Cade didn't sleep. Every time he nodded off, he jerked awake. Bars and slamming metal filled his head. Did guilty men feel this way? Even when he told himself to trust Leigh, the doubt spread.

Leigh looked haggard when she stepped out of her bedroom. She spoke into the phone. "I'm not sure how long. I understand."

She frowned when she looked at him sitting with his face in his hands. "Didn't sleep?"

He shook his head. "How could I? Who was on the phone?"

"Work. I'm taking a leave of absence."

"Did you tell them your connection to the monster?"

Frowning. "No, but I will own up to you. If that associates me with him, then so be it."

"Maybe, I should have changed my name."

"The only good thing my short-lived marriage gave me was a last name not associated with Mom and by default her husband. Cade, we'll figure it out."

As he nodded, ignoring his doubt, her phone rang. "Give it to me straight prep boy... No, It's personal. I'm on my own... I have resources. No. They're legit. I want the warrant or I want all evidence returned to my client including the laptop and tablet... The police better play by the rules... That's what I thought."

She looked at him. "I'll be back. I'm getting your stuff."

Cade stared off into space. What was he supposed to do? Even if it wasn't raining, he was afraid to go for a run. He broke out in a cold sweat over visions of a car pulling alongside him and dragging him into the vehicle. It didn't matter if it was the cops or Vinnie's thugs. Feeling like a prisoner, he was afraid to search his phone for news. Paranoia had invaded his normal sane existence.

It felt like hours before Leigh returned. He jerked when he heard her key in the door. She handed him his laptop and tablet bags. "Did they touch them?"

"If they did, they can't use any of the evidence."

"What evidence?"

She let out a sigh. "I know. I'm so paranoid they are going to fabricate a case out of nothing."

"What happens next?"

"It's hard to say. They can call you in anytime."

Cade powered up his laptop. "How do I know if they touched it?"

"Is your password 1234?"

"No, it's not my birthday either."

She shook her head. "They didn't have it long enough. It takes techs days to comb through devices. Show me your drawings."

The first things anyone would find were his games. There were hundreds of ideas that never became a reality. He opened the file of his recent drawings.

Leigh looked at him. "These would be funny if you were never at that hotel."

Caden groaned at the picture of Vinnie walking through the door. The speech bubble over his mother said, "Did you remember the milk?" Vinnie handed her milk with blood all over it.

"Is he mafia?"

Leigh breathed in deeply and let it out. "I don't know. He has to be into illegal things, like distributing drugs."

"Trafficking women?"

"Possibly. If he's mafia, he's not the boss. He must have ties or they would have run him out of town."

"Can we find out who died?"

"I had to search for it in The Globe. Somehow the news stations aren't covering it."

"Why isn't that comforting?"

"Antonio Souza. Twenty-seven. From Rhode Island."

"Jesus, he was younger than me."

"Nothing is black and white, if Vinnie wanted him out of the way, he was probably cutting into his business."

"Am I even safe?" He stood, walked towards the kitchen, and then turned.

"I wouldn't go running down the street, but no one knows you're here. So far your name hasn't leaked."

Cade paced like a cage animal. "I should call Joe. Hell of a conversation starter."

"Technically, you haven't been arrested."

"That's reassuring." He sunk into the sofa. Leigh's phone rang, and she disappeared.

He let out a long breath and called his best friend. "Hey, Cade. How was your Saturday night?"

"It ended pretty damn bad."

"She seemed into you."

Cade closed his eyes thinking of mysterious Meg didn't help. "I got hauled down to the police station for questioning about a crime I didn't do?"

"What the hell?"

"Yeah. Tell me about it. It has my mother's scumbag husband all over it."

"What do they think you did?"

"Kill some guy."

"What the fuck, Cade! Are you joking?"

He shook his head and tried to hold back the emotion. "I wish I were. I'm scared."

"They need evidence."

"I know. I know, but I don't trust them. I don't trust anyone, but Leigh."

"She must be freaking out. Hell, I'm freaking out. Renee will lose it when she hears. Eden too. We know you. There is no way you would hurt anyone."

"There is no way I would be involved with the man I despise."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing. I'm trapped at Leigh's place afraid to leave."

"What happened to the girl?"

