When given the choice between going to the hospital or going straight to jail-the correct answer is always the hospital. Always.

After being coldcocked by a delayed airbag, Rowena had two black eyes and a swollen nose. The EMT offered to take her to the hospital with a police escort, but she didn't have a concussion, so she opted to pass on the ambulance ride. Great health insurance was not a perk she received working at Sweeter Homes and she couldn't afford any unexpected medical bills.

"Don't worry, Rowena. I'll call Lorena and let her know you're here...again," Donnie, her cousin's ex-husband said. He wore a broad grin that irked Rowena.

"Don't you dare call my cousin," she hissed before purposely slowing her steps. "If my family finds out I was arrested again, they'll disown me."

To be honest, Rowena wasn't sure if that was a bad thing.

"They won't disown you," Donnie argued.

"I still don't understand why I'm the one being arrested. I didn't shoot anyone!"

"You had a vehicle in your possession that didn't belong to you and we haven't been able to get ahold of the owner. Don't worry. I'll call Lorena and maybe make a joke at your expense about how you're always getting arrested, and she'll come over to see you. She'll see me here. Then she'll realize she can't live without me and we'll get married again. We'll live happily ever after."

"Gee, I'm so glad me being falsely accused of a crime makes you so happy, Donnie. It's also nice to know you didn't lose your imagination in the divorce because there's no way Lorena will take you back. She's always talking about how divorcing you was the best decision she ever made. She even ordered a shirt on Etsy with a picture of the word divorce being defined in a dictionary as the best decision she ever made. She wears it on Sundays."

Donnie grinned. "She's just being ironic, Rowena."

"Do you even know what ironic means? Alanis Morrisette sings a song about it. You might want to watch her music video, Donnie."

"I know it's hard to believe but any chance to talk to your cousin makes me happy. I know she's going to give me another chance soon," Donnie said. He clearly didn't know about Lorena's voodoo doll. "I love her and love conquers all."

Rowena shook her head. "I don't know if I should feel sorry for you or envious that you're this naïve. We're talking about my cousin Lorena. I say this with all the love in my heart because she's the only relative I like but she's petty and vindictive."

Donnie nodded. "Yeah, I know. She's a stubborn woman. It's one of the many reasons I love her."

"Donnie, why did you cheat on Lorena if you claim to love her so much?"

Her question wiped the grin off his face. "I did not cheat on her. I don't know why she was so insistent that I did. I would never have cheated on Lorena. She's the love of my life. You'll know when you meet your soulmate, Rowena. You'd never cheat on them."

It wasn't until they passed the metal door that led to the holding cells that a sprout of panic began to rise. She turned to Donnie. "Don't put me in the clink, Donnie. I swear I had permission to be in that car."

"Rowena, you know I can't just let you go."

"Do you honestly think Lorena is going to forgive you for arresting her favorite cousin?"

"You're not her favorite cousin."

"You're a liar!" Rowena gasped. He brought her to a holding cell where a large woman wearing overalls and a flannel shirt sat on a metal bench that was attached to the wall. Pacing on the opposite side of the cell was a handsome man wearing dark pants and a white button up dress shirt that had frilly ruffles on it. His dark hair was a little long and he had it pulled back in a short ponytail. He looked like some sort of handsome pirate.

"These two are dangerous so try not to get into any trouble," Donnie warned her.

After she stepped in the cell, she turned around, sticking her hands out so Donnie could remove her handcuffs. He whispered. "I'll call Lorena and tell her you're here. Are you sure there wasn't anyone you wanted to call?"

Rowena wanted to call Cross but she didn't know his number. She stole a glance at her temporary cellmates and whispered. "Can you please get in touch with Cross Howler? He's the mayor of Howler."

Donnie frowned. "He's the one whose truck you stole?"

"I didn't steal his truck! He lent it to me," Rowena insisted.

He gave her a doubtful look but nodded. "I'll see what I can do. We tried calling him but he didn't pick up. I'll keep trying."

