by Remy Richard
She pushed Holden’s hands away from her. “I’m fine. I’m not hurt, I promise.” She scanned him quickly but didn’t see any obvious signs of trauma. “Are you okay?”
He didn’t answer her, but just stared at her face as if he’d never seen her before. Which, she guessed, he hadn’t. He’d always seen her through the film of who he wanted her to be, not who she truly was. The little scene she had enacted with Mike to attempt to keep him out of harm’s way had probably taken care of any lingering doubts he’d had about her.
One of the men in black pants with a walkie-talkie crouched down beside them. “Are you two okay?”
When it became apparent that Holden wasn’t going to respond, Sabrina did. “We’re fine.” She looked out over the rest of the room and saw many more people she didn’t recognize. A few were restraining Mike who looked like he had been hit by a freight truck and was drooling out of one side of his mouth. A couple more were trying to assist Sam, who was using all of his strength to keep them away.
There was nothing Sam could do about Lila, who hovered next to him and was pressing a snowy white hotel towel to his shoulder. Sabrina watched in a daze as she pulled it away to reveal bright crimson blood staining it.
“Sir, I’m with hotel security. You’re Holden Reed, right? The guy who rented the suite?” The man was talking to Holden.
“Yeah, that’s me.” Holden finally spoke and Sabrina wanted to weep with relief.
“All right, can you tell me what’s going on here?” Sabrina tensed and waited for his response.
Holden only shook his head in the negative. “To be honest, I’m feeling a little fuzzy right now.” He brought a hand up to his head to cradle his temple and Sabrina saw a lump already beginning to form. With a cry, she pushed his hands away and used her own to press gently on his skull, looking for more damage.
“A young lady called down and said that she saw some man with a gun come in here. We came up as soon as possible.” The young guy looked a little lost himself. “When we got here there were two men with guns. We took both of them down. Honestly, we’re having a little trouble sorting out who’s supposed to be here and who isn’t.”
Holden shook off Sabrina’s touch and started to stand up. It was clear that he was somewhat dizzy, but he refused her assistance. He pointed toward where Lila and Sam sat on the floor together. “The dark haired guy is my employee and the blonde is my sister. The other guy with the gun was an intruder.”
The security guard nodded. “Well, we called the police before we came up here so they should be here any minute. I think someone added an ambulance for your employee there.”
“How is he?” Holden asked.
“Shot to the shoulder. He should be fine. Which, incidentally, we’ve tried telling the blonde but she doesn’t seem to get it,” he said wryly.
Sabrina watched as Lila brushed a hand over Sam’s cheek and blinked back tears. Sam didn’t look as put out as usual with her display of affection all things considered. Later he would probably chalk the whole thing up to blood loss, but he seemed pretty happy to be in her care for the time being.
If only everyone could have such a happy ending.
She turned back to Holden to see that he was still refusing to look in her general direction.
The security guard faced her. “And can I ask who you are, ma’am?”
Sabrina risked another glance at Holden before trying to get her brain in action. “My name is Sabrina.”
The security guard waited another moment with a raised brow before realizing that was all she was going to say. “And are you related to Mr. Reed as well?”
“No, I…” The fact was that she had no idea where she stood with Mr. Reed at the moment but she didn’t want to hash the whole thing out in front of the hotel staff.
The guard gave up on her and turned back to Holden. “Sir, is the lady with you?”
She held her breath as Holden finally turned to look at her. He didn’t looked shocked anymore. He looked furious.
He let out a snort. “No, the lady is most certainly not with me.”
Her heart sank as the guard nodded and moved to her side. Did he think she was against him? “I’m going to need you to step over here, ma’am.”
He gently pulled on her arm to keep her close to him as Holden crossed the room to check on Sam and Lila. “But…”
There was nothing she could say. The young man took pity on her. “Don’t worry. The police will get everything straightened out, I’m sure.”
She realized he was trying to be helpful but he’d just added fuel to the fire. She wasn’t going to have any luck explaining to Holden from behind bars.
Chapter Eighteen
Dylan hummed a little as he walked toward the interview room where his friend was being held. He would be a liar if he said that he wasn’t a little bit surprised by Holden’s reactions of late. Usually the guy was so self-contained and cerebral that it was amusing to watch him go through normal problems like falling in love and having his girlfriend arrested. Well, not the second part.
Dylan hadn’t been to see Sabrina yet, but he was thinking that the whole thing was a major miscalculation on Holden’s part. Yep, his buddy would be paying for that one for a while. But as far as Dylan was concerned it was good for him. After all, a gorgeous woman had literally come to his door and then fallen in love with him. It was the dream of men everywhere and Holden had somehow achieved it. He was due for some strife.
He gestured to the locked door and an officer let him into the interrogation room where Holden waited impatiently. He could tell from the look on his friend’s face that he was close to the breaking point.
“How’d a good kid like you end up in a place like this?”
Holden snarled at him. “This is exactly what I do not need, Dylan.”
Dylan sat down in a chair across from Holden and set his folded hands on the table between them. “I’ve read your statement. Sounds like you had a pretty eventful morning.”
