“Ifeel like we’re in a different world altogether,” I tell Dax as we sit down at one of the picnic tables closest to the pool.
“Why do you say that?” he asks.
We’re sharing cheesy fries and washing them down with ice-cold lemonades from a nearby food cart. There’s a little bit of everything for every taste just within our reach—a plethora of smells and flavors that makes me feel like a little kid again, back when life was pure and easy.
“I don’t know. There is no trouble out here. No Marcus, no Jocelyn,” I tell him and take a sip of my lemonade, eager to keep the nausea at a manageable level.
“Well, I hate to disappoint you,” Dax chuckles. “But I’m pretty sure I saw Jocelyn around earlier.”
“Shit,” I groan and roll my eyes in a dramatic fashion, “are you serious?”
It makes him laugh, and I love the sound of it. “It’s fine, babe. In the summer, almost everyone from Ember Ridge comes here to cool down. But this is a big place. The chances of running into one another are pretty slim.”
“But not impossible,” I shoot back.
Carlos’s voice cuts through the background noise. “At least you don’t have to worry about being arrested again.”
I gasp as I see him walk over, but he’s not in uniform. In fact, he’s wearing a rather eye-catching pair of orange shorts, his dark tan deepening under the powerful noon sun. We seek shade beneath one of several large umbrellas stationed around the pool.
“Deputy,” I manage, giving him a strained smile.
“Relax, Olivia. We’re all friends here,” he says as he joins our table.
Dax scoots over to make some room for him while I give Beck a nervous glance. He replies with a smile and a soft nod. It’s his quiet way of calming my nervous system, I suppose. Just then, I hear Luke screaming as he and Leo burst out of the water slide, flying for a few feet before they land with a messy splash in the water. Beck decides to join them.
They’re having the time of their life.
I should be, too, so I allow myself a smile and a chuckle at their expense.
“Carlos is off duty today,” Dax tells me.
“I can see that,” I reply.
Carlos smiles with a hint of irony. “I called Devon PD and told them we haven’t seen you anywhere in the area. Theysent a direct request for information the other day after they learned about Chloe Jackson’s grandmother owning property here,” he says. “They’re digging deep into your life and your friends’ lives to try and track you down, Olivia.”
“Did they mention that Chloe is probably dead?” I mutter, my heart aching all over again. It’s been almost two weeks now, and I still haven’t been able to reach her.
“I wanted to talk to you about that very issue, in fact,” Carlos says. “Dax and the guys gave me the Cliff’s Notes version of what happened. I need you to rest assured that if Devon PD does come into Ember Ridge, it won’t be because of me.”
“You didn’t file that arrest report. Thank you.”
“I’ve had my fair share of encounters with corrupt law enforcement officials, Olivia. And I would hate to see you suffer any more at their hands. It’s why I’m here today, actually. I was hoping we could talk.”
“About what?”
“Carlos could be a good ally in our fight against Marcus Bennett,” Dax says, carefully awaiting my reaction.
I find myself torn between excitement and concern. Carlos’s involvement makes a battle I’ve been dreading feel realer than ever, and I don’t know how to deal with that. Of course, I feel safe with my men so close to me, but even so, the monster we’re going up against is a capable, deadly foe.
“How would you be able to help me?” I ask Carlos.
“I’ve got friends in the NYPD, for starters. A lieutenant and a sergeant, though they’re at different precincts. But they’re both well connected to internal affairs. And if there’s anyentity within our government that’s capable of running a covert investigation into an officer of the law, it’s IA,” he says.
“You want to get the police involved then.”
“I have to. But I promise you, there will be a thorough investigation without Marcus even knowing that it’s happening,” he says.
I nod slowly, trying to imagine what that might look like. “What do you need from me?” I ask him.
