A loud bang on the door woke her up.

"What's happening?" Susan rubbed her eyes.

"I'll go look. Stay here." Chad put on his jeans, walked to the bedside table, and opened the door. His hand was inside for a second and emerged with a gun. He inserted something that made a metallic clicking sound she recognized from movies and TV shows.

"Chad, no."

Another bang on the door. Susan took a t-shirt from the ground, threw it over her head, and followed Chad to the top of the stairs. Someone was yelling something. Her eyes opened wide when the meaning of the words got through her foggy, sleep-driven haze. "Chad, it's the FBI. Lose the gun or they'll shoot you."

Chad looked at her. He, too, finally woke up. "You're right. Here."

"I'm not touching that."

He rolled his eyes and went back to the bedroom while shouting. "I'm coming."

Hastily, he came back. "They cannot see you wearing only a t-shirt. Get dressed."

She did what he asked her to do as quickly as possible. She heard him walking down the stairs. Molly was barking. Buttoning up her jeans, she heard shouting. "FBI, don't move!" Careful not to run, Susan arrived at the top of the stairs. Her hands raised.

One agent looked up. "Who're you?"

"His girlfriend."

"We've only an arrest warrant for him. You can stay here."

Chad looked up. His hands were in handcuffs in front of him. "Find me a lawyer."

Susan nodded. She felt like crying.

"And take care of Molly."

"How? I mean, I know nothing about dogs." She knew how silly this must sound. He was being arrested, and she was babbling about the dog.

"One cup of food in the morning and one at night."

The FBI agent took Chad by the shoulder. "Time to go."

"It'll be alright. I did nothing."

She tried to smile. She didn't want him to see her tears. "I'll come as soon as possible."

Chad was already outside, and she followed him.

Another thought popped into her head. "Wait!"

The agent looked over his shoulder. "Ma'am, stay inside."

"Where are you bringing him?"

The agent yelled something.

"What?" It seemed like the most important thing right now and she didn't understand. Not daring to disobey an order, she stayed on the porch.

The officer stuffed Chad in the back of a black SUV with flashing red and blue lights.

What should she do now? And then she knew. She took her phone. Her fingers hovered over his name. She couldn't, could she? She had to, for Chad, and so she made the call.

"You have a friend living in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania?" David, the only lawyer she knew, asked.

Susan fumbled with a pencil she found on a side table next to the front door. "I'll tell you the details when I see you, if that's okay with you?"

Silence.

"They'll bring her to the nearest field office. I'll text you the address. Are you sure we meet there? I can pick you up and we can drive together..."

"No, no, I'm sure. I'll see you there."

"You know, if you give me the name and address of your friend, I could already make a few calls."

This was indeed a good idea, but Susan was afraid David would refuse to help her if he knew who Chad was. She hoped that when he drove all the way to Pennsylvania, he wouldn't back out. "Call me when you're there."

"I will, and Susan?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you called me. Means a lot to me."

The only lawyer she knew was also her ex. Susan felt the guilt gnawing at her guts. "Yes, of course." She hung up before he could ask her more questions she didn't want to answer.

Molly looked at her pleading for food and while it was still early, Susan went looking for dog food. Where would Chad keep it? Probably close to the feeding trays. In a cabinet of some sort? The last few weeks she'd been here every weekend, but Chad was an early bird and she liked to sleep in. By the time she came downstairs, Molly was sleeping with what she assumed was a full belly. At last, she saw a big white container next to the door. She opened it. "Bingo. Come on Molly, let's have breakfast." While Molly was gobbling up her food. Susan tried to stay calm by doing all kinds of little chores. Showering, cleaning up the kitchen, making some sandwiches for later, because at the moment she couldn't eat anything. "Why did they arrest Chad?" She asked out loud. It was likely related to January 6. But he wasn't there, at least not during the violent part. She looked at her watch. Seven o'clock, still a little early, but she couldn't wait for another second. Molly was fed and had done her business outside. Time to go.

#

She found a parking lot close to the FBI field office. Should she enter the building and ask if Chad was there? Better to wait for David. He texted her he'd be there in like ten minutes. Time seemed to go slower than normal. But finally, she saw David's Tesla. He found a parking spot next to her. She stepped out of her car. "Hi, nice to see you."

"Yes, indeed." He hugged her.

A hug was okay, right? That's what friends did. Nothing to feel guilty over.

"So tell me. Who did they arrest?"

"Can we do this inside?"

"In front of an FBI agent?" David frowned. "I saw a diner on my way here, a few blocks down the street. We have breakfast and you can tell me everything you know."

"I'm not hungry and can tell you right here." Susan swallowed. She didn't want to waste more valuable time. "Er, can you promise me you'll help me even when you, er, don't like who is inside this building?"

