Page 7

I scratch the back of my neck. I have a decision to make. Take her in for underage drinking, in which case they’d probably just keep her until morning so she sobers up, or make sure they get home safely.

“I'm buying my sister a rabbit,” she tells me.

“River, they don't allow pets in our building.”

Skye says this with more patience for her sister than humanly possible. As if humoring a little kid in the middle of a tantrum.

The brunette—River—is laughing now.

“You don't even know what a rabbit is?”

“A rabbit is a furry animal that comes around on Easter,” Skye says, hands going to her hips.

She’s swimming in my jacket, it’s so big on her.

River is bent over the hood of the car, holding her belly and laughing.

“O-M-G, Skye! A rabbit is a vibrator! It has these little rabbit ears that go right on your—” She holds a hand up, showing two wiggling fingers up like a rabbit's ears.

“River, there’s no such thing!” blondie interrupts before her sister can go on.

I feel like a spectator in a verbal tennis match. Okay, enough of this. I have to get control of this situation.

“Miss?”

I give the brunette her license back.

“You have to get back in the car. It’s for your own safety.”

She looks at me, more sober than before, and she takes her license, and again, I wonder how drunk she really is.If at all.

“Help me out here. Please tell her there is such a thing.”

River throws the words over her shoulder as she makes her way back to the car.

Skye turns my way, eyes wide. I have a primal urge to hold her and protect her from her sister’s taunt.What the hell is wrong with me?

“Miss, in the car. Now.”

She eyes me warily. I wait until she gets in and closes the door before turning my attention back to the driver.

“Officer, I'm not drunk. I was home. My sister called for a ride, and I went to this party to pick her up. Please just let me blow on your stick and you'll see that—”

The brunette is in the car but leaning out the driver’s window.

“You want to blow his stick? Well, that's a way to get out of a ticket.”

The little pixie—Skye—looks down and covers her face with her hands for a long moment before looking up at me again.

Her eyes shine with unshed tears.

“Officer, I live fewer than two blocks away. Could you please just follow us home, and I can show you my driver's license there? I swear I didn't drink a drop of alcohol.”

I should just let her go. End this foolishness right now. Chalk it up to a late night and a long self-imposed dry spell. Forget about tonight. But I don’t. I can’t.

There’s something at play here, something I have no clue about, but the cop in me needs to know why. What about this wisp of a girl has me so out of sorts?

I need to know what. And then make it stop. I’ll follow them to make sure they get home safely and are off the street. That’s all. I just want to make sure they’re safe.