Free THIEF: Part 3 by Kimberly Malone Page A

and a piece of the highway, everything washed in gray.“I don’t know,” I tell her.
                  Jane clucks and goes back to her clippings and dream wedding notebook, where she’s attaching every glitzy option with gluestick like a kid.Of course she thinks it’s so simple.For her, who hopped from boyfriend to boyfriend all these years—most of whom were much younger than her—there was never a question of love.There were no apologies.It was just a matter of walking away when the fun ended.Until Killian, who, for reasons I still don’t understand, changed Jane’s mind in a matter of weeks.
                  Even if he would apologize, I want to tell her, even if I wanted to call him, even if we could move past it all and just be happy in love like we used to, which we can’t, it still wouldn’t matter.
                  I don’t know where he is.No one does.
                  A month and a half ago, Silas Marlowe disappeared.Not a soul—least of all, mine—has heard from him since.
     
     
    “Glad to hear everything’s going well since your case got dropped with Fox Ridge.”
                  I nod and fake a smile, not looking up from my checkbook as Kyle Meegan, my lawyer, gets up from his desk.“Yep.So do I make this out to you, or the firm?”
                  “Either’s fine.”He comes around to my side, leaning against his desk.“They haven’t found Marlowe yet, huh?”
                  “Nope.”I tear the check away and slide it to him.I don’t like the way he says “Marlowe,” as though just a few weeks ago, Silas wasn’t sitting in this office with us, helping me navigate Mom’s death and the lawsuit against me from her ex, over a stupid junker in the garage I didn’t even really want.
                  Of course, I’d also hired Kyle to defend me in the Fox Ridge case, when the ranch thought I stole funds during my community service.They dropped the charges when it came out I’d been framed.
                  Framed .The word still doesn't make sense to me.Actually, it's the rest of the phrase that doesn't make sense, when I had to tell my lawyer, the police, and the ranch what really happened: I was framed ... by Silas.
                  So I guess I should agree with Kyle, call Silas by his last name, refer to him like a criminal.He doesn’t deserve anything better.He definitely doesn’t deserve the feelings I still have for him, but whenever I try to dig up my anger, a handful of sadness comes with it.Yes, I feel betrayed.Furious.Vengeful.All the things I should feel.But underneath it all, I’m just sad things weren’t different.I miss Silas, even if I can’t explain why.
                  “So,” I sigh, “what’s next?”
                  “Depends on what Gordon does,” Kyle says matter-of-factly.
                  “Williams,” I correct.If we’re not granting Silas the courtesy of his first name, my mom’s sleazy ex-boyfriend sure as hell won’t get it.
                  “Right.”Kyle flips through some papers.“The car he wants is gone now, correct?”
                  “Yeah.I donated it to Goodwill.It’s long gone.”
                  Kyle sighs.“I just don’t get the guy’s motivation—that car is worth less than his lawyer fees will be, fighting you on this.”
                  “He wants to make me miserable,” I say simply.“That’s his motivation.”
                  “Well, he won’t win, if that’s any consolation.Your mom signed that title to you before she died, and Gordon sold it to her fair and square when they met…the guy’s got nothing on you.”He closes the folder and smiles confidently.“It’ll be the fastest civil trial I’ve ever worked.Don’t worry.”
                  “I’m not.”I try to smile encouragingly,