Page 107 of Shallow

“Fuck you!” she growls over hershoulder.

“Fine. Have it your way.” Amidst heated curses and protests, he cuffs her hands and begins reading herrights.

“You can’t do this!” she screams, jerking against the metal cuffs. “This will never stand up in court. It’sentrapment.”

I study Will’s face. It’s hard. Deep lines that weren’t there before set across his forehead and around his mouth. He looks like he hasn’t slept any more than I have, and that’s saying something. It’s obvious he cares about Shiloh and her arrest has worn on him almost as much as me. It makes me feel like a real shit for the way I’ve treated him for being herfriend.

I have a lot to make up for when this isover.

“Actually,” he says with a satisfied smirk, “we have an accomplice, an eye-witnesses, and can pull phone records to verify the call you made to police the night of the arrest. I’m pretty sure itwill.”

Dax doesn’t say a word. He simply turns around and crosses his hands behind his back, waiting for the second officer to cuff him. He knew when we asked him to come here tonight that he wouldn’t walk out on his own, even with Will’s assumption of judicial leniency. I guess a clear conscience is more important to him thanfreedom.

Relieved, I slump against my desk as they’re both led out of my office. Just as I close my eyes, the shuffling at the door stops, and I glance up to see Taryn staring at me, her face blank but her eyes filled withconfusion.

“You did this all for her? Why? What did she ever do foryou?”

I smile, knowing the only answer I give is one she’ll never trulyunderstand.

“She loved Lawn Boy,” I say as the door closes behindher.

Thirty-Five

Shiloh

Even in jail,I’m not a morning person. Which is unfortunate, because guards tend to not give a shit about things like that. At six o’clock in the morning, I’m expected to make my bed, shower, and finish breakfast in a span of forty-fiveminutes.

At promptly seven fifteen, I’m escorted back to that godforsaken tiny ass room where Bianca is sitting with my phone clutched in herhand.

“Mother?” I call out to her as the guard uncuffs me and closes the door behindhim.

“I wasn’t snooping,” she rasps, her voice broken by an obvious lack of sleep. “Your friend, Frankie, gave me your phone. I’ve kept it charged for you and it kept going off last night. Then I got a phone call. You need to readit.”

Although I don’t want to know, something forces me to ask anyway. “What’shappened?”

She doesn’t answer, instead, pushes the phone across the table, turning it around so I can see the text that’s lit up and staring me right in theface.

MONEY SUCKER:The bank froze your personal account. They’ve sent multiple notices claiming someone forged a nine thousand dollar check out of your account. This idiot dumped it right into his personal one instead of cashing it. His own bank held the deposit and flagged an alert. Carrick Kincaid needs a white collar crimelesson.

Bile rises in my throat as I read the secondtext.

MONEY SUCKER: Oh, and my asshole assistant came by to beg for his job back and heard me on the phone with your mother. He decided to get his revenge for getting fired by going public. I’msorry.

Thirty-Six

Cary

By mid-morning the next day,the news of Taryn’s arrest has already spread beyond the passing interest of our community. Gossip about the daughter of a local prominent family getting arrested is mildly entertaining to the people who grew up here. However, once Shiloh’s name is tossed into the mix, all hell breaks loose. National news stories are popping up faster than I can change the channel, and I’ve had to shut down the community center in order to protect the boys’privacy.

Still, even with the media explosion, nothing can tank my mood today. Will broke protocol and texted me well into the night and all morning, updating me on what was happening with Taryn. Apparently, after the third hour of interrogation, she cracked and admitted toeverything.

So, here I am, my stomach in knots and exhilarated at the same time. From what Will says, Shiloh’s going to be cleared of all charges today. I’m going down there, and I’m not leaving until she seesme.

It’s time to lay all my cards on the table. I promised her a clean slate and she’s going to get it. Maybe she’ll forgive me for what I’ve done. Maybe she won’t. But at least I’ll be able to walk out of that room with a clearconscience.

Grabbing my keys, I’m about to close the door to my apartment when a text alert chimes on myphone.

WILL:Taryn talked to a lawyer thismorning.