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“May I?” Stephen asked Luke.
Luke frowned deeply at me, then he nodded. Stephen opened the door and the dog bolted inside, making a beeline for the dresser in the far corner. Time around me slowed almost to a standstill. Each slow, pounding beat of my heart echoed in my ears for an eternity. Every step closer to that dresser was like sludge, and a sharp heat mingled with a chill across my skin resulting in various bursts of prickly goosebumps.
Tabitha hovered with me by the door, and her wrinkled hand landed slowly on my elbow, perhaps trying to comfort me. The touch was searing and I could barely stand it. Luke and Jax stood in the room, silent as the grave while the dog scratched at the dresser and Stephen began searching the drawers. Three drawers down, in my underwear drawer, he found what he was looking for.
His hand came away clutching clear baggies of white power, and a hurricane started in my gut as Luke and Jax turned to face me, the shock and horror etched onto their face. Even Tabitha removed her touch on my elbow.
“Whose room is this?” Stephen asked.
“Mine,” I choked out before anyone else could. “But I—those aren’t mine, Iswear. I wouldn’t even know where to get drugs in a place like this; they aren’t mine!”
“You are Summer Bradley?” Stephen asked, and I frowned. How did he know my name?
“Y-Yes… that’s correct.”
“Stephen?” Luke turned back to him. “What’s going on?”
“The information we received was that a Summer Bradley was in possession of narcotics. It came with some further information that she has a history with drugs and has slipped back into old habits,” Stephen replied tightly. “We have to take all these accusations seriously, you understand.”
“Ahistory?” Jax snapped suddenly, and I flinched, looking at him. The pain and anger in his eyes was like iron, and I struggled to swallow around my heart that seemed to have nestled into my throat.
“Yes,” I gasped, “but that was a long time ago. So long ago and it wasn’t even my—” I stopped before the excuses started to sound crazy. “Please, I would never!”
“This has to be a mistake,” Tabitha spoke up. “This place is secure and only those with keys can get in and out of here.”
“That doesn’t make her look good, Ma,” Luke hissed.
“Well yes, but…” Tabitha turned to me and her eyes were shining with tears and confusion.
“Where are your keys?” Jax asked bitterly.
“What?”
“Where are they? Earlier you asked if we had seen them.” His voice tightened and just as I was sure my heart was about to explode in my chest, an odd silence settled over my mind like a blanket. A cold, muted realization that no matter what I said in this moment, it wouldn’t matter.
Distrust swam in the eyes of the people before me, and I hadn’t seen my keys since last night, though that hardly helped my situation.
“I don’t know,” I whispered as tears prickled behind my eyes. “But this… this wasn’t me. Thisisn’tme.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you’re under arrest for possessing narcotics.”
“Arrest?” Theo’s warm voice breached the air, and we all turned to see him standing in the hallway, his eyes wide. He glanced from me to the security staff, then the drugs in Stephen’s hand before back at me. “Summer…”
The soft, shocked way he said my name brought the tears crashing down my cheeks as the cold metal of handcuffs sealed around my wrists.
“I’m sorry,” I wept. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“This can’t be right,” Tabitha muttered as I was led back down the hallway. “What’s going to happen to her?”
“I’m afraid that’s not for me to decide,” Stephen stated as we descended the stairs. “That’s up to my boss.”
“Explain,” Theo barked to anyone that would listen. “Drugs? Here?”
“She has a history,” Jax remarked bitterly. “Summer, how could you do this? Do you understand that I could lose Bonnie because of this?!”
His raised voice only fueled more tears and as they marched me through the lounge, I spun to face him.
“Jax, please! I would never do this. You have to believe me. I know what it looks like and I—I know you’re worked up because of Marina but this, youknowme! Please…”
