Whispers of You (Lost & Found #1)(68)

“I try to stay out of her way. I know I bring up bad memories for her, and it kills me that I’d cause someone else pain in that way. I know how it feels.”

Lawson stared at me for a moment. “The difference is that you haven’t let it harden you. You haven’t taken that pain out on others. I see how you react to Joe. You make sure to give him a smile and a kind word every time you see him. That can’t be easy.”

“What his brother did isn’t his fault.” It made me sick that people in this town would hold that against him.

“No, it’s not. And Amber needs to get that through her head.”

“I don’t know if disciplinary action will get her there.”

Lawson shrugged. “It might not. But it’s necessary.”

I wasn’t going to convince him to take it easy on Amber. So, I simply nodded. “Thanks for making it clear that I wasn’t the one to report her.”

“Of course.” He glanced at the clock. “Do you need a ride home when you’re off shift?”

“No. Holt’s coming to pick me up.”

Lawson’s lips twitched.

I rolled my eyes as I stood. “Oh, shut up.”

“Pretty sure I didn’t say a word, Little Williams.”

“Your danged smirk says it all.”

Lawson held up both hands. “It makes me happy to see the people I care about happy.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I started out the door, Lawson’s chuckle following behind me. As much as I gave him a hard time, it meant everything to me that he cared. That he was invested. My parents might have been nonexistent in my life, but I’d filled that space with chosen family—those who stuck.

Taking the long way around to avoid Amber, I sought out the break room. Coffee was a no-go this late, and my nerves wouldn’t thank me for it anyway. Instead, I went in search of my secret stash.

Opening the fridge, I pawed through to the back and grabbed one of the two caffeine-free Diet Cokes. Cracking it open, I took a long sip as I walked back to my desk. As I sat, I stole a quick look in Amber’s direction. Her desk was empty.

Shit. I turned back to my station, ending the call forwarding and trying to focus intently on a game of solitaire, but my body was too aware of every little sound.

A door slammed, and my head jerked up.

Amber stormed to her desk. She ripped open one of the drawers, grabbed a bag, and then slammed that, too. Her eyes cut to mine, and I saw rage blazing there.

Clint grabbed her arm and whispered something in her ear.

She shrugged him off and turned for the back door, but not before sending me one last scathing look.

“What the hell is that all about?”

I jumped at the sound of Abel’s voice. “Geez, give a girl a little warning, would you?”

He grunted. “You were too distracted by the death stares.”

I winced. He might have a point there. “What are you doing here? You’re not on till two.”

“Couldn’t sleep. Figured I’d come play backup until my shift starts.”

Secretly, I was relieved. I could get Abel on a tear about something. The school board’s inane rules. How the intersection north of town desperately needed a stoplight. Anything that would take my mind off the silence and give me something to think about other than another shooting call coming in.

“Everything’s been pretty quiet.”

Abel glanced at me. “Quiet’s good.”

It was. But it was also killing my nerves.

Clint strode over. “Can I talk to you for a sec, Wren?”

Abel motioned me to go, muttering something about us being worse than his telenovelas.

I pushed to my feet and followed Clint a few steps away. “I didn’t report her.”

“I know, but you could’ve convinced Lawson not to bench her.”

“I tried, but he’s at his wits’ end with her.”

A muscle in Clint’s cheek fluttered. “She’s been through a lot. And this is a hard time of year for everyone.”

A hard time of year because we were coming up on the date of the shooting. Everything in me pitched as if I were a sailor trying to stay upright on a stormy sea. “Trust me. I know it’s a hard time of year.”

Clint blanched. “I wasn’t trying to suggest that it wasn’t—”

I held up a hand. “I know she’s your partner. I’m doing what I can to keep the peace. I try to avoid her and be nice when we do see each other.”

“It’ll be easy to avoid her now. Law suspended her for two weeks. Black mark on her record.”

I winced. That wasn’t good. But Clint’s tone basically insinuated that this whole thing was my fault. I met his stare, not looking away. “I’m not the one who makes Amber’s decisions.”

“You could’ve had her back the other day. Supported her.”

I gaped at him. “She’s going on a witch hunt. We don’t know that Joe has anything to do with this.”

“We don’t know he doesn’t.”

My back teeth ground together as I shook my head. “I thought better of you.”

Turning on my heel, I strode back to dispatch. “Can I take five?”

“Have at it,” Abel said. “Might want to take a few swings at the punching bag. You can pretend it’s Clint’s face.” He said the words loud enough for Clint to hear.