“Yeah, it’s been a real blast. Can I go now?”
“Not quite. There’s still a few loose ends to tie up.”
“What else could you possibly need?” Holden exploded.
“Well, for starters, are you going to press charges against Sabrina for the break-in?”
Holden remained silent for long enough that Dylan started to believe he was considering the idea. “Are you serious? You really have to think about it?”
Holden ran a hand through his hair and grabbed it at the roots to tug. “She’s a thief, Dylan! Did you know that she had already stolen the program off of my computer before that guy even got there?”
Dylan sat up alertly. “No, because you left that part out of your statement. Why is that?”
Holden just shrugged.
“Lying to the police is a crime too. When you signed that statement you certified that it was the truth as far as you knew. Now you’re telling me there’s more to the story,” Dylan said.
“So, what? Are you going to arrest me?” Holden demanded.
“That’s not my intention. I’m just trying to get you to see that sometimes people do the wrong thing for the right reasons.”
Holden slashed his hand through the air as if to cut his words off. “That’s bullshit. She was playing me from the beginning.”
“If you say so.” Dylan was quiet for a few moments. “So do you want to press charges against her or not?”
“No,” Holden said finally with a sigh. “I just want to get out of here and never see her again.”
Dylan shook his head and bit his lip. Holden looked like someone had rolled over him with a truck and he didn’t want to kick his friend while he was down. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury of waiting until Holden had calmed down. By then Sabrina could be in Sing-Sing or halfway across the world.
He sighed like he had given up on his friend and stood. “All right then. Just let me get some more paperwork for you to sign and you can get out of here.”
Being a good friend meant not letting someone make a stupid mistake because of pride. Sometimes it was hard work. But sometimes, it was a real pleasure.
***
Sabrina didn’t even bother to look up when she heard footsteps heading toward her cell. Holden wasn’t coming, and he was the only one she wanted to see.
It had been hours since her arrest and, aside from a very short interview in which she had remained silent, she had been alone the whole time. She was secreted in a tiny cell at the end of the row of holding cells but it may have been Alcatraz for all the hope she had. Staying quiet during her interrogation hadn’t been a method for evading prosecution, but rather a self-preservation tactic. She felt like she was walking around in a fog.
Which probably explained why she didn’t recognize Dylan’s presence until he was crouching down in front of the bench where she sat. Gentle fingers lifted her chin until her watery eyes met his. The concern in his almost undid her.
“Tough day, huh,” he joked, not unsympathetically.
She gave a wry laugh. “Understatement of the year.”
Dylan stood and reached down a hand to pull her into a standing position as well. Her muscles ached and she could swear she heard her bones creak as she did so. She felt like she had gone ten rounds with the champ and all she wanted was to go home. Unfortunately, no such place existed. Oh yeah, and she was under arrest so that made walking out a little problematic.
She turned to Dylan. “So what now?”
He hesitated for a moment and then called over his shoulder to the police officer who must have opened her cell for him. “Can we get just a moment here?”
The officer nodded and Dylan waited for him to walk to the other end of the long hall before he spoke. “How are you doing?”
“I’ve had better days.” She only managed to hold herself back for a few seconds before asking what she really wanted to know. “How’s Holden?”
Dylan ran his hand through his hair and smiled. “I’m not going to lie, he’s not in the best mood right now.”
“Can you blame him?” Sabrina asked morosely, eying the bench again. Even standing seemed to take more strength than she had left. She just wanted to lie down somewhere and close her eyes, maybe go to sleep and dream up a whole new life.
“Your friend, Mike—”
She quickly broke in. “He’s not my friend.” The words came out steeped in bitterness.
“All right then. Some guy not affiliated with you named Mike is in the hospital getting checked out. They want to keep him overnight for observation.” Dylan chuckled. “Apparently the security detail at the hotel got a little over zealous in their application of the stun gun. They really did a number on him, but he’s going to be fine.”
Dylan kept an eye on her face, but she couldn’t muster up any sort of concern for the man who had thrown her so fully under the bus.
“Anyway, Mike has been very helpful this afternoon. In return for leniency, he told us who his accomplices were and where to find them. I think you’ll be happy to know that we picked up two gentlemen today. Stiles and Harry. They are currently in county lockup awaiting questioning. We’re hoping that they’ll eventually give up the people who hired them and the leak at Organotech as well.”
Sabrina tensed and waited for the other shoe to drop but Dylan didn’t accommodate her. She was going to have to ask. “What about me?” She smiled weakly. “Can you recommend a good public defender? Preferably someone who could beat you, if you don’t mind.”
Dylan grinned at her and took her arm. He steered her toward the open cell door and escorted her down the hallway where the police officer was waiting. She took a deep breath and tried not to let her emotions run away with her. This wasn’t the time to lose her cool. She would need a level head to minimize the damage of a court case against her. She didn’t hold much hope for her life from here on out but she wasn’t going to actively screw herself either.
Self-preservation was too deeply ingrained in her for that.
