Jay.”
“But Arena—”
“I’m not stupid. I can see what Arena’s doing, and he won’t get anywhere. This has nothing to do with him, Jay. This is about you and me. I may be new at these kinds of feelings, but it shouldn’t be this hard, should it? I can’t sleep, I can’t eat . . . I just . . . can’t. I can’t deal with this right now. Life’s hard enough.” She pushed down the tears. “Please, don’t wait for me. Just get on with your life. I know your history. I know too much about you to ever trust that your feelings for me are real, and you obviously know too much about me.”
Berg turned quickly and walked out, closing the door softly behind her.
Chapter Seven
I get lost in the night, so high I don’t want to come down.
To face the loss of the good thing that I had found.
–Kings of Leon, “Revelry”
B erg was back at her desk, business as usual, when Arena wandered up from the interview room. She instantly bristled and glared at him as she muttered an affirmative into the phone, then hung up.
“You okay?” Arena asked, trying to look concerned.
“Save it, Arena. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m a moron,” Berg said, standing up. A tall woman anyway, she was nearly as tall as her partner in her low heels. She stepped closer so they wouldn’t be overheard, and so she could make her meaning clear.
“I would nev—”
“Shut up!” She glared at him, her lip curling slightly to complete the look, and she crossed her arms. “You have about as much subtlety and finesse as a sledgehammer, so know this—you can manipulate, lie, and pretend to be my friend all you want, you are not getting into my personal life or my bed. We are partners only. We will discuss cases only. We will do so in this office only. There will be no beers, coffees, or anything else outside these four walls. Ever . And if you betray my personal business to anyone, I will make you wish you had never been born.” She never broke her stare, not a single blink, while Arena remained silent, unable to meet her eye. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, the Youngs have asked to see me.” She grabbed her coat and keys and stalked out.
“You sure you want to do this? A second mortgage is a big decision, and we’ve only just released the suspect’s image to the press. At least give it a few days,” Berg gently argued.
Alex Young, Emma’s father, looked over at his comatose child. Her head was wrapped in a huge white bandage that obscured half her face and covered the top of her remaining blond hair. The features that were visible were grotesquely swollen, giving her face a disconcerting, lopsided appearance. Her visible eye was closed and black, and her mouth hung slack, forced open by the breathing tubes that were keeping her alive.
Even in the best-case scenario of a permanent vegetative state, Emma would never again be the beautiful, vibrant daughter they had loved and cherished. For all intents and purposes, she was gone, and deep down they must have known it. Her parents looked like they had aged a decade in a matter of days. Haggard didn’t even begin to cover it. Berg was convinced they’d never smile again.
“We just feel that we need to concentrate on her recovery,” Mr. Young whispered. “We can’t do that while he’s still out there . . .”
Berg nodded sympathetically.
“Lizzy’s been looking into it at her firm, she says there’s a chance of a much faster result with a reward. The house means nothing without Emma in it anyway . . .”
Elizabeth inhaled shakily and finished outlining their plan for her now incoherent father as she rubbed his back. “We thought one hundred thousand might be enough to encourage some new information? What would you need to prosecute the animal that did this?” she asked.
Berg doubted that their meager house was even worth that much in the current market, but didn’t say so. “Probable cause to get DNA, evidence, and a confession are the
“But Arena—”
“I’m not stupid. I can see what Arena’s doing, and he won’t get anywhere. This has nothing to do with him, Jay. This is about you and me. I may be new at these kinds of feelings, but it shouldn’t be this hard, should it? I can’t sleep, I can’t eat . . . I just . . . can’t. I can’t deal with this right now. Life’s hard enough.” She pushed down the tears. “Please, don’t wait for me. Just get on with your life. I know your history. I know too much about you to ever trust that your feelings for me are real, and you obviously know too much about me.”
Berg turned quickly and walked out, closing the door softly behind her.
Chapter Seven
I get lost in the night, so high I don’t want to come down.
To face the loss of the good thing that I had found.
–Kings of Leon, “Revelry”
B erg was back at her desk, business as usual, when Arena wandered up from the interview room. She instantly bristled and glared at him as she muttered an affirmative into the phone, then hung up.
“You okay?” Arena asked, trying to look concerned.
“Save it, Arena. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m a moron,” Berg said, standing up. A tall woman anyway, she was nearly as tall as her partner in her low heels. She stepped closer so they wouldn’t be overheard, and so she could make her meaning clear.
“I would nev—”
“Shut up!” She glared at him, her lip curling slightly to complete the look, and she crossed her arms. “You have about as much subtlety and finesse as a sledgehammer, so know this—you can manipulate, lie, and pretend to be my friend all you want, you are not getting into my personal life or my bed. We are partners only. We will discuss cases only. We will do so in this office only. There will be no beers, coffees, or anything else outside these four walls. Ever . And if you betray my personal business to anyone, I will make you wish you had never been born.” She never broke her stare, not a single blink, while Arena remained silent, unable to meet her eye. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, the Youngs have asked to see me.” She grabbed her coat and keys and stalked out.
“You sure you want to do this? A second mortgage is a big decision, and we’ve only just released the suspect’s image to the press. At least give it a few days,” Berg gently argued.
Alex Young, Emma’s father, looked over at his comatose child. Her head was wrapped in a huge white bandage that obscured half her face and covered the top of her remaining blond hair. The features that were visible were grotesquely swollen, giving her face a disconcerting, lopsided appearance. Her visible eye was closed and black, and her mouth hung slack, forced open by the breathing tubes that were keeping her alive.
Even in the best-case scenario of a permanent vegetative state, Emma would never again be the beautiful, vibrant daughter they had loved and cherished. For all intents and purposes, she was gone, and deep down they must have known it. Her parents looked like they had aged a decade in a matter of days. Haggard didn’t even begin to cover it. Berg was convinced they’d never smile again.
“We just feel that we need to concentrate on her recovery,” Mr. Young whispered. “We can’t do that while he’s still out there . . .”
Berg nodded sympathetically.
“Lizzy’s been looking into it at her firm, she says there’s a chance of a much faster result with a reward. The house means nothing without Emma in it anyway . . .”
Elizabeth inhaled shakily and finished outlining their plan for her now incoherent father as she rubbed his back. “We thought one hundred thousand might be enough to encourage some new information? What would you need to prosecute the animal that did this?” she asked.
Berg doubted that their meager house was even worth that much in the current market, but didn’t say so. “Probable cause to get DNA, evidence, and a confession are the
Similar Books
![Acres, Natalie - Sex Addict [Cowboy Addiction 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)](https://fs.dianahicksbooks.com/528114/thumbs/152x264/acres-natalie-sex-addict-cowboy-addiction-2-siren-publishing-menage-and-more.jpg)
