Hawk (A Stepbrother Romance #3)(69)

The sweltering heat passes into ice cold and florescent lights slide over my head, each one that much closer to hell. The gurney turns, a sickening lurch in my stomach following it, and heads down another hall. I don't remember this place, I don't know if I was here before, but I feel it, feel the walls reaching into crush me, the lights overhead sliding down to grasp me in red hot fingers and choke out my life. I beg and I plead, my words melting into a wordless blubber as the gurney wheels into a plain white room and stops, and then everyone leaves.

They turn off the lights, leaving only a pale thin rectangle of white casting a glow across the room. I start screaming.

I scream until my throat burns and goes hoarse, and I can't anymore. I lay there sobbing silently until the door opens and my mother walks in.

I pull against my bonds.

"Mom," I rasp. "Please listen to me." She brushes a lock of hair out of my face and caresses my cheek. "Mom," I beg her, "Please. Please. You have to get away from him."

“From who, sweetie?"

"From Tom, I'm begging you. He's a monster. He killed his first wife."

My mother laughs softly, and sighs.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I have to laugh, or I'll cry," she says, caressing my arm. "Your delusional, honey. Tom isn't some kind of criminal. It's all in your head."

"Hawk will come for me-"

"Hawk was destitute," she says, smiling. "He came begging for a place to stay, and Tom caught him trying to force himself on you, the way he forced himself on you when you were younger. Don't you remember?"

"No, no that's bullshit and you're lying. I love him. I've always loved him. He came back for me."

"It's okay, dear. He's going to go away for a long time. He'll never hurt you again."

"He never hurt me," I hiss at her. "You hurt me, you cold evil bitch. Tom killed his first wife, and I hope he kills you too."

She laughs.

"Tom killed his wife. Is that what you believe?"

She leans down, to whisper in my ear.

"That's insane."

"It's not, we have proof."

She laughs, so close to my ear I can feel her breath.

"No, you stupid little slut. Tom didn't kill his wife. I did."

She stands, still smiling, and strides out of the room.

The door slams closed, and swallows my screams.





Hawk





Now





They're going to shoot me in the head and kill me.

Or so I think. Instead they pick me up, two Paradise Falls cops. They pull me up by the arms, torquing my shoulders, and drag me to their cruiser.

"You're f*cked," one of them says, calmly.

"I'm asserting my right to remain silent," I rasp.

My head is splitting, my ears are shrieking, my eyes are burning, and I feel like I just got tumble dried again. They throw me in the back seat and I barely get my feet out of the way before they slam the door.

The pair get in the car, and we drive. I sit up and watch Alexis' car in front of me. I can see her, just barely. The world is swirling around me. Eventually the ringing and the blindness will stop.

"Good job with the flashbang," I croak out. "I guess you guys were too * to come at me straight on."

The cop in the passenger seat laughs and nods at me. "Yeah, go ahead and provoke us, tough guy."

"I need two shitkicker cops to wipe my ass. Why don't you two uncuff me and we can go one at a time or both at once, your preference."

"One at a time or both at once," the driver says. "Sounds like what your girlfriend is in for."

Snarling, I pull my feet up and hammer the glass partition with my heels. Both men jump and the car lurches as the driver wrestles it back under control.

"Do that again, f*ckhead," the passenger says, "and you'll be shot for resisting arrest, feel me?"

"Arrest for what?"

They both laugh.

"Boy," the passenger says, "You're in deep shit. You're up on a dozen charges."

"Like what?"

"We'll think of something," the other one says. "You rubbed another man's rhubarb. That doesn't fly around here."

Fuckers.

Nothing in the back I can use as a weapon, and I'm not getting these cuffs off. At least it's a fairly short drive back to Paradise Falls. I look around at the other cars, trying to spot the girls. I think I can see Alexis, but I can't spot May. I keep my trap shut as we head into town, and one of the cars peels off. I see May's nose pressed against the glass. It looks like it's heading back to the house, the car carrying her. Ahead of us, Alexis' car, I think, keeps going as we turn off, headed for downtown.

"Where are they taking her?"

"Shut up."

I look around, get my bearings. We're headed for City Hall and the municipal complex. The police station is a squat, brute, ugly building that sticks out from behind the older City Hall and so on, a rectangular blockhouse with a holding pen on the second floor and concertina wire around the roof. My car and two others pull in, and the occupants form a ring around my car, hands on their guns.