S POINT

out of the shower

as m

"You wanna come with me to court today? I finally caught that b

"Well, I was going to deep-clean the apartment, but

Uber as I got dressed. By the time I was slipping in

ndrops fell. The sky above was a deep gray, heavy with unshed stor

g, spotting my dad by the water dispenser,

alled out,

d, nearly spilling the

r. His startled expr

Am I to

minutes," he said, and led me dow

t growing up with a father who wore the badge like a

nd this world

ve a front-row seat. After all, you're the daughter of

d worked tirelessly for three years to catc

ficers walked in, and the man in cu

t what I

e owned the room. His hair was black, tousled like he'd been in a fight

peeking through the op

Della

no idea what it meant... but it felt

pride, the tattoo clear enough for

t I didn't realize he w

is gaze, my

bout him fe

before, but there was a flicker of recognition in my

he sm

bottom lip, and something about the way he lo

me swall

nged forward and pu

eyes off my daughte

back, then laughed

nothing coul

ne barked. "Any more disruptions and y

ad would've been in real trouble. Even cops didn'

d him back into his seat. He didn't fight it. He ju

y entered, everyone s

ng in his seat like he wa

eard his attorney

look- cold and cutting, and the a

rges we

rd

traff

traffi

s smug

name

h evidence too damning to ignore. The d

nce was i

n-minute recess. The deci

instead, I wandered to the small snack bar near the doors and grabbed a mango-flavored tre

n the snack, the mango-fl

t again, that

oked

i

ic Vi

thing else in the world exis

n I loo

iled.

d quickly, retreating to my seat before my dad noticed. I

urned, and th

dict wa

IN PR

r or regret, the m

like the whole thing

e guards led hi

nst the courthouse steps as I followed behind them. I h

ushed him ins

rn

ed a

e he knew some

ust entere

kiss... and disapp

on my shoulder, bring

was t

estly. "He wouldn't

queezing my shoulder. "But he'

odd

to his car, my mi

ill insid

minic V

new it wouldn't be the l