“Hey!” I shouted, waving my arms. I jogged up the steps to meet them.
Silver turned my way, pleasantly surprised by my sudden appearance. “What are you doing here?”
Catching my breath, I pointed at the doors. “Did you lock everything up already?”
He shot a look at the building. “I did.”
“Dammit.” Straightening up, I fixed my wind-tossed hair. “I'm sorry to ask you to do this, but can you let me in? I left my phone in your office last night.”
Florian gave me a meaningful look. “Oho.”
“Don't tease,” I mumbled. “I feel bad enough about it.”
Silver reached for his pocket. “Relax. It's not a problem.” He was halfway to sticking the key in the lock when the sound of tires cut through the air. The white, beaten up Subaru that skid into place behind my car was one I recognized. Even so, I had to look twice to convince myself it was Vermont.
He shut the car door loudly, eyes fixing on me—then Silver. A weight settled in my belly, my muscles going sluggish. “Why is he here?” I asked softly.
Silver flicked his attention to me. The detective's voice drew him back. “Keswick Silverwell?” he asked, one hand under his coat.
Lifting his chin, Silver studied the man like he was a piece of rotten food. “Do you need something?”
In one fast motion, Vermont hooked his body against Silver's. I screamed, covering my mouth in surprise. His face was shoved violently against the building. To his credit, Silver didn't even grunt in pain.
“What are you doing?” I shouted, starting to run forward. Sirens and flashing lights descended upon our once quiet corner of the city. Florian threw his head side to side, his skin both yellow and shiny. He was as terrified and confused as I was.
Detective Roose jammed his forearm onto the back of Silver's neck. “You're under arrest for the hackings at Old Stone Bank, Goldman and Wellmont.”
I'd known that this was coming. How could we arrive at anything else? Silver had always been a fugitive.
I was a fool to think our pasts wouldn't matter.
Police officers stormed us, circling to help Vermont handcuff Silver. Florian stumbled out of the way, his hands in front of him like he expected to be arrested, too.
Running on pure instinct, I jumped forward. “What are you doing to him!?”
Amber irises focused on me, Silver's face a torrent of rage and defeat. His pain was my pain; I reached out, but one of the three officers pushed me away. “Stop this, please!” I shouted.
Vermont yanked Silver's arms back, holding them and forcing him down the steps towards his Subaru. He was ignoring me. Me, the girl he'd hoped would be the key to finding the man he was after.
Unwillingly, I'd been exactly that.
Struggling against the cop, I yelled at the back of Vermont's head. “Listen to me, he didn't do it! Listen!” I filled my chest. “Vermont!”
The detective locked up, his shoulders stiffening. Without a hint of gentleness, he pushed Silver into the back of his car. The door slammed, then he swung his stare at me, climbing the steps.
Encouraged by his approach, I said, “He didn't do it! Silver is innocent!”
“Silver?” Vermont asked. His nose wrinkled. “Is that your pet name for him?”
My heart went cold. “Vermont...”
Scowling, he took the pen from behind his ear, twisting it. “That's why you were protecting him, right? How long did you know?”
Wordlessly, I shook my head. No no no. I stopped shoving against the officer, my body going limp. “Vermont, please. He didn't do it.”
“It's Detective Roose.” Spinning, he cut his hand through the air. The cop released me, backing away.
Through the window of the car, I saw Silver watching. The sight of him gave me strength. “He's innocent, you have to believe me!”
“Believe you?” I'd never seen Vermont so furious. “You lied to me over and over, Alexis. In what fucking world would I ever believe you again?”
One by one, the officers climbed into their cars. Roose ripped his driver's side door open. Over the roof, those once-friendly brown eyes locked on me. “I really thought you were on my side.”
Sides? I thought desperately. This isn't about sides! This was about grey areas... about helping the people you loved!
Shaking himself, Roose ducked into his car. Like a series of missiles the cops and him flew down the road. Silver watched me until he was gone.
This isn't happening. But it was. It fucking was.
Just when I'd gotten my life back, it had all turned to dust in my hands. Clenching my fists, I shivered under the assault of the cool evening air. What do I do now?
Florian was still standing beside me, as shocked by his boss being arrested as me. His face was pale, his eyes far away.