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“We’re just looking for reasonable doubt here, folks,” Angie said.

Sam nodded. “I’m not much of a sports fan, but Andi’s theory seems plausible. Everything about the evidence fits it about as well as the prosecution’s theory.”

“If Hernandez orchestrated this whole thing, just to get out of Seattle, letting them both off doesn’t feel right,” Ty grumbled.

Holding his gaze steadily, I asked, “But who was harmed, if they were in it together? Shepherd is still paying for his choices with the hit and run charge. The amount he earned from the videos will barely make a dent in the restitution amount suggested by the prosecutor. Hernandez had the expense of cleaning out his pool and yard. Granted, it’s something he can easily afford, but I don’t know how likely it is that he’ll profit from his scheme. As much as he wants to be traded back, I have a feeling Mariners management is more stubborn about winning than anything else.”

“Are we ready to vote again?” Shelly asked.

I held my breath, making eye contact with each of the other jurors, ending with Ty. One beat, two, and Ty nodded. I gusted out a sigh, hoping my speech had been enough.

Shelly’s grin after she tallied the votes had all of us relaxing in our seats.

“We have a unanimous decision,” she crowed.

Relieved, I smiled at Sam, who tipped his chin, seeming satisfied. We’d done it. Carried out some measure of justice. At least one I could live with.

Shelly filled out the final verdict paperwork, and we signed our names before submitting it to Judge Ye. We filtered back into the courtroom. I couldn’t help but examine Randy Shepherd at the defendant’s table. Gone was the cocky young man who’d sat there a few short days ago. He’d sweated through his button-down shirt, and his hair was mussed. The process had aged him, knocked some of the arrogance out of his posture. As it should.

The prosecuting attorney looked calm behind his table, unflappable. He expected to win.

Alex Hernandez was nowhere to be seen. Interesting, given his earlier testimony. It only added to my gut feeling that there had been more going on between Hernandez and Shepherd than had come out in court testimony. A connection.

Shelly read our verdict aloud for the court reporter, and I watched as Shepherd melted into his chair. He didn’t smile. He’d face a sentence for the hit and run charge, but he’d escaped penalties for the worst possibilities.

We milled around the jury room, gathering belongings, after we were excused from service. Now that we weren’t deliberating, everyone seemed more relaxed. Almost jubilant. Ready to return to our lives. I exchanged phone numbers with Shelly and Sam, and invited them both to join the Rejects for trivia soon. Not the most auspicious beginning to a friendship, but I had a feeling Shelly and Sam would both be strong contenders.

“What are you smiling about?” Ty asked softly.

He looked exhausted. And I remembered waking up with him, secure in his arms, his leg wedged between mine. Heat flared, and I saw an answering burn in his eyes.

I let a smile flirt with my lips, enjoying when his gaze followed the motion.

“I’m thinking about trivia,” I admitted.

The light in his eyes guttered, and I regretted my answer. Maybewishing you were still holding your hot body against mehad been the right answer after all …

“So, I’ll see you Thursday at Haven?”

His offhand question made my heart race. It wasn’t a date, per se, but it was a promise to see each other.

“Assuming I don’t get too caught up at work, I’m in,” I said.

They’d have to chain me to my desk to keep me from Ty. But saying that aloud might destroy any pretense of a casual plan to meet at trivia. And I wasn’t sure how he felt about me after our jury deliberations. My strong will was all well and good until a man ran smack against it. Ty had gotten a taste of my tenacious side today. If he had any lingering doubts about me, they were probably highlighted in six-foot neon now.

When Ramon returned my phone, I turned it on to a flood of messages. Everyone who needed to know was aware I’d been sequestered, but that still left me a lot to catch up with. Yet I ignored my personal messages and quickly did an image search for Alex Hernandez’s gym endorsement promo pics. I had to know if I was right. Evergreen Gym’s social media page featured Hernandez prominently, and I scanned each image, searching for Shepherd. There. Pinching to zoom in, I’d recognize Shepherd’s frame anywhere after staring at him in court for days. Grinning like a fool, he shook hands with Hernandez. In a Yankees jersey. The traitor. He wasn’t a rabid Mariners fan, he was a Hernandez fanatic. They’d been in it together. An attempt to get Hernandez traded again, away from his rivals. I quickly forwarded my findings to the prosecutor’s office, hoping that even if the scrutiny didn’t lead to charges, it would sink his plans. He didn’t deserve to profit off of the whole ordeal.

The thrill of triumph flooded me, before it was washed away by my next realization. Being right was cold comfort if it meant I’d lost Ty. Then again, if my passion for justice was a turn-off, we weren’t meant to be to begin with.

I made the mistake of opening my office email and instantly regretted it. More than eight hundred new emails. Catching up would be painful, and likely take me the better part of a week. Texts from my boss had grown increasingly frantic, even though I’d let him know they’d be taking my phone. Immediately, I moved into damage control mode, kicking out replies on the most urgent questions. Maybe the deluge would distract me from thinking about how Ty and I had left things. With luck, I’d be able to resurface in time for trivia night and see where we stood.

***

Tamra had been relentless in prodding me into attending tonight’s trivia at Haven, aware that I’d be overwhelmed with work and tempted to cancel. She needn’t have worried. As soon as I could get my head above water at my office, it was all I could think about.

Seeing Ty. Stroking the stubble on his chin. Enjoying the light in his dark gaze as he watched me. Feeling his heat again as his big body eclipsed mine.

In the rush of finishing our jury duty assignment and reassuming my work responsibilities, we hadn’t talked much. My fingers had hovered over my phone to text him, but I couldn’t bring myself to hitsend. Not until I saw him in person, could read his expression and make sure I wasn’t the only one still thinking about our time together.