The Bloom Series Box Set: Bloom & Fade by A.P. Kensey

them
through.
    They were in the main lobby of the
building. An officer sat behind the counter reading a magazine and
looked up over his glasses.
    Sanders pushed Colton toward the exit.
“Next time you hit a cop,” he said, “you won’t even make it to the
station.” He walked back into the hallway that led to the holding
cell and slammed the door behind him.
    Colton looked at the officer sitting
behind the counter, who dropped his eyes to his magazine and
whistled softly to himself.
    The waiting area was empty. Colton
looked outside through the large glass windows on the front of the
building and out at the street beyond. The exterior of the police
station was well-lit at night, but he still couldn’t see the person
who supposedly paid his bail and got him out of the holding
cell.
    The street outside the station was
empty except for a few pedestrians hurrying along the sidewalk. The
air was cold and Colton still wore the dirty jeans and t-shirt he
had been wearing all day. He waited for a few moments with his arms
crossed against the cold night air, thinking someone was going to
appear and explain what was going on. He eventually gave up and
started the long walk back to his apartment.
    Colton turned the corner at the end of
the street and saw Reece ahead, leaning against the brick wall of a
building with his hands in his pockets, staring across the street
at a pair of scantily-clad women who were hanging out in front of
an adult video store. He didn’t notice as Colton walked up next to
him and slapped him on the back of the head.
    “ Hey!” said Reece, pushing
off the wall. He clenched his fists as if he were about to start
throwing punches, then relaxed when he saw that it was Colton. “You
scared me half to death.”
    “ Making new friends?” said
Colton, nodding at the women across the street. The women giggled
and waved when Colton looked their way.
    “ They wish,” said Reece.
“But I should remember this spot for later.” He fell into step next
to Colton when he started walking again. “So, how did it
go?”
    Colton shrugged. “Just a bunch of
waiting around, really.”
    Reece nodded. “Look, I need to say
thank you before my ego takes over and won’t let me.”
    “ You would have done the
same for me if I was in your situation. I should say thank you as
well for getting me out, even though it was your idiotic idea that
landed me in jail in the first place.”
    “ I got her phone number,”
said Reece, smiling.
    “ If you didn’t, they would
be dragging me back to the police station right now for murdering
my best friend.”
    “ Aw, come on. It’s not
that bad, right? You’re out, at least.”
    “ Did you have to call your
dad and ask for the money?”
    “ Yeah, about that. It’s
funny, but I actually didn’t have anything to do with your
release.”
    Colton stopped. “What do you
mean?”
    Reece walked a couple steps ahead,
then stopped and turned back hesitantly. “I meant to tell you a
couple weeks ago, but it just never came up.” He scratched the back
of his neck and looked away. “My dad kind of cut me off. He’s not
gonna send any more rent checks until I ‘get my act together’, or
so he says, anyway.”
    “ So who got me out of
jail?” asked Colton.
    “ That’s the funny part.
After the cops hauled you away and I went back to the apartment to
change so I could go ask the record store girl out on a date—her
name’s Chloe and not Jenna, by the way—this guy knocked on the door
right as I was about to leave. Real creepy dude. Tall with black
hair and a grey suit. I thought he was from the funeral home and he
was gonna tell me you died in jail or something.”
    “ Reece…”
    “ Right, sorry. So this guy
hands me this briefcase and tells me that if I give it to this
other guy at the District Attorney’s Office, they would let you
out! I can’t believe it worked!”
    They started walking.
    “ Who was the guy you gave
the briefcase to?”
    “ No idea. Never seen