Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 23115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
He called me once earlier, and I ignored it. Then he texted me: My arms need you.
I almost gave in. I almost replied, turned the car around, and drove to his house to see him. But then I thought back to my conversation with Sarah.
I barely know this man!
He openly admitted to me that he’s under investigation by his department for use of excessive force. And if that’s what he was willing to share with me, what else might he be hiding?
I have to know. I have to be sure.
My insides feel like an egg shell, cracks slowly forming. Pressure building. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to hold out.
Just make it through this meeting with Felch. Then you can go back to Sarah’s and cry.
I park in the corner of the lot and keep my head down as I make my way inside the station. Gareth shouldn’t be here today, but you never know. The last thing I need is him catching me coming in here to meet with his boss.
My stomach twists. I might be sick. Either Gareth lied to me and is not the man I thought he was, or I’m about to make a huge mistake.
But I have to know.
A bearded cop notices me as I step inside and instantly smiles. He turns and nods across the room to another cop, who knocks on a door behind him. It opens, and Felch steps out, chewing his cigar. He looks at me and grins. Waving a file in his hand, he motions for me to come.
I’m trembling as I make my way through the station. The last time I was here, I was handcuffed and being led by Gareth into a situation I never could have imagined. One that changed my life.
And as I stare into the dim, blue glow of Felch’s office, I have a realization: My life is about to change again.
“Thought you’d come,” Felch grunts.
“Yeah, you’re a real genius,” I reply, striding past him and taking a seat across from his desk. “Now let’s see it.”
I want to get this over with as quickly as possible. Even if Gareth is a bad man, I can’t stand being around Felch. The disgusting cigar, his filthy skin, and the way he carries himself. Like a king who never did anything to deserve it.
“Not in here,” Felch replies. He snaps his fingers and starts walking. “In here.”
This bastard…
I want to keep myself planted in this chair, but he’s not turning around. So I get up and follow. When I realize where he’s taking me, a chill sweeps through me.
The interrogation room…
“I thought you’d be more comfortable in here,” Felch says, closing the door behind me. “You know. Based on what you and Gareth were up to last time.”
He knows? How could he? Was he on the other side of the window watching?
The cracks inside are beginning to show. I can feel it. But I can’t break. I won’t. Not here. Not now.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I counter. “Now are you gonna show me your ‘evidence’ or what?”
Without hesitation, Felch pulls a page from the manila envelope and tosses it over to me. It slides across the table to reveal photos of a woman with bruises all over her face and blood dripping from her lip.
“Gareth’s ex.” My stomach drops. I try to draw breath, but my chest won’t move. It’s like I’m paralyzed, staring at this photo. “And in case you don’t believe me, here’s the arrest report.”
Another page. This time, a police form that’s foreign to me. But I quickly scan it with my eyes and make out enough: Gareth Rawls, arrested on charges of assault and battery. Neighbors reported screaming, called police. Officers arrived on scene. Rawls was taken into custody.
It’s just so awful.
“Pretty brutal, right?” Felch asks. “Bet he never mentioned that to you.”
Before I can continue reading, he takes the pages back, stuffing them into the envelope.
“So…when was this?” I ask.
“Few years back.”
“And yet, you still let Gareth be part of the department?”
Felch raises an eyebrow, almost like he appreciates my digging. “Politics, little woman. Politics. Every department has ‘em. And we all gotta play by ‘em.”
“Mm-hmm.” I nod. “What else?”
“What else?” Felch looks surprised by my question.
“Yeah, I mean…is that all you had to show me? Some poor woman and an arrest report?”
My heart’s spinning in my chest, wrapped in slowly-crackling flames. The interrogation room is cold, but I’m burning up.
Right where I’m sitting now is where Gareth had me sitting, cuffed to the table, as he spread my legs and went down on me, giving me my first true release.
Right here is where my life took a new course.
“Well, he probably didn’t tell you about his excessive force complaint—”
“No, he told me,” I reply. “He said it was a man who had a knife to his mom’s throat.”