Page 97

Nick buried his head in his arms, the blanket he was wrapped in slipping off his shoulders. “Today is the worst.”

“Eh. You’re alive, aren’t you? Mostly naked and stinking up my interrogation room, but alive. At least for now.”

“Because of the potential diseases I might get?”

Cap shrugged. “Or because of your father.”

Nick groaned. He was afraid of that.

“You have to admit, Nick. This was pretty stupid. Even for you.”

“I admit nothing.” Then, “Is he mad?”

“Oh, sure.”

“Great.”

“He’s also relieved that you’re okay.”

Nick could work with that.

“But mostly mad.”

Or maybe he should stage a jailbreak and flee the city. “I’m grounded, aren’t I?”

“I suspect so.” Cap sobered, and Nick knew he was in for it. “You could have gotten hurt, Nick. Or worse. At the very least, you took away police resources from someone that might have needed help. Those guys aren’t in my precinct, but they still took the time to bring you here.”

Nick’s stomach twisted slickly. “I didn’t think of it that way. I’m sorry, Cap. I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. It was… stupid, I guess.”

“You’re lucky they know your dad. You could be sitting in a cell on Sixth right now. Not the best place to be.”

Nick’s face heated with shame. His head hurt, and his thoughts were racing. He was exhausted, and his skin was thrumming. “It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t,” Cap said, though he sounded amused.

“Am I going to be charged with anything?”

“Nah,” Cap said. “I figure the way you smell probably is enough punishment, don’t you?”

“For sure. Maybe you can tell Dad that too. See what he thinks.”

Cap laughed. “Sorry, kid. I think I’ll leave that between the two of you.” He stood, grunting as his knees popped. “Sit tight. We’ll get you home soon.” He went to the door, but before he opened it, he looked over his shoulder back at his prisoner. “He loves you, you know?”

Nick didn’t raise his head. He blinked rapidly against his arm. “He asked me why I had to be the way I am.”

“We say things we don’t mean, Nick. All the time. I know it can be hard after everything you’ve both been through. But he loves you more than you could ever know. And you need to remember that, okay? He may yell a little, but it’s a cop’s worst nightmare to hear the name of their loved one coming in over the radio. You scared him. So you let him yell, you let him ground you, and while you do that, remember that he loves you, and he’s so relieved you’re safe.”

Nick didn’t speak as Cap left, closing the door behind him.

Ten minutes later, the door opened again. Nick raised his head to see Dad standing in the doorway in his uniform. The look on his face didn’t bode well for Nick.

“Get up,” Dad said, and Nick moved quickly. The cheap flip-flops he’d been given after he’d arrived at the precinct slapped against the floor. Dad’s nose wrinkled as Nick got closer, making Nick feel more miserable. Dad didn’t move out of the doorway, so Nick stopped in front of him, averting his gaze. He bounced slightly on his knees. He couldn’t help it. He should have taken the Concentra.

“You’re grounded,” Dad said, and Nick winced at the anger in his voice. “You’ll go to school during the week, and then you’ll come right home and do your homework. No friends. No internet unless it’s for school. On the weekends, you’ll have a list of choresto keep you busy. There’s no timeline for this. It’ll go on for as long as I think is necessary. Do you understand me?”

Nick nodded but didn’t speak. Nothing he could say could fix this.

“I’m keeping your phone too. You won’t need it—”