"Now you scare me. Do you have friends in the mob or something?" David laughed, but stopped when he saw how she looked.

"Susan, what have you done?"

"I did nothing, and neither did my friend. Promise me."

David sighed. "Okay, I promise, I'll help your friend no matter what. Tell me."

"They've arrested Chad because of January 6."

David frowned.

"You know the attack on the capital."

"And Chad is your...?"

Susan studied her shoes. "My boyfriend."

"You called me to save your boyfriend's ass?"

She looked him in the eyes. "Yes, and I'm sorry."

David turned and Susan was certain he would walk away. Then he looked over his shoulder. "Are you coming?"

"You still want to help me, us?"

"Yes, but he has to pay my full fee, so I hope he has money."

Susan swallowed. She was pretty sure Chad didn't own more than his house and a dog. Susan could help him, but she was also very sure Chad was too proud to accept money from her. Too bad he just had to suck it up.

#

A cocky man came into his room. "Hi, I'm David. Susan called me and told me you need help."

"Susan called you?" Chad didn't like the sound of that.

"We're old friends. Is that a problem for you?"

Old friends? Chad immediately knew they'd been more than just friends. "What are you besides being her friend?" Chad couldn't help but sound sarcastic. He should trust Susan. He did trust her.

"I'm a lawyer and it only works if you trust me. I can recommend a colleague, but it'll take time."

David was already under his skin. If he refused his services, it'd take longer to get out of here and only the idea that this guy would be there sucking up to Susan... "It's fine."

"I do this as a personal favor for her. If you don't like that, please tell me now before I waste my time."

"Sorry, I'm happy you want to help. What do you need from me?"

David sat down. "Tell me what happened on January 6."

So Chad didn't hold back and shared every little detail. He was sure to tell him how happy Susan was when she saw him at the train station and how he ended up spending the night at her place. David not only was arrogant, he also was good-looking and probably just as smart as Susan. So it gave him a little satisfaction when David's mask showed a few cracks when he came to that part.

"Thank you for that elaborate account. I assume Susan will tell the FBI the same story?"

"Of course." Maybe she'd leave out the last part that was okay.

"Do you give the FBI permission to have access to your phone records? Text messages, but also your GPS locations? They can get a search warrant, but it's always better to do it voluntarily."

This was the very thing his friends always warned about, government overreach. Lately, he'd started to doubt his friends about a lot of things. Chad sighed. "If they have to."

"Of course, and just so you know, they'll ask Susan too. If there's anything you forgot to mention or lied about, now is a good time to tell me."

Chad scoffed. "Everything I told you is the truth, so help me God."

David laughed. "You're not in front of a judge. Not yet, at least."

Chad would love to smack him in that snobby but perfect face and wipe away that cocky smile. He unclenched his fist to prevent him from attacking his lawyer. "Are we done?"

"Yes, we are. Someone from the FBI will come to write down your statement. There'll be some paperwork. If everything goes well, you'll be out in a few hours."

Chad nodded. "Let's do this."

#

Seeing Susan waiting for him in the lobby made him forget why he was there. He cradled her in his arms and wished he could keep her there forever. She wasn't responding as enthusiastically as he hoped she would. He let her go. She glanced at David, who was standing next to her, way too close. He felt his jealousy rushing back. Did her feelings for him return? Maybe David coming to the rescue made her remember she still was in love with him. Chad took a step back. "I see."

"What?" Susan asked.

Was she really confused or was she faking it? "Nothing. Let's get the hell out of here."

"David and I thought we could go to a diner?" Susan nodded in David's direction.

The smug smile on his face let Chad know he was enjoying this. Which made him even more angry. "I'm not hungry."

"But I am." Susan crossed her arms.

Chad turned on his heels. "Okay, if you insist." He walked to the exit and heard how David whispered something to Susan. It took him all his willpower to keep walking out the door and down the steps. Planting a fist in David's face was a bad idea, and not only because they were still in the FBI building. It was likely that he'd need her lawyer friend to tie up loose ends. He stopped and looked left and right. "Where to go?"

"I'll lead the way." Before Chad could object, David walked past him.

Chad put his hand on Susan's back to guide her down the street. After a few minutes, he felt calm enough to ask: "Did you really have to call your ex?"

"How many lawyers do you think I know?"

"You went to a fancy college, so I assume more than one."

"You're impossible. Instead of thanking me, you..."

David stopped and turned, his smile bigger than before, if possible. "We've arrived. If you two lovebirds are ready, I'll ask if they can seat us. I prefer to sit outside, but..."

