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“Your new phone. It has a GPS tracking device. ” My own thoughts haunt me—too many bells, too many whistles.
Isaiah squeezes my hand. He subtly moves one shoulder in front of me, and I realize he senses danger. My eyes search for what alarms Isaiah and my mouth goes dry. A police officer strolls up to my father.
“What are you doing, Dad?”
He places his hands on his hips. “I want you to come home. ”
The police officer talks into his shoulder unit and gestures to Isaiah. “Sir, we need you to step away from the young lady. ”
I hold tight on to Isaiah. “Why did you bring the police?”
Dad’s lip pulls back. “He abducted you. ”
Abducted? “I left with him. ”
“Running away is just as bad. You created chaos and left your mother and me wondering if we’d ever see you again! How can you do this to her?” Dad turns his head to the police officer. “She’s seventeen. He either took my daughter or this is a runaway situation. I have an entire ballroom of people who can testify to that. ”
“We weren’t running away!” Dad is twisting everything, and no matter what I say, no one will believe us.
“Arrest him,” Dad snaps. “Let’s go, Rachel. We’re going home before your mother sinks too low because she thinks she’s losing another daughter. ”
What I feared from my brothers is now happening with my father. He’s separating me and Isaiah. “Please. We haven’t done anything wrong. ”
Not true. We’ve done lots of things wrong, but for the first time in weeks, we have the chance to do something right.
“Sir,” says the police officer with more force. His hand moves to his belt and my heart trips in my chest. “Step away from the girl. ”
“No,” says Isaiah in a voice so cold I shiver.
“She’s a minor,” Dad reminds Isaiah. “And has no business being here or with you. ”
Noah approaches from the side with his hands in the air to show he’s peaceful. “Sir, Isaiah’s only seventeen. Officer, if you’re arresting him, I’d like to know the charge. ”
The officer glances at my father. “Is that true?”
Agitation leaks into my father’s tone, and his jaw jumps. “I don’t know how old he is. He came into a party and took my daughter. ”
“I left with him,” I hiss. “He didn’t kidnap me and we weren’t running away. I was coming home. ”
“Let’s see some ID,” says the officer. “Then we’ll start to sort this out, but you should go home with your father. ”
“Isaiah,” Noah interjects in an overly calm voice. “Show the man your ID. Now. ”
“Step away from the girl first. ” The officer’s hand twitches on his belt. “And slowly take out your ID. Everyone can go home if we do this right. ”
Still grasping me, Isaiah slowly removes his wallet and tosses it in the direction of the police officer. “And no. I don’t have a record. ”
The way they both stare at him, I know what they see: the tattoos and earrings and every worst nightmare. But Isaiah is nothing like that. He’s gentle and kind and strong. . . My body starts to quake and it’s not a panic attack. It’s my heart—breaking and ripping into shreds. “Isaiah. ”
Isaiah’s silver eyes have turned to ice. “It’ll be okay, Rachel. Won’t it?” He nods at my father.
Dad all but sneers. If I had introduced them properly, would my father have given him a chance? “You either come with me peacefully or I have this police officer physically put you in the car. Your choice, but this entire fiasco you’ve created is done. ”
“I don’t give a fuck who you are,” says Isaiah in a low tone that indicates the threat is very real. “No one touches her. ”
Off to the side, Noah lets loose a string of profanities. “Go with them, Rachel. Otherwise Isaiah will give them a reason to put him in jail. We’ll work it out. ”
“Not if you’re afraid of them,” Isaiah whispers. “I won’t let you go if you’re afraid of them. ”