Rowena thanked him and turned to see the blonde woman in overalls staring at her. She had short curly hair and was a bit overweight. Rowena cleared her throat. "Hello."

The woman tilted her head to one side. "What did they get you for? Public brawling? It looks like whoever you fought got you good."

Rowena tapped her swollen nose and grimaced in pain. "No, this was from an airbag."

The handsome pirate stopped pacing and raised a brow at her. "You didn't go to the hospital?"

She shrugged. "The paramedics said I didn't have a concussion. I didn't see the point in wasting money. I was the victim of a drive-by, but the cops arrested me for grand theft auto."

Both muttered something derogatory about the police.

Rowena took a seat next to the woman, taking in her stained overalls. "So, what are you in here for?"

The blonde snorted. "Murder."

"M-murder?" Rowena slid a little further away from her on the seat.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, the cops are claiming I stabbed my husband thirty-six times, but they can't prove anything." She gave Rowena a smug smile.

Rowena pointed to her overalls. "You have blood on your clothes."

The blonde looked down at her blood-stained overalls and cursed.

Rowena jumped up and walked to the opposite side of the cell. She looked at the pirate and asked, "What about you? What are you in here for?"

His mouth pulled up into a smile. "Public indecency."

"Public indecency? Are you some sort of flasher?" Rowena couldn't help but ask. "I thought they wore trench coats not pirate outfits."

He chuckled. "No, to the flashing. Not usually, anyway. I'm an escort and my sugar daddy, Evan, got a little too excited in the bathroom of a restaurant. He wanted to role-play."

"It takes two to tango," Rowena said. "Why isn't he here?"

The pirate's smile fell. "Because Evan's rich and I'm...not."

"That doesn't seem fair. You both should've been given the same treatment. Why didn't they arrest him too?"

He shrugged. "Because this is real life. Only in Hollywood would a sex worker get a happy ending. In real life, only the Evans of the world get the happy ending, if you know what I mean. Oh well. I'm no Julia Roberts and he's not Richard Gere, that's for sure. People should ban together and sue the people who made Pretty Woman for giving us false hope."

"He sounds horrible," Rowena said.

The pirate nodded. "You don't know the half of it. After the cops came, I found out Evan is married with three kids."

The blonde woman abruptly stands. "He's married? He's a cheater just like my husband?"

"Your husband cheated?" Rowena asked. "My ex-boyfriend cheated on me too. We just broke up a few days ago."

"Men are pigs!" the pirate yelled, stomping his foot. He blushed and pointed to himself. "Except for me. I'm not a pig. I'd rather be a fox. They're cute."

"This conversation is going off the rails," Rowena said, "but I think you'd make a cute fox."

"Who did your boyfriend cheat on you with?" the blonde woman asked, jumping into the conversation.

"Some random woman who looked like a Barbie doll with super-muscular legs," Rowena answered. She cleared her throat. "I'm Rowena by the way. I guess I should share my name since I'm sharing what happened."

"Reba," the blonde woman responded. "Not all men are cheaters."

"Jeremiah," the pirate said. "And Reba is right. I'm not a cheater and I'm a man. It's a shame we're the ones locked up when it was our partners who cheated."

"My husband cheated on me with my best friend," Reba said. "He told me he wanted to leave me for her. We'd been married for eight years."

"Unbelievable," Jeremiah says, shaking his head. "You stabbed him thirty-six times?"

Reba crossed her arms against her chest and leaned against the wall. "I admit nothing."

"There's blood on your clothes," Jeremiah reminded her.

Reba's brows lifted. "Circumstantial."

"Right after I found out Reed was cheating on me, I cursed him and his other woman was murdered. The cops have me as their main suspect."

"Did you really kill her?" Jeremiah asked.

"Of course not! It was a crazy coincidence, that's all. Casey Sloane was not murdered by me."

"Casey Sloane?" Jeremiah repeated. "Did you really just say Casey Sloane?"

Reba and Rowena turned to him with puzzled expressions.

"Did you know Casey?" Rowena asked.

