Troublemaker - Lisa B. Kamps Page 0,56

wanted to deny it. To shake my head and tell everyone that the bitter woman was wrong—

But I couldn't.

Screwed? No, that didn't even come close.

The officer stepped closer and motioned at the bag sitting on the sidewalk next to me. "Do you mind if I have a look?"

Jacqui stepped forward and shook her head. "This is my—"

I placed my hand on her arm and shook my head to stop her from saying anything else. As much as I appreciated what she was trying to do, it would only make things worse.

I bent down and unzipped the duffle bag. My hand went to the inside pocket and closed over the velvet jewelry box I had tucked inside—and completely forgot about it. Nausea welled inside me, sharp and bitter. My fingers shook as I pulled the jewelry box out and stood back up. I didn't miss Mrs. Young's sharp yelp of triumph, or the smaller gasps of surprise from Jacqui and Addy.

I handed the jewelry box to the officer and quickly stepped back. "It was a misunderstanding. She asked me to wear them for the wedding and I forgot—"

"Morgan, don't say anything else." Addy's low warning echoed in my ear, bringing tears to my eyes. It wasn't anger or accusation I heard under the warning in her voice, it was understanding and belief.

In me. In what I was trying to say.

A muscle ticked in the officer's hard jaw. He studied me with dark eyes then opened the box I'd given him. The pearl earrings and matching necklace glowed in the sunlight and I couldn't help but wonder if that light was directed at me, a spotlight of accusation and guilt that I had no answer for.

The officer closed the box and looked first at me then at Mrs. Young. I had no idea what she saw in the man's gaze but she stiffened her shoulders and pointed an accusing finger at me. "I want you to arrest that whore. Now!"

Addy stepped forward, that bright smile back in place. "Officer, this is just a misunderstanding. Now that the jewelry's been returned, surely you can—"

"This is not a misunderstanding. She's a thief and I want her arrested."

"I think we'll continue this discussion at the station." There was a hardness in the officer's voice that made Mrs. Young step back—and made my stomach drop to my knees. I sucked in a deep breath and swallowed against the bile creeping up my throat when the officer stepped toward me. One hand closed around my arm. Visions of handcuffs being slapped on my wrists flashed in front of me and I almost jerked out of his grasp. I probably would have if Jacqui's strong hand hadn't closed over my shoulder and squeezed.

"You'll be fine, cher. We'll get to the bottom of this. Don't worry."

I wanted to believe her, I really did. But I couldn't, not when I knew better. One look at the expression on Mrs. Young's face told me that she was out for blood—mine.

And she wouldn't be satisfied until she had it.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dylan

"Arrested? What the fuck do you mean, arrested?" I didn't bother to keep my voice down, knowing it wouldn't have helped. Fury ripped through me, drowning the shock I'd first felt when Nathan had handed me his phone. There had been something in his eyes that jacked up the worry I'd been feeling since last night and I almost didn't take it.

A part of me wished I hadn't.

I tightened my grip on the phone and stepped away from Nathan. The look I shot him threatened death and dismemberment if he even so much as thought about taking the phone away from me. Smart man, because he believed me.

I turned away from him and walked toward the large window that overlooked the tarmac. Bright sun reflected off the concrete and from the metal body of the plane at the next gate. Our gate was empty and had been for the last two hours, thanks to a weather delay in whatever city our flight was coming from.

I closed my eyes, pinched the bridge of my nose hard enough to see stars, and forced an uneven breath from my lungs. It took every ounce of self-control I possessed to lower my voice.

"Tell me what happened."

"That's what I've been trying to do, hockey boy, but you've been too busy screaming to listen."

My hand tightened around the phone again. "Jacqui, I swear to fuck—"

"We still don't have the details, not all of them." Jacqui's voice changed, becoming more