“I did not!” Chastity yelled. “She jumped me. I was just trying to leave.”

“Trying to leave wearing my clothes,” Avery said. “That’s theft. Are you going to arrest her for stealing?”

“That’s bullshit!” Chastity said.

“Go home now, Chastity,” Kyle said.

Chastity gave him a dirty look but stomped off to her car and squealed out of the driveway, giving Avery the finger as she went.

Kyle turned Avery around and grabbed her wrists. “You can take everything up with the judge.”

“You’re such a loser, Kyle,” Avery said, struggling to maintain control. “Maybe while I’m locked up I’ll tell the sheriff how you kept hitting on me when I was a minor…while you were on duty.”

“Tell him anything you want,” Kyle said and yanked her. “We both know who he’ll choose to believe.”

He shoved her in the back of his car and she slumped onto the seat, trying to position her arms where she could sit upright. It was a lot harder than it looked, especially if you had no experience. He slammed the door and stomped back over to her dad. Avery saw him pointing to her and wagging his finger in her dad’s face. Her dad never said a word.

Coward.

Avery felt the tears rushing in and sucked in a deep breath, not about to let Kyle see her cry. He’d tell Chastity and they’d have a good laugh over it.

And Avery was done being Chastity LeDoux’s laughingstock.

Chapter Fifteen

Marina screeched to a stop in Halcyon’s driveway. Before the car had even ceased swaying, her sister bolted out her front door and jumped inside. Marina glanced over at her, wondering how she managed to do it. Regardless of the amount of notice, Halcyon never appeared outside without her hair styled and makeup on. Marina, on the other hand, had run out the door in green shorts and a purple shirt, hair looking like a rat’s nest up in a clip, and not even so much as a swipe of lip balm.

“What happened?” Halcyon asked as Marina threw the car in Reverse and flew out of the driveway.

“I don’t know exactly. I just got a call from Adelaide, who said she saw Kyle Pitre at Harold’s house, shoving Avery into the back of his deputy car in handcuffs.”

“Where the hell was Harold?”

“Standing there doing nothing.”

“What a surprise. I’m going to say something now that I should have said twenty-eight years ago. I don’t like Harold. He’s a useless, sniveling piece of crap. I didn’t tell you before because that’s the man you chose and I always have your back. But now that I don’t have to pretend anymore, I’m going to call it like I see it.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. And I agree. I’m seeing a lot of things differently lately.”

Halcyon nodded. “Which we can discuss at length as soon as we get your daughter out of the clink, save the world, and get you changed into matching clothes.”