Susan squinted her eyes. She was mad, but this time, she directed those angry eyes at David. "No need to be sarcastic. They arrested Chad. He's tired and anxious about what will happen to his friends, so I'll forgive him for being an ass. What's your excuse?"

And just like that, Chad felt so much better. She understood. She knew even better than he did why he was so irritable. They arrested more people, maybe everyone on that bus. He worried about Brian. Not that he'd seen anyone. He'd behave better. Maybe he could ask David to help Brian. "With COVID still around, who wants to sit inside?" He winked at Susan, feeling happy for the first time today.

A waiter found them a table outside, close to a heater. David snatched a chair and sat down. "You call me in the middle of the night. Expect me to drop everything to help you with a 'friend'." He used his fingers as quotation marks. "I come and even though it's your boyfriend, I still help you and this is how you repay me?"

Susan looked super guilty and he couldn't take it anymore. "You're right and Susan was right, too. I acted like an ass. I was jealous and I'm sorry." He looked from David, who still was mad, to Susan. She smiled for the first time. "Jealous? Why?"

He nodded in David's direction. "Let's discuss that later."

Her smile let him know she understood.

Their waiter brought them water. He grabbed a menu and looked at it, not seeing anything. Maybe he still had a chance with Susan.

"I'm so happy you're free," she said.

"Me too. Thanks for your help." He was looking forward to going home so they could enjoy the rest of their weekend.

The waiter came back and he ordered three eggs over easy on toast. "It's my treat."

"You don't have to do that." Susan sounded worried.

He frowned. "You think I can't pay for breakfast?"

"I think she's afraid that after you've paid your legal bills, there isn't much left." David sounded a bit too cheerful. "I guess she doesn't know you have a well-running business?"

Chad peered at him. David was about to drop a truth bomb, and he knew Susan would be shocked.

She looked at him. "What kind of business?"

Chad sighed and before he could answer David said: "A gun and ammo shop. He's loaded, baby, pun intended."

"What? You're a 2A nut job?" Susan put her hand in front of her mouth. "Sorry that came out wrong."

"If you're wondering if I believe in the Second Amendment. Yes, I do, but I'm also a big promoter of sensible gun ownership. You saw that yourself this morning."

Susan looked confused. "You have a loaded gun inside your bedside table. That isn't very responsible."

"I have an unloaded gun in a strongbox next to my bed. That's perfectly safe."

"But you took it out so fast."

"It opens with my thumbprint. It's something you have to practice. Same with a gun. You should be at a shooting range at least once a month."

Susan was silent. He saw how she was processing the new information. "I don't understand. You told me you worked at an office. With a shop, I'd expect you to work on weekends.

"My staff is trustworthy and..."

"And you knew Susan would oppose your line of work, so I guess that's why you kept it a secret."

Chad felt his anger rise, but determined to keep it civil he said: "Something like that." He focused on Susan. "Now's not the time. I'm pretty sure you'll convince me to turn my store into an organic farmer's market or something radical like that. Just like you convinced me not to vote for Trump."

"You didn't vote for Trump?" Susan yelled while clapping her hands.

Heads turned in their direction.

Chad looked around. "Let's talk when we're home."

The smile on Susan's face lit up the room and made him happy he voted blank.

The waiter came with their order, and when they all had their plates in front of them, David said: "That's presumably why the FBI came out in full force. They were afraid you would 'defend' yourself."

More annoying air quotes. Chad started to understand why Susan broke up with this guy. "Yeah." Better not to engage. It'd lead to another argument. At least he could ensure her safety. To break the awkward silence, he asked Susan: "How was Molly this morning?"

"Don't tell me he has a child?" David threw his hands in the air. "Susan, for God's sake."

Angry, Susan said: "Molly is his dog and yes, she's fine."

After more silent moments, they all finished breakfast. Chad reached out to shake David's hand. "Thanks for your help. If I can ever return the favor, please call me. Susan has my number."

David looked from Susan to Chad. "You're welcome."

Chad nodded, took up the bill, and walked to the register to pay.

Susan jumped up and walked over to David to hug him. "I also want to thank you and I mean it when I say I'm sorry I misled you into thinking I needed help for just a friend."

"It's okay. If it doesn't work out, you know how to reach me."

She gave him a light push. "Not funny."

"Yes, it is funny because I'm pretty sure you'll not call me, at least not soon."

"How do you know?"

"Because you already rapped him around your little finger."

Susan smiled. "Of course not.

"You two are in the 'we'll work it out' phase. We never even reached the 'let's talk' phase, so yeah, I'm pretty convinced it'll last longer than our relationship."

"Thank you." She took a step back when she saw Chad come back to their table. "Bye David."

Chad reached out his hand to her and together they walked out of the diner and back home.