Hooked on You: An Annapolis Harbor Series Prequel, Lea Coll [love letters to the dead .txt] 📗

would they listen to her if I was there? I’d never had a great relationship with law enforcement. I never trusted that they were there to protect me. As a kid, they’d been the enemy.

“Why?” She gave me an incredulous stare.

“I don’t know. I’ll text Isaac to let him to know I’m going to be late.” And that was the truth. I just knew I had to be there when she talked to them.

Taylor nodded. “Okay.”

“Here you go. My notes and the memory card.” Omar handed Taylor an envelope. She opened it and pulled out the notes. “This is great.”

“I marked the date and times when the incidents occurred.”

“Thank you. That will come in handy when I meet with the officers.” She glanced at her phone. “I made an appointment, so I’d better get going.”

“Thank you for doing this,” Omar said.

Taylor smiled. “Of course. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“I’ll be out in a minute.” I didn’t want to discuss Zach in front of her, not when I hadn’t explained who he was to me.

Her forehead wrinkled, but she said, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

I waited until the door closed behind her.

“When should I bring Zach by?” I asked Omar.

“I’m pretty busy on the weekend, so how about Monday or Tuesday evening when it’s slower?”

“Sounds good.” I could bring him by at dinner time. “I really appreciate it, Omar.” I didn’t want him to second guess his decision. “I want to help him. If I don’t, he’ll get sucked in deeper.”

“I hear you. I don’t want that to happen either.”

I nodded before walking out to find Taylor waiting for me.

I turned and fell in step next to her.

“Are you okay?” Taylor asked.

I could feel her eyes boring into the side of my head, but I couldn’t look at her. I knew what she was referring to. The day I’d left her standing on the sidewalk. “Where did you go that day I ran into you at Omar’s?” I wanted to ask her why she didn’t stay but the words got caught in my throat.

She studied me carefully. “Isaac said I shouldn’t—that if you wanted me to know what was going on, you’d tell me.”

I saw the hurt in her eyes which she quickly covered by looking away from me.

“I didn’t feel right following you, but I wanted to make sure you were okay, so I texted.”

“Oh.” I couldn’t manage anything else because all I could think about was that she’d wanted to know if I was okay. She’d texted and she still seemed worried. It was a little unsettling. Even my own mother hadn’t paid attention to how I was or if I needed something.

“Yeah, oh.” A sweet smile spread over her lips. “I’m here if you need someone.” She waited for my response as we walked, and the longer I was silent, the tenser she became. I could feel the unease pouring off her.

I grabbed her elbow, so she’d look at me. “Why?”

“What do you mean, why?” Studying my face carefully, she finally said, “Because I care about you even though you’ve pushed me away at every chance.”

How did I feel about that? I knew I wanted her physically. I knew I wanted her to follow me into the bar that day. But did I know what to do with these feelings her words evoked in me? Other than caring for Zach, I’d never truly cared for another person. Isaac could care for himself and I’d never been very close to a woman. I’d never had to deal with emotions. I’d steeled myself to assume no one was going to be there for me early on. People expected the worst of me and I’d learned to deliver on that.

“Is that hard for you to hear?”

I wanted to slide my hand down her forearm and intertwine my fingers with hers. The urge was so strong, my muscles stiffened, and I rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand. What the fuck was I doing? I wanted to hold hands with her?

I stepped back instead. Disappointment shown bright in her eyes, but I was so out of my element I didn’t know what to do. “I’m sorry. I can’t be—”

“You’re not the guy for me?” She laughed bitterly. “I’ve heard you say it all before.”

And I’d never wanted to be a different guy more than in that moment. What would it be like to hold her hand, to stand next to her, to support her? Could I do it? Could I be there for her? Or would there come a time when I’d disappoint her? I knew there would. I wasn’t perfect. I wasn’t the guy for her, but for the first time, I wanted to be. “I’m sorry,” I said quietly.

Then my heart stuttered because she reached out to me and grabbed my hand. Our surroundings blurred, and the only thing I noticed was the sidewalk in front of us and the feel of her small hand in mine. It felt right.

She squeezed my hand before letting it go. “Thank you for coming with me. You’re right. The officers might not take me seriously. I could use the support.”

I hesitated at the station’s door. “I won’t interfere. I’ll just be here.” Then I opened the door for her.

“Got it.” She touched my bicep briefly before walking inside. That brief touch caused a roaring in my ears and I followed her blindly as she spoke to the person seated at the front desk about the appointment she’d made and we were led to a conference room to wait. I forgot to be uncomfortable that I was in a police station. All I could think about was her touch.

“Are you okay?” she asked as I stood inside the door.

“Yeah,” I said, moving farther inside the room as an officer walked in.

Taylor stood offering her hand. “Morning, I’m Taylor Leeds, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern Division. I called ahead to make an appointment for this morning to discuss