched as it rolled slowly toward the exit lane and proceeded to the gate. I could just make out the night duty officer inside the security booth. He glanced up from his cell phone as the cruiser approached, pushed a button to open the barrier, and waved the driver through it.

Leaving the training facility seemed simple enough.

“Is it really such a big deal for a student to leave the campus?” I asked.