Page 104 of Things We Hide from the Light

“No, but you sure as hell took advantage of it.”

“How?” she sputtered. “Did I pump you for law enforcement secrets? Am I blackmailing you with your secrets?”

“Maybe not. But you made sure to get access to me, my place. You started pushing me about what happened that night,” I pointed out, fitting the pieces together.

“For your own good,ass. If you want to block it out forever, it’s none of my business. But you’ll just keep ending up on the floor if you don’t eventually work your way through it.”

I shook my head. “I’ve got a hunch of my own. I think the only reason you pretended to care was you thought you could get something out of me. Something that would lead you to Hugo and that damn car.” I picked up another folder and opened it, but my gaze was on her. “I bet you couldn’t help but take a look at those files I have on my table, could you?”

Her face turned to stone, but not before I saw the flicker of guilt.

“Yeah. That’s why you agreed to our little sleepovers. The more access you had to me, the more time you’d be able to spend at my place.”

Lina stared at me with fire in her eyes. She laughed bitterly. “And here I thought Knox was the asshole brother.”

“Guess it runs in the family. You’re gonna want to stay away from all of them from now on,” I warned her.

“That’s gonna be a little tricky since Knox asked me to be in the wedding party,” she shot back.

“I don’t trust you and I don’t want you anywhere near my family. You’re reckless and you use people to get what you want. You’re going to get someone hurt.”

She blanched but covered immediately.

“My brother might be an asshole,” I continued when she said nothing. “And we might not get along all the time. But do you really wanna go up against me when it comes to testing his loyalty? Because I won’t hesitate to make sure you lose your oldest friend.”

“Get out,” she said on a whisper.

“I’m not done with you,” I warned.

She slammed her palm down on the table. “Get. Out. Now.”

I sat for a beat and studied her. “I catch wind of you hounding my family for information or interfering with an official investigation, I won’t hesitate to throw your ass behind bars.”

She said nothing but stared at me stonily until I rose.

“I mean it, Lina.”

“Go home, Nash. Leave me alone.”

I went, but only because looking at her made my chest hurt. Like she’d managed to do more damage than the two bullets I’d taken.

When I opened the door, Piper wasn’t waiting for me. She was under the table, looking at me like it was all my fault somehow.

TWENTY-TWO

SOCCER GAME SHOWDOWN

Lina

Naomi: Emergency meeting of the wedding brain trust. Can everyone make it to Waylay’s soccer game tomorrow morning?

Stef: Why can’t she play an evening sport? These early-morning Saturdays are messing with my Friday night social life.

Naomi: What social life? You still haven’t asked Jer out yet. *chicken emoji*

Stef: Nobody likes a bridezilla, Witty.

Sloane: I can make it as long as we’re hiding Bloody Marys in our cups.