Page 44 of Contentious

“It’s what I do, Cresley. I’ll take care of you and Ty. I don’t want you to worry about anything.” Before she could reply to that, he pulled into the driveway and was out of the vehicle the second he killed the engine. He was on his way to give her a hand out, but she was ahead of him, leading the way into the house.

Julia was waiting for them, looking pinched and undone. She hugged Cresley.

“Can you show me where you saw him?” Carson said to Julia.

“Um, sure.” They followed her to the slider in the back of the house and into the yard. Motion-sensitive floodlights came on, illuminating a grassy area with an elaborate play set and other outdoor toys.

“He was right here,” Julia said, gesturing toward the back of the play set.

Carson looked around the perimeter, spotting a footprint in the garden that ran the length of the white fence.

He noted a flicker of red light. “That’ll be the police. Can you let them in and bring them back here?”

Cresley nodded, went inside and returned a minute later with two LAPD officers, one male and the other female.

Both officers seemed surprised to be greeted by Cresley Dane.

Carson forced them to focus by reciting the facts of what’d taken place prior to tonight and then what Julia had reported earlier.

They turned to Julia, who repeated her story to them.

Carson pointed to the garden. “There’s a male footprint over here that should be preserved.”

They took a look at the print and then called a supervisor for direction. Carson heard the male officer mention Cresley’s name, indicating they understood the potential for this to be a big deal if they didn’t respond appropriately. Of course, everyone should get the same treatment, but the fact of the matter was that celebrity had its advantages.

“They’re sending a crime scene unit,” the female officer reported.

Cresley ran her hands over her arms as if she was cold.

Carson placed a hand on her lower back. “Let’s go inside.”

As he closed the sliding door, leaving the cops in the yard, she went to the hallway, presumably to check on Ty.

“He’ll be bummed to have slept through having police officers here,” Julia said.

“It’d be better if he didn’t know they were here or why,” Carson said.

“Obviously.”

When Cresley returned, she said, “He’s sleeping through it, thankfully. Do you want to go home, Julia?”

“Sure. I can do that.”

Cresley walked her to the door and hugged her. “Thank you again for taking such good care of Ty.”

“I love him.”

“I know you do, and that means everything to me.”

“Let me know what the crime scene people say.”

“I will. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Julia leaned in to say something else that made Cresley smile before she ushered the younger woman out the door and then flipped the dead bolt. Even with Carson there, police in the backyard and more on the way, she was still taking no chances.

“What did she say?” Carson asked.

“That she hopes I’m getting busy with the intense hottie.”