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“Bad day at work,” I simply stated, grabbing a beer from the bar.
“No shit,” was all he could reply.
“Happy birthday.” I pulled his girlfriend Lily into a hug.
“Thanks, are you okay? Do you need me to get you something?” She looked me over. Concern and worry etched in her knowing eyes.
“Don’t fuss over me. I’m fine. Comes with the job.”
“Okay.”
Family and friends all gathered around celebrating Lily, my best friend Lucas’ baby sister’s twenty-fifth birthday. Everyone was so goddamn happy and there wasn’t anything to be happy about.
At least not for me.
Not ever again for me.
It didn’t take long to hear my other friend Austin yell out, “What the fuck?”
Everyone turned, following the direction of his gaze.
Everyone but me.
Three police officers walked in, heading towards us. I was sitting down at the table beside Jacob and Lily, sipping my beer like nothing was going on, as if my life wasn’t about to get shit on and disposed of as if it meant nothing to begin with.
“Detective McGraw, we hate to have to—”
“Just fucking do it,” I interrupted the officer, standing to look at all of them.
The rest proceeded in slow fucking motion and trust me if I could have sped it up, I would have.
“Dylan McGraw, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”
I nodded and Jacob who was a lawyer immediately jumped into action like I knew he would.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Dylan, do not say a word without me present. Do you understand me? Do not open your mouth for nothing.”
I nodded again.
They finished handcuffing me and escorted me out of the restaurant with everyone’s prying eyes on me. Shoving me in the back of a cop car as I had done to so many people before, too many damn times to count.
The irony was not lost on me.
I was fingerprinted, a mug shot was taken, and I was stripped and searched before they pushed me into an empty cell as I waited for Jacob to make his presence known.
I took a deep breath, sitting on the bench with my head leaning back against the wall.
My entire life flashing before my eyes like a goddamn movie reel I couldn’t pause or fucking stop.
I heard footsteps down the hall and I didn’t have to wonder who it was.
“Come on, your lawyer wants to talk to you.”
He handcuffed me once again and led me down a narrow hallway into a room with a large rectangular table that had chairs scattered along it. Jacob was sitting at the far end of the table, exactly how I assumed he would be. I took the seat on the opposite end from him, mostly because I didn’t want to walk that fucking far to be closer to him.
I was exhausted and I’m not talking about physically.
They shut the door and left us alone. Neither one of us spoke for I don’t know how damn long. We just kinda stared at each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. I sighed, leaning back into my chair, trying to get comfortable with the goddamn cuffs cutting at my wrists.
