“Donnie Hatterson, you are under arrest for domestic abuse and attempted kidnapping. Anything you say …”
Drew looks at me as he puts the cuffs on my brother. It doesn’t feel like the justice I wanted to serve, but at least I know Drew has my back for the moment.
A security guard comes from the ground floor of the building while another comes from the second floor. “Miss, you alright?”
“Take her back to her room. She was being kidnapped,” Drew tells the man in front of me. He doesn't look at me and my heart breaks.
“Police will be here within ten minutes. Please stay outside her door to make sure she’s safe.”
“Drew?” Vulnerability laces my tone as the guard helps me from the corner.
“Go now, Maddie.”
“Son of a mother fucking bitch!”I cuss loudly once Maddie is taken back to her room. I couldn’t face her. Not now, because I need to grasp what the fuck is going on here.
“Fuck.” I pound my fist against the wall and snarl. Donnie isn’t conscious and the guard’s radio is going off insistently.
“You ok, man?”
Am I? No. No, I am not ok. I’m not even sure if I’m mad that Donnie took Maddie from under my nose or if it’s … I don’t finish the thought. I can’t wrap my mind over the fucking shock of this goddamn drama.
It’s been Maddie this entire time.Fuck.I turn to the guard and sigh. “Yeah, let’s get him medical attention before the police get here.”
“Already radioed it in. They should be here soon.”
“Thank you.” I pace from the staircase to the wall, back and forth, as I try to come to terms with Maddie being the killer.
What’s crazy is the police beat the damn doctor here. I am immediately questioned and give them evidence I do have. They seem to take my explanation with what I saw and how things went down.
I don’t tell them that Maddie confessed to the killings. Knave is never mentioned either. Fuck, if it comes back to it, I’ve just broken the law, and I’m not sure if it was because I want to keep Maddie safe or that I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.
The shattering and sinking feeling inside of me grows by the second. I feel almost betrayed by Maddie but I’m not sure I can blame her for the killings. My mind runs through the group of victims and realize they were the ones that betrayed her. All of them. It doesn’t matter though, the law dictates that she’s a criminal. I stand by the door that opens to Maddie’s floor and take several calming breaths. It’s not fucking helping.
“Detective Vega?” Someone shakes me out of my stupor and I turn to focus on the person. It’s Detective Gardner.
“Yes?”
“We need to question Maddie before we leave.”
Not tonight I think. She will think I’ve turned her in, and I haven’t done that yet. “Come by my house tomorrow around noon. We should be home if she has no other injuries. She isn’t going to be in any state to answer questions tonight.”
“We …”
“I said not today. She was just kidnapped by the same man that tried to rape her. If you recall, she’s the victim here.”
He steps back because I’m yelling at him. Enough that I’ve made my throat sore from doing so. The sergeant comes up behind Gardner and nods. “That’s enough Gardner. Drew will not let Maddie leave his sight. We will speak with you both tomorrow.”
My mind is so fucked up right now. I’ve just aided and abetted Maddie. I’m withholding pertinent case information and still, I can’t bring myself to turn her in.
Not yet.
* * *
I openthe door and Maddie is on the bed, holding her knees to her chest. Those beautiful eyes are crying right now. I wonder if it’s from Donnie trying to take her or if it’s more than that. The longer I look at her, the more pissed I get.
The guard looks in. “I’m going to take off, but we will monitor the hallway through the rest of the night.”
“Thank you.” I lock the door when he leaves. I pull the blinds down and close them.
