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“Before you leave,” I said, positioning myself between the officers and the apartment door, keeping my hands relaxed at my sides to appear as non-threatening as possible. “I sincerely hope you’re planning to take this assault seriously. Because if you don’t, I can assure you that several influential members of my family - including a certain judge and a well-known civil rights attorney - would be very interested in hearing about your conduct here today.”
Perrault’s eyes widened, but she remained silent. I had no idea what she would have said if she’d had a different partner, but if she was a decent cop, I was giving her some leverage to make Putnam behave.
“Are you threatening us?” Putnam demanded, his bravado faltering.
“I’m … encouraging,” I said. “Encouraging you both to view Lulu here not as the mistakes she’s made but as a brutalized woman who’s?—”
“A mother,” Sienna interjected quietly.
“A mother,” I echoed, “who has a lot of powerful people standing behind her.”
Perrault nodded. “We understand. We’ll do our job.”
“Good,” I said. “That’s all we’re asking for.”
Both cops looked uneasy as they left, but I refused to feel even a twinge of guilt about it. I wasn’t the type to seek special treatment, whether through connections or cash, but when I witnessed an injustice I could rectify, I didn’t hesitate to assert my influence.
I just had no idea how Lulu or Sienna would react to it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Sienna
I loved my roommate, and I knew she would’ve been totally cool with Lulu being here. Hell, Vanessa would’ve marched right up to that asshole cop and scared him just as much as Fury had. Still, I was relieved that Vanessa was spending a few days with her parents in Brooklyn to help her mom with all the Thanksgiving prep. I didn’t think Ralf knew where I lived, but I wasn’t about to risk him showing up here and hurting Vanessa because of me.
While Lulu was in the shower, I texted Vanessa to let her know what had happened and to ask if one of us could use her bed tonight. She immediately asked if I wanted her to come home, but I insisted she stay put and promised to wash all her sheets and things, hoping she’d focus on that and not press about whether we were in danger.
I had left Fury in the living room while I set up Vanessa’s room, and I hadn’t checked on him before re-bandaging Lulu’s injuries. By the time I was satisfied she was asleep, I fully expected Fury to be gone. After all, it was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the evening hadn’t even settled in yet. I figured he’d need to catch up on whatever work I’d pulled him away from.
That, and the fact that he now knew about my ugly past. He was the kind of man who could have any woman he wanted. Who would choose someone with my kind of baggage when there was an entire city full of better options?
But when I stepped into the living room, there he was, sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone as if he had nothing better to do than wait for me.
“You’re still here.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, and instantly I regretted it.
“I am,” he replied easily, looking up at me. “Is that all right?”
His tone was even and polite, but his expression left me guessing about whether he truly meant it. I prided myself on my ability to read people, especially men, but he was a puzzle. Maybe it was because he wasn’t as shallow as the others I’d encountered, or maybe it was the way my stomach tightened whenever I saw him. Whatever the reason, I didn’t know how to steer the conversation, so I just spoke my truth.
“You don’t have to stick around to prove you’re not a jerk,” I said. “Now that you know about my past, it’s fine if you want to walk away. I won’t be offended if you choose to leave.”
“I don’t care about that.” He stood and closed the distance between us.
The physical distance, anyway. There was a vast chasm separating us in other ways.
“I care about you.” He reached up, resting his hand lightly on my cheek. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Worried about Lulu, but I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry I called the cops,” he said, his expression tightening. “I didn’t think they’d be like that.”
I shrugged. “I’m used to it. Most people treat me differently once they find out. If we’d been out to eat and something happened that required us to talk to cops, they probably would’ve been great. I know it’s not all of them, but it’s enough that people like me and Lulu, when it’s about being an escort, we don’t want to gamble on getting someone decent.”
“I’m sorry.” He brushed his thumb against the corner of my mouth. “It shouldn’t be like that. They shouldn’t act like that.”
The edge in his voice made me scrutinize him more closely, and I saw what I’d missed before.
He was furious.
