Kickstart My Heart (Burgers and Brew Crue #1) - Lacey Black Page 0,88

the folder.

“Really?” I ask. “Where’d ya find him?”

“Mallory Sargant’s apartment.”

My blood runs cold.

The first person to cross my mind, is Mal, but if she’s here, then she’s fine. It’s the second person who makes my heart stop pounding and my knees weak. Thank fuck I’m already sitting, or fear would have no doubt taken me down. “Lizzie?” just saying that word terrifies me. If something happened to her, I’d never forgive myself. No, it wouldn’t be my fault directly, but I’d still feel responsible.

“Is okay,” he starts, reading over the report. “Apparently she was sleeping in her room, slept through the whole thing. Your friend, a Mr. Jameson Tankersley, might require some ice for his hand.”

I bark out a laugh. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

“According to the report, Mr. Tankersley found Mr. Henderson slipping through the front door after jimmying the lock. He was able to subdue him until officers arrived.”

A snort slips from my lips. “Oh, I bet he did.”

“I believe there’s a broken nose involved, but the statements don’t exactly jive. Henderson claims your friend punched him in the face, while Tankersley is adamant the suspect tripped over a toy and landed on his fist.” The lieutenant is grinning from ear to ear. “I’m sure the DA won’t seek assault charges.”

“I’d hope not,” Jim says beside me. “Mr. Tankersley is a hero. Is my client released?”

The officer across from us nods. “He is.”

I jump up and turn to my attorney. “Thank you, Jim, for coming down so quickly.”

“I’m just glad it all worked out,” he replies, shaking my hand.

The lieutenant opens the door and steps aside. “I believe the person you’re looking for is to the right.”

All I hear is his chuckle as I bolt from the small room and turn in the direction he indicated. There, at the end of the hall, is the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. Mallory is there, and she’s moving my way the moment she sees me emerge.

I throw my arms around her and pick her up, holding her as tightly as I dare without cutting off her oxygen. “Fuck, you’re even more beautiful than this morning,” I mumble, inhaling the familiar scent of her shampoo.

“I had to come. I knew you didn’t do it,” she stammers quickly.

I set her down and just breathe her in. She’s wearing cotton shorts and a hoodie and there’s a pair of worn flip-flops on her feet. Her blonde hair is pulled up in a bun and her face is void of makeup. I just pray it’s from that makeup remover she uses and not because she cried it all away.

“Lizzie?”

She gives me the slightest grin. “She’s at the apartment with Jameson. They just told me something happened,” she says, wringing her hands together.

“I heard. Thank God Jame was there.”

She smiles. “He promised me he’d watch her and keep her safe. When I sat down and really started to think about the charges against you, I realized something was wrong. I knew those drugs weren’t yours, Walker. I knew it.”

I take her hands in mine and bring them to my lips. “How did you know?”

She gives me a watery smile. “Because I know you, and,” she says, taking a deep breath, “because I love you.”

A wide smile breaks out across my face as I pull her against my chest, threading my fingers into her hair. “Say it again,” I whisper.

“I love you.”

Then I claim her lips with my own, reveling in the feel of her against me. She’s the balm to my soul, the reason I was put on this earth. “I love you, Mal. As much as I’d love to stand here in this hallway and hold you, how about we go home and get our girl?”

She smiles against my lips. “I’d like that.”

“Come on.” I place one last kiss on her lips, linking my fingers with hers, and heading for the exit. “How’d you get here?” I ask the moment we hit the concrete steps out front.

Mallory points to the car parked in the middle of the lot. My eyes widen as I glance her way. “He let you drive the Nova?”

The moment she’s positioned in the passenger seat and is buckled in, I head for the driver’s seat and do the same. She already has the keys out, so I quickly start up Jameson’s car. The one he rarely lets anyone drive.

As I pull out of the police station lot, she says, “Well, I was in my room after putting Lizzie to sleep.