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One officer pulled open the back door, and I shuffled to the edge until his hand grasped my bicep. He dug his fingers in, most probably trying to show some kind of power over me, but the bite of pain was nothing compared to what I’d seen tonight—it paled in comparison.
The metal door clicked open and we all walked inside. The scent of bleach mixed with damp blasted my nostrils. Banging echoed from several doors, shouts mixing in with the cacophony of sounds and smells, but all the while, I kept my head held high and my face a mask no one could penetrate.
I didn’t talk as they booked me in, only to answer questions and state who I was. I made sure to keep my wits about me while I was out in the open and exposed, and then finally, the woman behind the desk stood and pulled some keys off her belt. She nodded at the officers, a silent command that she would take it from here, and then the cuffs around my wrists clicked and the cool metal disappeared. I stretched my fingers out and brought my hands around to my front.
“You can make your phone call in there.” She hobbled from behind the counter and moved toward one of the doors lining the back wall. Each room was jam packed, and she led me to the last one—the quietest one. “Phones are attached to the wall.” She unlocked the door and held it open for me, and I stepped inside, staring around at the benches full of people.
I screwed up my nose at the rank smell of sweaty bodies. A few of them were coming down off a high, and one was throwing up in the corner, adding to the stench. The door slammed shut behind me, and I winced at the sound of the lock turning. I was stuck in here with all these men. Men who had been arrested for god knows what. It would have been easy for me to say I wasn’t like them, but we all had our reasons for doing what we did, no matter how valid they were.
Several gazes landed on me, and I could feel the burn of them, but I kept my eyes forward and my jaw locked. Now wasn’t the time to show weakness, not in front of anyone in this room. I stretched out my fingers again and relished in the sting of the cuts on my knuckles, then pushed my shoulders back. I had one mission inside this room, and that was to make my phone call. I gritted my teeth and sauntered through the people scattered around and made my way over to the phones. A couple of people murmured as I moved past them, but I didn’t make eye contact with anyone. My guard was up because I was in unknown territory.
I picked up the receiver of the first phone and it came off completely, the wire unattached. So, I moved over to the next phone and tried not to show my relief as it seemed to be working. The dial tone sounded as I placed it next to my ear, and I quickly punched in the numbers to my dad’s cell, said my name so he knew I was calling, and turned my back so I could see the entire room.
It rang several times, and just as I thought it was going to go to voicemail, Dad’s gruff voice answered. “Hello?”
“Dad.” I let out a breath, relieved I got ahold of him.
“Asher?” I could almost imagine the frown on his face. “Why are you calling from county jail?”
“I got arrested.” I ground my teeth together, trying to wade through all of my thoughts. I wanted to tell him everything, but there was something more important he needed to do first. “I need you to go to Elodie.”
“Elodie?” I heard movement and the echo of Mom’s voice. “Why? What’s happened?”
“I…” I scrubbed my hand over my face, trying not to see the memory of her on the floor in the apartment, but it was impossible. All I could see were her empty eyes and that fucker on top of her. “There’s a lot you don’t know but…fuck.” I clenched my fist causing fresh blood to drip from one of the cuts. “I dropped her back at the apartment, and Jax asked me to come help him with Al. And I…” I inhaled a breath, trying to keep my cool. I needed to stick to the facts. Give Dad just enough to make him understand what happened. “I got an alert on my cell that my store had been broken into and…and…when I got there I…”
“Take your time, son,” Dad said, but I could clearly hear the tone of his voice. He wanted me to tell him what was going on, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get the words out. It wasn’t my place to tell them what had happened to Elodie, but she needed someone. She needed help. And I couldn’t be that help right then.
“When I got there, I…her ex-boyfriend, he was…he…” I wanted to squeeze my eyes closed and pretend I wasn’t here, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t look vulnerable to any other man in this room, so I kept my face a mask no one could see through. “He was raping her, Dad.” I slammed my hand on the wall, needing something to get the frustration out of me. “He fuckin’ raped her.”
“Fuck,” he whispered. “And I’m guessing that’s why you’re in jail right now?”
“You bet your ass it is.” I shuffled my feet on the floor. “But no one is with Elodie. I don’t even know where she is, Dad. But she needs—”
“We got it, son. We’ve got her.” His voice was the same as it always was, but there was an edge to it I hadn’t heard in years, not since he was active in the DEA. “I’ll get in touch with some connections and find out where she is. But, son?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not gonna get in front of a judge until at least Monday.”
I ran my hand through my hair and pulled on it. “I know.” My stomach dropped, and I hated that I wouldn’t be able to see Elodie until then—I hoped. “That’s why I need you to take care of Elodie for me, Dad. She...she hasn’t had the best of times. Her ex was abusive, and her mom doesn’t give a shit other than to get high and—”
“Brody? What’s going on?” Mom’s voice was clearer now, and my breaths became heavier. Mom would know what to do. She’d know how to help Elodie while I couldn’t.
“Go get dressed, Lola. We need to head out,” Dad replied to her. “Keep your guard up in there, Asher,” Dad told me. “And your head down.”
“I will.” I gazed over everyone in the room. “Just make sure you get to Elodie. She…she needs you.”
“Call me as soon as you can and I’ll update you,” he gritted out.
“I will.” I paused, trying to make sense of everything that had happened from the time we’d left their house only an hour ago. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Don’t need to thank me, son.”
“I know.” I swallowed, trying to keep a lid on all of my emotions. “I’ll speak to you later.” I didn’t wait for his reply because I knew I had to get off the line. If I didn’t, I’d expose myself to a room full of men who I had no doubt were listening in on every word of my side of the conversation. I placed the receiver back on the handset and took a breath, wishing I hadn’t when the acrid smell of vomit burned my nostrils. “Fuck.” I was stuck in here with nowhere to go, but at least Elodie would be looked after, and right now, that was all that mattered.
Chapter Two
ELODIE