Jeremiah shook his head. "No, I wouldn't say I know Casey Sloane but I know of her. Let's say her reputation proceeded her. She's really dead?"

"Yes, and what do you mean?"

"I had a client who was friends with a guy who had a fling with Casey. He had another woman he was serious about and eventually broke it off with Casey. I remember my client telling Casey she went ballistic and vandalized a recreational center. I don't know all the details, but she told me that the guy's girlfriend was part of some support group now."

"What kind of support group?" Reba asked before Rowena could.

"A few women who had their boyfriends or husbands stolen by Casey Sloane," Jeremiah answered. "I only caught a glimpse of her. She was a beautiful woman but not so beautiful that I could picture men throwing themselves at her."

"How very odd," Rowena whispered. "I wonder if they'd let me join."

"It sounds like she only went after taken men," Reba said.

"I wouldn't know. I just thought it was odd that there were a group of women who created a support group because of her. My client mentioned those women used to come up with ways to get even with her. I wonder if those women finally got tired of making her miserable and just wanted to get rid of her?" Jeremiah asked.

"Can I know the name of your client? Maybe they can tell me how to get in the group."

Jeremiah shook his head. "Sorry, I may be a paid escort, but I take my client's confidentiality seriously. I can tell you the name of the man who lost his job after she ruined the recreational center he ran."

Eager for a lead, Rowena nodded. "That would be great."

"His name was Bobby. Bobby Sullivan. He lives in Clarkton now. He opened up his own gym and does personal training."

"He owns Bodies by Bobby?" Rowena asked, surprised. She had thought about joining but it was out of her monthly budget.

"Yeah, that's it. My client loves that place. You should try it out."

Rowena wondered if she and Cross were going down the wrong path when following up on the illegal dog races. What if someone in the support group Jeremiah mentioned was responsible for killing Casey. Before she could ask Jeremiah any other questions, Donnie came strolling towards their cell.

"You're free to go, Flores."

Normally, Rowena would be ecstatic to leave the jail cell but she didn't know what was waiting for her on the other side. "Did you get in touch with Cross Howler?"

"We did. Actually, he called us. Said he was worried about his girlfriend."

"He said what?" Panic laced her question.

"Why didn't you tell us you were dating the mayor of Howler?" Donnie asked.

"He said we were dating?" She was yelling now.

Donnie nodded. "He did. Lorena didn't believe it when I mentioned it."

Rowena felt her breath quicken. "You told my cousin I was dating the mayor of Howler?"

Donnie grinned. "Yes. She seemed happy by the news. Your whole family seemed excited."

"My whole family?" Rowena felt like a parrot. All she could do was repeat Donnie's words.

"Yeah, she had me on a video call and it looked like they were having a family barbecue."

Rowena wasn't sure what was more upsetting. The fact that her family all thought she was dating Cross Howler, a man who was way out of her league even if she took away the fact that he was a wolf-shifter, or that her family hadn't invited her to the barbecue.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before saying goodbye to Reba and Jeremiah and following Donnie out of the holding area. She could tell her family Donnie made a mistake and that Cross never said he was her boyfriend. If they thought she was dating again, the marriage and children questions would quickly follow.

Yes, things would be okay as long as she blamed Donnie for giving wrong information. They would believe her because they all hated Donnie and thought he was dumb. Everything would be okay.

She smiled before stepping into the lobby. Her smile fell. Standing before her was her cousin Lorena. She had her hand around the very muscular arm of Cross Howler. She turned to Rowena and her eyes lit up. "Rowena, why didn't you tell us about your new beau!"

"Why aren't you in the hospital?" Cross extracted himself from her cousin's grip. "How did you end up with two black eyes and a swollen nose?"

"What are you both doing here?" Rowena asked.

"Donnie called," Lorena explained. She leaned forward and whispered in Rowena's ear. "Girl, your parents think you're going to marry that hunk of a man."

"I am not! He's not even my boyfriend."

Lorena shrugged. "He said you were his concert."