Page 126 of For Your Own Good

Not so bright, that kid.

It doesn’t look like he’s inside. Not until she walks up to it and sees him leaning back in the front seat. Asleep.

Reallynot so bright.

She considers leaving him there, waiting until he wakes up and comes knocking on her door. But maybe that wouldn’t be smart. She’d be trapped in her own apartment, and he’s probably stronger than her.

And this is what she wanted, why she sent the email. She wanted a reaction, and here it is.

For a second, she hesitates, gathering her thoughts, trying to brace for the confrontation. When she’s ready, she makes a fist and knocks on the window.

Once. Hard.

Zach’s eyes fly open. He looks at her, blinks, and sits up.

Fallon steps back as he opens the door. The smell of fine leather wafts out with him. She breathes it in, remembering what it was like to have a car like that. Remembering that this is the kind of car she’s supposed to have.

If not for Crutcher.

“Hi,” he says, straightening his button-down. “Miss Knight, I’m not sure we’ve actually met. I’m Zach Ward.”

So polite. Even when he was just sleeping outside her apartment.

“Yes,” she says. “I saw you getting arrested at Belmont.”

This stops him cold. Smile gone, he looks down at his feet. “Yeah. That was me.”

“And why are you sleeping in your car outside my apartment?” Fallon stands a bit straighter, acting more like the teacher she is supposed to be.

He looks up at her. “Why have you been following me?”

Not a surprise. Fallon was expecting this question as soon as she saw him. “Because you’re up to something.”

He smiles. This little prick.

“Okay, Little Birdie,” he says.

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ZACH SEES THEshock in Fallon’s eyes. She’s not good enough to hide that reaction.

“So you did send the email,” he says, relaxing a little. When he first saw Fallon through the car window, he was sort of scared. No telling what she might do.

Now she’s the one who looks nervous.

“I thought it was you,” he says. “You’re the only one who’s been following me.”

She rallies a bit, jutting out her chin. “Must have struck a nerve, or you wouldn’t be here.”

Fallon’s right. It’s just not the nerve she thinks it is.

The conversation isn’t going the way he wants it to. She’s defensive, yes, but so is he. Wrong approach. Acting like enemies isn’t going to get them anywhere. They should be working together, not against each other.

Like Dad always says:Make more allies than enemies.

“I can’t blame you for thinking that,” Zach says. “I probably would, too, if I were you.” She looks skeptical, but she’s listening. “You and I think the same thing about Crutcher. We’re on the same page.”

“How do I know you’re not lying? Maybe you’re helping him, and this is part of it.”