"I don't know. Gone. She's my alibi and I don't know how to find her."

"The club must know who bought into the VIP lounge that night."

"No way they'll turn it over. Privacy."

"Cade, how can I help? I can come hang. I'll do anything for you."

"Thanks, but I'm shitty company." Leigh walked in the room frowning.

He hung up and looked at his sister. "I got footage from the hotel. There's a guy that looks like you going into the room where the guy was killed."

"Looks like me?"

"Same shirt and jeans."

"Vinnie saw me and set it up. He knew I was staying at the hotel. I feel so used. How do we prove it isn't me?"

"We need to hire an investigator. Cade, there's no way they won't arrest you. We need to prove you are innocent."

"I don't want to go to jail." He felt his eyes get cloudy. "I need a do over. I need my life back."

"We need to find your alibi."

"I don't care if you spend every penny I have. We need to prove I didn't do it."

"You should eat."

"I can't. It gets lodged in my throat."

Leigh put her arms around his waist. "I want to wake up from this nightmare too."

He flopped on the sofa. "How the hell are you going to defend me?"

"I'm going to put in a call to the best investigator I know. We'll prove it's not you. Maybe we can find your date."

Cade sat up. "She ate at the restaurant in my hotel. It was her birthday dinner."

"We aren't the prosecution. We can't just slap them with a warrant. What else do you know about her?"

"She's wealthy. She didn't say, but I could tell."

"Does she work?"

He nodded. "An editor. A magazine."

Leigh smiled slightly. "How many magazines are there in Boston?"

"I don't know."

"See we have a place to start. You draw while I do some searching."

Inspiration had left him, but he took out his drawing tablet and started with a blank page. Using dark gray he created lines. Instead of drawing himself behind bars, Vinnie pouted with his big head complete with bald spots. Grooming wasn't important behind bars.

A speech bubble from an unknown person said, "Hey bitch. You and me, the shower." Cade didn't want to live that scene, but Vinnie deserved it.

"Is it just Meg?"

Cade shook his head. "I only heard Meg. It could be Megan."

"There are more magazines than I realized including a company that does magazines for grocery stores and airlines."

"When she spoke I envisioned a big magazine like Beantown."

Leigh shook her head. "The site only lists editors and no Megs. We could try calling."

"How would that work? Meg, please. Meg, who? Maybe I'm outta luck. Do not pass go."

Leigh looked wide eyed. "I can't believe you're joking."

"Call it lack of sleep?"

"Try to rest while I work."

He yawned. "Maybe since it's light out." Lack of sleep wasn't helping his fears. He put down his tablet and stretched out. Even though his muscles flexed with tension, his lids felt heavy.

Metal clanged. Bars were all around him. Meg was there waving as she disappeared into mist. Then Vinnie was laughing at him on the other side. "Don't drop the soap."

He sat up with a jerk and looked around. His heart pounded in his chest as he breathed deeply. Leigh's voice spilled out of the bedroom. Had she found Meg?

Leigh stepped out and paused. "You're awake?"

"Bad dream. How long did I?"

"Two hours. I talked to the investigator. He's ready to help."

"He's not like Vinnie is he?"

"What? No. He's cool. He fights for justice."

"I need him then. Did you find Meg?"

She shook her head. "What else do you remember?"

Her creamy breasts, her taste, the way she came. "Her friend was in finance."

Leigh sighed. "Like half the guys in this city. Did you get his last name?"

Cade shook his head. "First name. Tyler."

"This is like a needle in a haystack. Next time ask for last names in case you need an alibi."

"I may never trust anyone again."

Leigh sighed. "I know it's hard, but you have to have faith."

"Faith in Vinnie and his thugs. If he set me up, he'll want to see me in prison. Jesus, it's like an awful movie."

"Does he know you weren't alone?"

"Maybe not."

"Then that's an ace up our sleeve if only we can find her. I should scour social media."

"To do what?"

"Find pictures from the club. Maybe there will be a glimpse of her."

"People post pictures from clubs?"

"People post pictures of everything."

"Not me. I hate social media."

"I bet your lady love doesn't."

"Love? I don't even know her last name." Only when the fear of incarceration momentarily quieted, the memory of his night with Meg was still with him.

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