Page 86 of Loyal
Before the words can register, I draw back and hit him once, twice, three times, following him all the way to the ground. Like a little bitch, he reaches up and grabs onto my hair, trying to pull my head back.
“Seriously? That’s the best you got,” I hiss as he gets a shot in on my ribs.
We trade punches back and forth and don’t stop until police pull up to the curb.
“Step away from each other!” a cop shouts as they approach.
I get off of him and step back, hands raised in surrender.
“I want to press charges. He started it,” Billy demands as he scrambles up.
“Bullshit, he hit first!” Mr. Wilson shouts from across the street.
“Fuck you, old man. Mind your business,” Billy shouts back.
“Enough!” another cop snaps.
One of the cops approaches me, holding out his cuffs. I turn around, placing my arms across the small of my back.
“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill,” I tell him.
“What, you can’t arrest me. I’m not a criminal!” Billy screams.
I look over and watch as the other cop puts cuffs on him. Billy, like an idiot, doesn’t make it easy for them. Fighting it the entire time.
“Are you going to question me here or down at the station?” I ask as the cop grabs my upper arm.
“Station. I know who you are,” he mutters.
As we start walking toward the car, Sami calls out, “Loyal…”
I look over at her right before I slide inside. “Call Bailey, tell her what happened.”
She nods as she holds a crying Farrah, and another cop stands, taking their statements.
“Farrah,” I call out, and she looks at me right in the eye. “I protect what’s important.”
She nods, understanding my meaning. I did this to protect her.
I get into the car and look back at Billy. The fucker is still fighting the cop every step of the way.
“That guy really doesn’t know when to stop, does he?” my cop says quietly as he slides into the driver’s seat.
I chuckle. “You have no idea.”
Leaning my head back against the headrest, I close my eyes.
Well, this isn’t how I planned to spend my evening, but I don’t regret it.
After calling Bailey, I agreed to meet the police down at the station for an official statement. We have been sitting in this room for thirty minutes waiting for someone to come see us.
When the door finally opens, I’m surprised when Farrah asks the first question.
“Is Loyal okay?”
The officer looks at her questioningly. “I assume you mean Matthew? He’s fine. Is he your boyfriend?” the officer asks, looking judgmental. I get it, if he were, it would be a crime. They are looking for a reason to lock Loyal up for good.
“No. He’s my mom’s boyfriend,” Farrah tells him.
