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I glance at the cop car Meredith sits in, looking bewildered. Then I glance at the other side of the lawn where Charlie sits on the edge of a SWAT truck, wrapped in an emergency blanket. A female cop is talking to her, but she’s shut down, not saying a word.
I have no idea what’s happened between me falling asleep and waking up to this mess. I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. Considering what I know about Damien, it’s probably the case of an overzealous cop thinking he’s seeing a problem when there isn’t one. I’m not thrilled that Meredith tried to leave in the middle of the night. She wasn’t a prisoner here. She was free to leave whenever she pleased.
“I think your ‘man on the inside’ has made a serious error,” I answer with a sneer. “That woman and her sister are guests in my house. He has no right to be scoping out my property in the first place.”
“Pocus.” The chief grabs me by the shoulder and moves me a few feet away so we’re out of earshot. “I know you don’t want to get caught up in this. We don’t think you had any knowledge of who she was, or we’d be bringing you in too. Don’t make this difficult.”
I shake him off and assess him. He’s a small man with a pointed, obnoxious face. Of all the police chiefs we’ve had in this city, he’s my least favorite. The bar is set pretty high in that regard. He’s done nothing to help this city, and he continues to prove his incompetence. This is a horrible mistake, but he’ll hear none of it. The only thing he cares about is putting someone in prison. Even if it’s the wrong person.
Abigail exits the house, visibly upset, but I tell her to go back in and keep an eye on Daisy. She’s hesitant, wanting to go to Meredith, but as she’s about to leave the porch, the police car pulls away.
“What about Charlie?” Abigail asks me, her voice thick with emotion. “What’s going to happen to her, Pocus?”
I look at where I last saw Charlie. The cop is walking her back to the porch. Charlie runs into Abigail’s arms, and my wife pulls her into a tight embrace. For now, she’ll stay with us.
“Go inside,” I tell her softly, kissing her on her forehead. “I’ll sort it out, okay? I promise.”
She gives me an unsure look. I’m not sure I believe my words either. The police are packing up and leaving. Damien stands there, watching it all with a smug look on his face.
“What did you do? Why the fuck are you even here?”
He looks at me, shocked, as if he’s somehow the hero of this story.
“You heard the chief,” he says in a surprised tone. “That was a very dangerous woman. I’ve done you a favor, Pocus.”
“Dangerous how?” I ask skeptically. “What did she supposedly do?”
“She’s kidnapped dozens of children,” he tells me. “We have her linked to dozens of unsolved missing child cases in multiple states. This investigation has been ongoing for years.”
I want to grab him by the collar and shake him, but the chief is right. I don’t want to be carted away tonight. Even if he deserves it.
“What the hell do you have to do with it?” I growl. “You’re supposed to be investigating rival gangs. You’re supposed to be across the street. Where the fuck do you get off watching my house?”
“I got worried when I heard about the little girl,” he says, in mock humility. “Something about that didn’t sit right with me. Then I came over here and saw her. I knew I had to call it in.”
“You had no right,” I tell him lowly. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Damien retorts, with far more confidence than he has any right to.
I feel my inner beast clawing at my chest. I’d love nothing more than to show Damien exactly what I’m capable of. But that will do nothing for Meredith and Charlie. I’m surprised I feel so protective on their behalf. I haven’t enjoyed having Meredith in my house, lying to me. Still, I know this is wrong. Whatever Damien thinks he has on Meredith, he’s got it twisted. He must.
He gives me a cocky wink and saunters off. I watch as he gets on his bike and takes a sharp left turn, not toward the clubhouse, but toward the police station. For him, this is the collar of his career, but I smell a rat.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
My phone goes off at 2:00 AM. For a moment I think I’m back at the hospital getting paged. Then I remember I’m suspended. No one is in life-threatening danger. Not at the hospital, at least. Someone better be in life-threatening danger, though, if they’re calling me at this ungodly hour.
Blearily, I look at the screen and see it’s Pocus. My heart immediately sinks in my chest, imagining horrible scenarios. My first thought goes to Abigail. She’s several weeks away from her due date, but her water might have broken early. That’s just what he needs right now, another medical emergency the same night Daisy broke her arm.
Then, as my mind starts to catch up, I worry something is wrong with Charlie. Maybe she’s having another fit and needs me to come check her out. I’m not remotely expecting what he says instead.
“Meredith was arrested, Graveyard,” he says when I pick up. “We need to get down the police station now.
What the fuck? My mind swirls again as I imagine scenarios for Meredith’s arrest. Nothing stands out to me as a reason she’d be in jail. If she did something at the house, Pocus would rather die than call the cops on her. She hasn’t left the premises in days.
I quickly dress and drive to the station in a complete daze. How is this happening? What could she have done? When I arrive, Pocus stands outside looking furious.
“That fucking pig has been watching my house,” he says without any preamble. “He’s been scoping the place out, waiting for Meredith to leave. I’m going to kill Seer.”
