North Country(112)

“Nice try. You’re under arrest for assaulting a police officer. Turn around.”

Axel curses and then does as instructed, allowing Mike to cuff him. “You have the right to retain and instruct counsel without delay—”

“Fuck you! She’s tryin’ to pin Holly on me!”

“You may call any lawyer you wish …”

“Holly was my friend!”

Another cruiser pulls into the parking lot. Mike called backup.

There’s an audience now, with at least twenty parents and players hovering. Mandy watches the spectacle with wide eyes and, I hope, reservations about her associations. Just in case, I’ll be calling her parents first thing in the morning to make them aware.

Andy strolls in, quickly scanning the situation. “Hey, Staff. You good? ”

“I’ll be fine.” My hip likely won’t be pretty for a few weeks, though.

Andy’s usual hard expression softens. “Hey there, stranger. Good game tonight?”

Isla has left the safety of the truck and stands nearby, watching the scene unfold. “Yeah, it was okay.” Fear fills her eyes. “Mom?”

I close in to rope my arm around her shoulders protectively. “I’m fine.”

She watches Mike lead Axel to Andy’s car. “Did he do it? Did he take Holly?”

“We don’t know yet.”

Now that the action is over, people are dissipating—to spread their versions of the incident. “Why don’t you go back to the truck with Logan, okay? I’ll be there soon.”

“Come on, kid.” Logan settles a hand on her shoulder, stealing a worried glance at me.

“I’m fine,” I reassure him, nodding toward the truck. “Maybe you should drive, though.” Isla won’t be focused.

I watch them walk side by side, back to the truck. So much for keeping a low profile. Thank God Dillon’s not here. I’m sure he’ll hear about it all soon enough, though.

“So …” Mike strolls up. “Not a fan of a quiet Saturday night, huh?”

“I guess not.”

“You gonna be good? It looked like you hit the ground pretty hard.”

“It hurts, but nothing some ice can’t fix,” I admit. “Didn’t see you in the lot when I came out.”

“I spotted Murphy’s truck pulling into the arena. I thought I’d find out what he was up to here.”

That means he likely also saw Logan and me, in that brief stolen moment before the tow truck distracted us. I silently chastise myself for the lapse in judgment, even while a growing part of me despises the secrecy. It’s becoming harder to hide what we are to each other, my motivation to do so less obvious.

“So? What am I putting in my report?” he adds after a beat. “About Axel. ”

I walk him through the entire exchange. But the whole time, I can’t help but feel his judgment.





A knock sounds on Logan’s apartment door. “It’s just me!” Annie calls out. “I wanted to check in on Emery! But I can come back later if this isn’t a good time?”

I laugh at the nervous inflection in her voice, afraid of what she might be interrupting. “We couldn’t if we wanted to,” I whisper from my horizontal position, my head resting on Logan’s lap. I woke up this morning in agony, wondering if I should be going for an X-ray, and I’ve been on one couch or another for most of the day, icing my aches.

Logan smirks and then calls out, “Now’s fine.”

The door creaks open and Annie’s face appears. In her hands is a telltale white box from the market. “I haven’t seen the garage so empty since … well, a long time.”

Since she finally brought herself to pack up all her sons’ things for storage.

“We’re finished with Jay’s stuff. I’ll tackle my boxes in the spring.”

“That sounds like a plan. I brought you both dinner. Thought you might like to eat here tonight, seeing as Isla’s at practice. It’s tourtière. I made it yesterday. I’ll pop it in the oven.” She charges into Logan’s kitchen, busying herself.

Logan smiles as his fingers caress my neck. He’s doted on me all day. “Thanks, Mom.”

With her work there done, she saunters over. “How bad is it? Well, come on, let me see.”

It’s the second time I’ve had to drop trou today. Earlier, Clara came over to take pictures for the case file. If anyone else was asking, I’d tell them to sod off. But for Annie, I slip the band of my sweatpants down enough to show the angry purple bruising that takes up half my hip. “Looks worse than it is.” I think.

She winces. “Gosh, Sandy and Clive used to walk on eggshells every time you were out on the road. Here you are behind a desk and still getting hurt on the job.” She tsks. “I hope they punish the young man who did this accordingly.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.” He’s a first-time offender and it was just a push—against an off-duty cop who was pressing him pretty hard. “The Crown’ll likely pursue regular assault charges and give him probation, if anything. He won’t see a cell.”

Annie’s scowl reveals her thoughts before her words do. “If only Logan had seen that kind of mercy.”