Page 108 of The Monster I Am
Thankfully, Rylan has returned to his snack, oblivious, so I stand and stalk over slowly.
“What?” I hiss quietly. “If this is about your damn sneakers—”
“It’s Bexley,” he replies vacantly, eyes darting over my shoulder to make sure Rylan didn’t hear.
I wait for him to elaborate but he doesn’t, my temple twitching again.
Checking that Rylan is still in a deep trance with the Jello, I lower my voice, moving closer to Tai. “You better not have told her.”
He shakes his head, suddenly appearing distressed while running a hand through his hair. “That was Archer. The cops took her from Willowbrook.”
Chapter thirty-four
Bexley
This is not the most ideal ending to my day. And out of all the cops in Ridgeview Valley, I justhadto get the ones from Willowbrook.
Actually… I stand corrected. Upon reflection, it’s strikingly obvious that this was arranged. I’m an idiot for not realizing it sooner.
The moment Mayor Astor showed his miserable face, I should have suspected trouble was on the horizon. Why else would he have been there?
Alright—I concede that being supervised probably isn’t the worst idea. I should have walked away when Arch elbowed me. But I couldn’t resist speaking my peace. And look where it got me.
I’d say Mayor Astor was there to witness the glory—a little pre-show entertainment while he distracted me so the cops could swarm in.
Thank goodness most of the academy had cleared out. Though, a few people in the parking lot saw me getting shovedinto the back of the police car. Great. There’s probably video footage of it. I’ll be on Youtube and social media in no time. Maybe this is karma for posting the clip of Hunter’s ass glued to the desk.
An eye for an eye to restore karmic balance.
I swallow a groan as I twist on the bench, attempting unsuccessfully to get comfortable. I’m still handcuffed on one hand, but the officers locked me to the seat so I wouldn’t escape. Willing cardio? I don’t think so.
The cops are blatantly ignoring me as they sit behind the desk and laugh among themselves. Besides eavesdropping on their conversations—which only seems to be about sport and weekend plans—the only entertainment is watching the clock on the wall.
It’s been a few hours since I was arrested. No one has spoken to me or turned up. I was expecting them to question me at the very least, but that hasn’t happened.
I’m not entirely sure what the process is meant to be here, but I would assume if I was being charged, I’d have to give a statement or be shoved into a room with one of those two-way mirrors.
But nada.
Dammit. I hate being left alone with my thoughts at a time like this. It’s already bad enough that I’m panicking about being incarcerated. But I’m also stuck wondering where the guys are and if they are okay.
Mayor Astor was cryptic, perfectly hiding his threats behind words. But not knowing where Rylan is, or Tai and Hunter, I’m going out of my mind.
I’m sure everything is fine though. It has to be.
After all, I’m their intended target. What benefit would Mayor Astor or Dean Lannister have by hurting their own family?
All I can do is hope that Arch wasn’t detained as well and managed to call for help.
Liv and her big mouth. If she wasn’t out there bullying people I wouldn’t have had to break her nose. She fucked around and found out.
But this is also my fault. I’m responsible for my own actions and decisions. I should have walked away or ignored her. But after hearing Peyton’s confession, I felt strongly about protecting her.
She showed courage by admitting something deep. And I can only imagine the struggle it must be to go through a battle of that magnitude.
As soon as Liv spoke those words, I lost control. I have no idea why—it’s out of character for me. Just like today.
Usually I can hold it in, not let myself be fazed. But threatening the people I care about? Rationality is hard to grasp.
