Part 14 (1/2)

”I'm not blind.” Still she refuses to apply the brakes.

”Now wouldn't be the time to be Bonnie and I sure as h.e.l.l ain't trying to be no Clyde.”

”And now wouldn't be the time for your jokes.”

I keep my mouth shut. Let her handle her.

Sydney puts her blinker on, moves two lanes over to the right. The cop follows. She slows, puts the car in park on the side of the road, flashers on. Beads of sweat mark her forehead as her vision's glued to the rearview. My bleeding hand no longer her concern.

I bounce my head on the headrest. No matter what I do, Rene continues to screw my life up, and now it's affecting other people.

Anxiety grows on Sydney's face as she watches the cop walk up to her window.

”Let me handle this,” I tell her.

She positions her body in a way that blocks me from looking out her window. She runs her hands through her hair, but they get caught in tangles. The rain earlier did a number on her hair. Has her looking like Raggedy Ann's twin sister.

The officer drops his arm on the top of the car, leans his head down. ”Well, well, well.”

”Michael, now I know you saw how slow that car was going.”

”If you weren't going so fast, I might've.”

”Can you cut me some slack this morning? I've got somewhere I need to be.”

”I let you slide the last time. Don't want you getting into the habit of thinking just because you're married to a cop and best friends with my wife that you can get away with breaking the law.” He reaches his hand in the car. ”You know the drill.”

I should've stayed my b.u.t.t at home, stuck to the couch, starved and p.i.s.sed at the world. I may have been miserable then, but it sure beats being in this car with my DNA dripping in my lap.

Sydney huffs, reaches across me while still trying to block me from view. Pulls her wallet and registration out the glove box.

”Is that blood on your s.h.i.+rt?” the officer questions.

I take that as my cue to speak up. I raise my hand with the soiled towel on it. ”Yes, officer. It's mine. This kind lady was just trying to get me to the hospital.”

He takes a look at my hand, then says to the driver, ”Goodness, Sydney, why didn't you just say something?”

”Well, you came to the car with a chip on your shoulder and you needed somebody to take it out on.”

The officer reaches his head in the car. ”Sir, I'm sorry you have to be witness to this.” He smirks at Sydney, then looks back at me. ”Let's get you to the hospital.”

”Thank you,” she and I both say. One with more of a sarcastic tone than the other.

He hands her back her identification, pausing as if he has something else to say.

”Come on, Michael.”

”Just a minute.” He looks back at me. Tells Sydney, ”Step out of the car,” in a way that makes me feel like there's a warrant out for my arrest.

”What for, Michael? You see the man needs medical attention.”

”Why didn't you call him an ambulance?”

I don't know the history of these two and I couldn't care less. Either he gives her a ticket or he doesn't. At this point I'm willing to walk the rest of the way to the hospital, even if I pa.s.s out along the way.

Again, I raise my hand toward the officer. ”Sir.”

He no longer looks at me with concern, but now his eyes reveal a distaste that even I can taste.

”Just get out the car, Sydney,” I tell her.

She flings the door open, nearly pus.h.i.+ng him into traffic.

My hand no longer throbs. Think it's numb. Kind of like my consciousness. Rene has me jacked up in the worst way. Got me busting my fist through windows, got me falling apart all because I fell in love with her all those years ago. A wife should never make her husband feel like this. And a husband should never have his wife feeling like Sydney.

She jumps back in the car, eyes refusing to blink or look in my direction.

”What was that all about?”

Sydney slowly moves the car back into the flow of traffic. Voice barely above a whisper. ”He recognized your face from the park. Saw us holding hands.”

All of a sudden, my brother's warning of cops having eyes everywhere comes to mind.

This world just got a little smaller.

25.

SYDNEY.

I haven't been happy with Eric for years. The first time in my life I do something about it, the whole world finds out.

Michael and a few other officers from Eric's unit went running at Riverpoint Park the same morning I decided to start training Brandon. Said he saw everything. Saw him pa.s.s out and watched us sitting in the gra.s.s having an intimate conversation. Saw his hand slide in mine. Saw me practically run back to my car. I thought I was being smart about not meeting with Brandon close to home. Driving thirty minutes outside of town for a running lesson seemed like a good idea. Had no idea I'd run into Eric's badge-buddies, and one who's my close friend's husband at that.

The only reason Michael didn't tell Eric is because it was right after one of the new recruits got killed in the line of duty and things were tense. He forgot. Seeing Brandon in my car brought it all back to memory. Before I could even get to the hospital, he'd called his wife and told her everything. Rachel turned around and called Katrina. My phone's been blowing up ever since. No calls from Eric, though.

The doctor in the ER put a few st.i.tches in Brandon's hand, bandaged him up, gave him a few painkillers and sent us on our way. I drove him back to his car in silence.