than others, I think, but yes." Jacqui moved toward the door, her free hand closing around my arm as she pulled my bag behind her. Apparently, she was no longer interested in staying here now that a decision had been made and quickly led us from the apartment.
I ignored the wave of sudden sadness that washed over me. I was leaving, really leaving. I'd never see Dylan again. Would he be angry? Upset? Or maybe he wouldn't care at all. Maybe our time together meant less to him than it did me—
I shoved those pitying thoughts to the back of my mind and closed the door behind me. A quick check to make sure it was locked then we were walking down the hall toward the elevator, just the three of us. Part of me felt like a prisoner being led away, a feeling made even sharper since both women were flanking me like they were afraid I'd attempt escape.
But I wasn't going anywhere. The truth was, I didn't have anywhere to go.
We stepped outside and I blinked against the late morning light. I started to ask Jacqui if we were walking back to her place or if we were driving when I heard a screech behind me. All three of us stopped and turned toward the sound. I didn't know what I expected to see but it certainly wasn't the woman barreling down on me—
Or the uniformed officer trailing behind her.
"You! You thieving little whore! You thought you could get away with it, didn't you? Did you really think I wouldn't find you?"
I backed up, my survival instinct kicking in and urging me to run. Jacqui's hand tightened around my arm and I heard her low hiss of warning through the buzzing in my ears. I stayed where I was, but barely.
Mrs. Young closed the distance between us, her full face red and twisted with fury. She lifted one heavy arm and pointed at me with a shaking finger. "Where is it? What did you do with it?"
The officer caught up to her, his dark eyes reflecting the weariness etched on his face. Weariness and resignation, like he'd been forced to do a job he had no interest in doing.
"Mrs. Young, you need to let me handle this."
Jacqui stiffened the tiniest bit beside me and I almost turned to ask her what was wrong. I didn't have the chance because Addy stepped forward, the bright smile on her face focused solely on the officer.
"Good morning, Officer. I'm Adelaide Landry. Is something wrong?"
I choked back an inappropriate bark of laughter. If Addy's attempt at name dropping was supposed to subtle, she had failed miserably. Not for the first time, I wondered exactly what connections her family really had because the officer definitely recognized the name...and so did Mrs. Young.
"Ms. Landry." The officer nodded in acknowledgement then offered a smaller nod at Jacqui and me. "There seems to be some concern about—"
"Concern?" Mrs. Young's shrill voice interrupted the officer. "There is no concern! That little whore is a thief!"
I stiffened at the accusation and opened my mouth to argue with her. Addy quickly nudged me in the side and I snapped my mouth closed—probably a good thing since I had no idea what might have come out.
"I'm sorry, Officer, but this woman is obviously mistaken. My friend here isn't a thief." Addy's gaze moved to Mrs. Young and a definite chill entered her voice. "Or anything else that this woman might accuse her of."
"How dare you! Who do you think you are—"
"Mrs. Young, please. I will handle this." The officer turned back to us, resignation clear on his face. "There seems to be some concern about a jewelry set that's gone missing. A pair of earrings and a necklace. Mrs. Young claims that they were last seen in the possession of your friend."
As soon as he said the word jewelry, I stiffened. A sense of doom, sharp and biting, blindsided me. It wasn't just the doom I felt, though that was bad enough. One thought ripped through my mind, freezing me in place.
I was screwed. And there was nothing I could say or do that would get me out of the situation that was ready to blow up around me.
All eyes were focused on me, the expressions ranging from Mrs. Young's look of triumph to the slight hardening in the officer's dark gaze. I couldn't see Jacqui or Addy, not with each of them beside me, but I sensed their confusion.
I