While she was girding her loins, Dylan pulled her to a stop at the intake desk and gave her name—her fake name—to the attendant. Soon enough an envelope was being passed over the counter.
She started to question him, but Dylan shook his head, so she stayed silent while he had her sign a form. Once again, he took her arm and maneuvered her over to a quiet alcove.
He handed her the envelope and she opened it to find her watch, earrings, shoelaces and the damned flash drive. “What is this?” she asked.
“Your things.” Dylan smiled at her. “You’re free to go.”
Sabrina tried to get her breath back. “Wh-what are you talking about?”
“It’s taken me the better part of a day after the way that you guys screwed things up, but everything’s been taken care of. But you should probably leave the station. Sooner rather than later if you catch my meaning.” He widened his eyes at her in silent communication.
Her sluggish mind struggled to understand what he was saying. “I’m sorry but I still don’t get it. So, I’m not under arrest?”
Dylan shrugged. “Why would you be under arrest? No one’s pressed any charges against you. In fact, your name hasn’t even come up. Well, the man we arrested named Stiles was ranting pretty hard about some woman, but he’s not exactly what I’d call a reliable witness.”
Sabrina just stood there, dazed by the implication of his words. So she wasn’t going to prison? Well, not yet anyway. They had fingerprinted her when she had arrived at the station and it was only a matter of time before they discovered her other aliases. She needed to get while the getting was good. Unfortunately, she found her feet stuck to the floor.
“Sabrina?” Dylan touched her shoulder softly. “You okay?”
She gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I’m great.” She took his hand between two of hers. “And I can’t thank you enough for this. I have another favor to ask you. Can you—can you tell Holden that I’m sorry?”
A fine sheen of tears covered her eyes and she had to blink them away to see Dylan. He was watching her closely, a patient expression on his face. “Why don’t you tell him yourself?”
She let out a harsh laugh. “Do you really think he’s still talking to me?”
“I don’t know, but there’s only one way to find out,” he pointed out logically.
“You didn’t see the look on his face when he found out I was going to give Mike the program.” More tears threatened as she remembered it. “He’s never going to forgive me.”
Dylan looked like he wanted to protest, but he just shook his head instead. He gestured to the door next to them. “Why don’t you take a few minutes to freshen up and I’ll meet you out front and give you a ride?”
Sabrina nodded morosely and didn’t bother to point out that she didn’t really have any place to go. She would figure it out as she went. Just like she always did.
Alone. Just like she always was, except for the few short days that she’d had Holden.
***
Holden rubbed his wrists as the police officer released the cuffs around them. “What the hell, man?”
He stared down his supposed best friend and tried to restrain himself from bodily harm. He’d get his revenge another time when they weren’t squaring off in a police station. Beating the hell out of Dylan would be a very therapeutic way to get rid of his frustrations.
And he had a lot of frustration to work off. Hours of it. After hearing the woman he loved basically outline how she had been lying to his face for days now, he’d gotten to endure Dylan’s version of “don’t do anything rash” and been handcuffed to a desk in an empty office for the better part of the afternoon.
When all he wanted to do was go home and drink himself into a stupor, his friend had insisted that he stay and at least talk
to Sabrina. When Holden had categorically refused, Dylan had taken more draconian measures, instructing one of his police friends to restrain him until he could come to his senses.
Well, it had been a major misfire, because the last thing Holden was feeling was sensible.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t file a complaint against you and this department. I’ve been kept here against my will, like a criminal, for hours, for no reason!” Holden’s voice escalated with every word and he didn’t even try to modulate it. Let someone else deal with the crazy for a while.
“Oh please. It was five hours at the most. Stop being so melodramatic,” Dylan said, leaning against the side of the desk, his posture deceptively casual. Holden could tell that his friend was waiting on him to take a swing and wouldn’t hesitate to counter it.
“What exactly did you hope to accomplish here? Other than your eventual ass-kicking?”
Dylan held up his hands in surrender. “I’m just trying to keep you from making the worst mistake of your life.”
“I already have. I trusted Sabrina and because I did my sister was in the middle of gunfire, Sam got shot and I lost the program I’ve been working on for months now,” Holden said angrily, kicking the leg of the chair he had been sitting in.
“So based on what Mike said, a man who had a gun pointed at her at the time unless you forget, you’re going to turn your back on her?”
“Mike wasn’t the only one who said it. Sabrina was the one who couldn’t shut up about how she had played me perfectly and she would never betray Mike. Face it, she played us all from the very beginning,” Holden said.
Dylan sighed and stood up straight. “Listen, you know I try not to get involved in other people’s affairs, but I feel like you need someone to make you see the light here. I see bad guys come through here all the time. I listen to what they’ve done, I cut deals with them and I prosecute them. But I’ve got to tell you, Sabrina never seemed like one of the bad guys.” Holden started to interrupt but Dylan gestured for him to keep quiet. “In fact, she seemed like she really cared about you. About Lila too. And based on what Conner said about yesterday, you’re already more than half in love with her already. It’s going to be hard either way. Don’t you think you should at least hear her out?”
