Free Sweet as Pie Crimes by Anisa Claire West

condition.  I was this close,” he made a tiny space between his thumb and forefinger, “ this close to finding a cure when I was arrested.”
    “Wow,” I breathed, humbled by his explanation and hating myself even more for my ill-timed one liner. 
    “S he’s 10 years old now.  Her name is Victoria, and to my knowledge, no one’s been researching her disorder because it’s so rare.  So there’s no real money or glory in finding a cure.  But if I could just get back to work, I wouldn’t quit until I finally found a cure and made sure she would never lose her eyesight.” Marcus spoke passionately and with more sincerity in those few breaths than I had heard in all three years of my marriage combined. 
    “What do we do next?  How can we get you back to work when we can’t even get your name cleared?” My voice rose in frustration as I felt more invested than ever in making sure Marcus never went back to prison.  They’d have to take me in kicking, biting, and screaming before I would reveal any of the secrets he had confided in me.
    “Duck down!” Marcus yelled abruptly.
    Without needing to look, I heard the blaring sirens behind us, as a police car closed in on our vehicle.

Chapter 10
    Tension was thicker than a firelog as the cop car rode our bumper.  We both knew we were trapped and had to pull over.  His face crumbling in defeat, Marcus veered my car over to the side of the road as a whimper of fear escaped my throat.  Coughing to cover up my moment of weakness, I looked stoically in front of me, prepared to meet whatever fate awaited me in jail and beyond.
    “Huh? Wait a second!” Marcus yelled in amazement.  “They’re not pulling us over!  They just wanted to get around us!”
    “Please tell me you’re not kidding,” I squeaked, afraid to look up and see if he was right or just hallucinating.
    “I’m definitely not kidding,” Marcus proclaimed, tilting my face toward the driver side window so I could see the police car speeding away.
    “Oh what a close call,” I exhaled in overwhelming relief.
    “Yeah, I guess I’m getting paranoid from being on the run for so long.  Every time I even see a mall security guard, I get worried that my time is up.  But this isn’t Buttercup Valley.  Cops have lots of people to chase here in California,” Marcus said with a knowing chuckle.
    My face still vibrated from the light touch of his hand and all I could do was nod.  The more time I spent with this man, and the more near-death experiences we shared, the more explosive our chemistry became.  Did he feel it too?  Or was it just me?  Remembering how awful I looked with the heavy bags under my eyes and wan coloring from dehydration, I wasn’t so sure.  But his touch had felt so soft, so solicitous…
    “What the hell?” Marcus muttered as the sound of a phone ringing invaded my private musings.
    “You have a cell phone?” I asked incredulously.
    “A disposable one.  A friend provided it for me.”
    I smiled gently, impressed how he still tried to protect Dr. Bill Townsend, even though we both knew the older physician was the only one likely to have provided the phone.  Marcus pressed a button and spoke into the narrow receiver.
    “Yes?  Yes.  What’s going on?” A breathless silence followed Marcus’s question.  “Are you sure?” He finally spoke in a hushed tone.  “Really?  I mean, is this even possible? This is unbelievable.  It’s a good thing I’m sitting down right now.  You’re absolutely sure?? Oh man.  Thank you.  Thank you so much.”
    As Marcus slipped the phone back into his jacket pocket, I looked at him expectantly.  “Well?  Aren’t you going to say anything?” My temper flared when he made no response.  “Look, I’ve gone above and beyond what most people would do for you, Marcus, and you can’t keep me in the dark.  I have a right to know what’s going on!”
    “You’re right, Becca,” he agreed solemnly.  “You’ve been