“I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going. I’ve had the worst fucking day. I shouldn’t even be around people right now.” Her hand launched out to wipe my black shirt with a recycled napkin.

I caught her dainty hands, halting them before she could make contact. “Stop,” I gritted.

Her head was still bent, and fat, ugly tears rolled down the planes of her creamy cheeks. “I said I was sorry.”

“So that makes you entitled to my forgiveness? Think again, rich girl.” I glanced over my shoulder to see a cop car slowing at the curb. It stopped at the path we were on, eyes nailed on us.

“Shit,” I breathed, realizing this would look bad if I took off running now. I was as good as caught red-handed.

“Elis?” Her voice sucked in a breath of air at my shoulder. “Elis Brooks?”

I clenched my jaw so damn tight that it physically hurt. The cop was walking toward us now, eyes on me, and I could only pray he hadn’t heard this fucking meek little thing utter my real name.

“Evenin’, kids.” The middle-aged officer stopped short of us. “Pretty late to be out in the park.” His voice trailed off, forming a question. When neither of us answered, he shuffled on his feet, throwing a nod over his shoulder to the shop owner, still talking to himself on the corner as he tried to watch. “Any chance you may have seen anything…suspicious?”

I could see him taking me in, trying to determine if I was the criminal he was looking for or just another waste of his time.

I cleared my throat, thrusting a hand through my dark hair and about to make up some excuse about the night shift when little miss meek threaded her fingers in mine. A tremor of disdain rushed through me before her tiny voice spoke up.

“We haven’t seen anything, Officer. My boyfriend here thought a stroll through the park at night would be romantic until I spilled coffee on us and…” She rolled her eyes, bouncing her shoulder into mine like we’d known each other for ages.

“Hm.” The officer’s gaze hovered at her hand clasped with mine, a cloyingly sweet smile decorating her face as she rocked back and forth in her designer boots. “Well, stick to the well-lit areas. There have been reports of an uptick in crime around here this late at night.” He shoved a hand into his back pocket and pulled a card out, passing it to her. “Please, call me personally if you see anything that stands out.”

His eyes lingered long and hard, and I physically restrained myself from kicking his arrogant fucking teeth in.