I took a calming breath. “Yes?”
“Can you step out of the vehicle?”
“Why?”
“I have a few questions.”
“I think I’ll wait until my fiancé comes back.” A thrill ran through me when Bennington’s posture straightened. I closed the door and locked it with a smile.
He shook his head, running his hand through his damp hair. “Fair enough. Let me go get him.”
Luca came marching back about five minutes later, the smug cop following in his wake. He stopped at my door and waited with his hand hovering over the handle until he heard the lock click. He crouched down until he was at eye level. “You okay?” he asked, his eyes trailing over me as if something could’ve happened to me in the car.
“I’m fine. What’s going on?”
He looked over his shoulder. “The cops got a call. Apparently, they found a body on our lawn.”
“Huh?” I heard his words but couldn’t understand them.
His jaw twitched. “There’s a dead body in our yard.” I could see the barely concealed rage in his eyes.
“Someone we know?” I whispered.
Luca nodded once, his lips thinning until they nearly disappeared.
Glancing behind him at the cop, I grimaced. “So, what’s the plan?” I swung my eyes back to Luca.
“We’re going to my mom’s tonight while they sort this whole thing.”
“Can we run in and get an overnight bag?”
“No, but Mom will have what we need. We can come back to the house tomorrow. Just give me a minute.”
Luca pecked my forehead, then closed the door. He walked up to Bennington and said something that made the cop’s smile fall. Shoulders straight, stride slow, Luca walked to the car. There was no way around it. The man was showing them he was leaving because he wanted to, not because he was being told to leave.
“What was that all about?” I asked once he was in the driver’s seat.
“Just reminding him of a few things.” Luca inched past the squad cars and our neighbors, staring at the scene in front of our house. Mouths agape, they huddled together, pointing at our car and shaking their heads. Not one to shy away from scrutiny, I wished our windows weren’t tinted. I wanted to give them a little wave, maybe blow them a kiss.
“Assholes,” I grumbled, slumping in my seat.
Luca grabbed my hand and pulled it to his thigh. “Rich people, am I right?” He chuckled and kissed the back of my hand.
“You’re the one that said we needed to move to this neighborhood. Now, look at us, the hottest and most judged couple on the block.”
We drove out of the city toward the land of McMansions and HOA fees. The rain lightened to a drizzle. Before I could work up the nerve to ask who died, Luca turned up a long drive, stopping at the gate to enter the code. Further down a private lane, Luca’s parents’ house came into view, and Rosa was standing in the doorway.
“I told her to stay in bed,” Luca mumbled.
“You know you can’t tell that woman what to do.”
“A man can dream.”
We got out of the car, and Rosa rushed to my side, catching my hands in hers. “Are you okay?”
I squeezed her fingers. “We’re fine. What are you doing coming out here in the rain?”
“Don’t worry about me. Are you hungry?” Rosa looked around me to where Luca took two big bags of takeout out of the backseat.