Fighting Dirty - Sidney Halston Page 0,54
had to be mistaken; this couldn’t result in more than a slap on the wrist, right? Then she remembered Leo, who a month later was still on probation.
The ride to the police station was quiet. Her only comfort was the thought that Jack would be there and help her. With her head hanging low, she went through the booking process, which caused her unfathomable amounts of shame; her hands trembled as she was fingerprinted, and her chin wobbled through the mug shot. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Jack anywhere. Finally she was given the opportunity to make a call, and without hesitation she called Travis. For a split second she thought that if she called Enzo, with his money and authoritative personality, she’d probably be out in no time. But not only hadn’t he called all day, this was not his problem. She was not his problem. Plus, this was the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to her and if she hoped to ever have a relationship with someone as classy as Enzo, having a criminal record wouldn’t help.
“Yo,” Travis said after the second ring. It was almost morning, and he sounded wide awake. She knew he had trouble sleeping, like she did. She also knew he loved women and partying and could very well just be getting home.
As soon as she heard his voice she broke out in a loud shoulder-shaking sob. “JL?” he asked, obviously not recognizing the phone number. “Is that you?” His voice was becoming agitated. “Darlin’, what’s wrong? Where are you?”
“Thirty seconds,” the cop said by her ear.
She took a fortifying breath and spat it out. “Come and get me, Trav. I’m in jail.”
“Jail?” he yelled.
“Yes, just come. Hurry, please.”
“You have arraignment early in the morning,” the police officer corrected her.
“Oh, well. I guess you can’t come get me. But…well, I’m in jail and he’s about to take the phone away from me. Come get me tomorrow.”
“JL—” her brother began.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. You know that, right?”
“Of course not. I’m already in my car. We’ll get this squared away—don’t you worry.”
The phone was pulled out of her grip and she was escorted into a jail cell. Tarpon City was a small city without a lot of crime, and therefore the jail wasn’t all that big. So JL could see through the metal bars when Travis stormed in, followed by a furious, scary-looking Enzo.
“What the fu—” Travis began, but he was quickly pushed aside by an equally agitated Enzo. But Enzo was class through and through, and he didn’t need to curse or raise his voice to be respected. In fact, he commanded the room by his mere presence. Instead of a suit, he wore black track pants and a white T-shirt, since it was, after all, barely morning. Yet his hair had that perfect side part and his straight posture and broad shoulders never faltered. “Get me O’Neill,” he snarled at the receptionist.
How did he know the officer? JL wondered. The man had a lot of dealings in town, so it wasn’t completely unlikely he’d know the local politicians and cops. The man who’d been at the receiving end of Enzo’s command turned and walked to the back office. Travis was saying something to Enzo, but Enzo was looking around, and when his eyes met hers, her breath caught and her heart skipped. Why had Travis brought him? She didn’t normally feel beneath anyone. She was proud of herself and of the life she’d made in spite of all the obstacles she’d had to overcome. But Enzo was unlike any other person she’d ever met. He was educated, wealthy, and well-mannered. It wasn’t that she felt he was too good for her. It was that she knew he could do better. She understood that they came from two completely different worlds and that all she would do was suck him into her existence, which apparently included late-night stints in the local jail. The strange thing was that he didn’t look at her with disgust. He looked concerned.
“There she is!” Travis shouted and pointed, breaking the moment. “We got your back, darlin’. Don’t you worry.”
“Sir, please keep your voice down and do not talk to the prisoners,” a woman officer said to Travis at the same time that Officer O’Neill, aka “Officer Dick,” walked out and met Enzo, who shook the man’s hand before they disappeared into the office.
—
Damn it! Enzo thought as he walked into Officer O’Neill’s office and shut the