Almost Us

ALMOST US S.M. SHADE CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Epilogue Acknowledgements for the Almost Duet Where to Find S.M. Shade More by S.M. Shade Copyright © 2022 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Cover art by Melissa Gill Designs Formatting by Pink Elephant Designs CHAPTER 1 This can’t be happening. Those words are a song played over and over in my mind on my frantic drive to Stokes Brothers. Not thirty minutes ago, Oliver was led away in handcuffs, accused of hiring the Warrens to kill Alden. It’s insane. Everything that’s happened over the last seven months sometimes feels like a cosmic joke. Like we’re only characters in a play and some sadistic writer is throwing horrible things at us for their own entertainment. Tori and Paul pull into the lot and park beside me as I’m climbing out of my car. She was my first call. “What the hell is going on?” “I don’t know. Milo said they’re searching the shop.” The three of us rush inside to find Milo and Smith standing in the garage while an officer guards the stairs leading to Oliver’s apartment. “They arrested him?” Smith asks. “Yes. They took him.” My words spill out in a panic. “I need to find him a lawyer. A criminal lawyer. I have to get him out. He’s not well enough to be in jail. We have to—” Milo reaches out and lays a firm hand on my shoulder. “I know a criminal attorney. He doesn’t come cheap but he’s one of the best in the city. He got my sister out of some shit a few years ago. I’ll call him.” “Yes, call him. The quicker the better.” “What are they looking for?” Tori asks. “Did they show you the search warrant?” Smith nods and hands her a sheet of paper while Milo walks away to make the call. She skims it and hands it to me. After I read it twice, I hand it back to Smith. “They’re limited to the office and Oliver’s apartment,” he says. “Is there anything illegal here? Hot bike parts? Weed? Anything?” I’m not aware of anything illegal going on here, but I have to ask. “Absolutely not,” Smith replies. “They won’t find anything like that. They aren’t looking for drugs or stolen property anyway. Only financial records. There’s a detective in the office going through the computer.” “It doesn’t make sense,” Tori exclaims. “What do they think he did? Launder money or something? What did they even charge him with?” Milo approaches with his phone to his ear to ask the same question. “Do you know the exact charge?” My stomach turns. “Conspiracy to commit murder.” Everyone freezes and stares at me while I force myself to add. “Alden’s murder. They’re accusing him of paying the Warrens to kill him and disguise it as a robbery.” The sudden silence reflects their shock. “That’s fucking insane!” Tori exclaims. “They can’t be serious.” Milo relays the information to the person on the phone and walks away again. “Why do they think Oliver had something to do with it?” Smith asks. “I have no idea. They didn’t question him. They just showed up and took him. I don’t understand any of it. Detective Ramos, the one who’s been handling this from the beginning, was there. He wouldn’t tell me why or what evidence they had.” Milo glares at the officers who emerge from the office carrying files and the laptop. “The lawyer will meet us at his office in two hours. He’s making the calls to find out when Oliver will be arraigned.” “What do I need to do? What does he need from me?” I ask, my mind running a thousand miles per hour. “It’s a thousand dollars to put him on retainer for the arraignment hearing. After that, Oliver can decide if he wants him to represent him for the rest. He needs a signature to show you’ve retained his services. I’ll go with you.” “Thank you.” The officers finish ransacking Oliver’s apartment while we stand around, not knowing what else to do. Once they’ve left, Milo says, “Hudson and Joanna are due in soon. Do we want to close the shop?” “Yes.” My answer is instant. All focus needs to be on Oliver today. Still, this is going to be expensive, and I need to make sure we’re in a position to re-open as soon as possible. “They took the computer. We need that to operate, right?” I ask Smith. “I have everything that we need to run the shop backed up to the cloud, but yes, we need a laptop. We can’t see our appointments, print work orders or receipts.” He rubs his chin. “I have an older one at home that might get us through for a bit. It’s a little glitchy.” I do my best to focus on the decisions that need to be made despite the fear trying to pull me down. “Give everyone a paid day off,” I tell Milo, then turn to Smith. “Can you shop for a new laptop? You know what you need for our software. Just use the business card.” “Of course.” Milo hops on the phone, and Smith heads out to his truck. Okay, the shop is