AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll make sure you die painfully if my brother’s hurt,” Calamity snarled and escorted me to follow Andrew.
A wail escaped my lips as I saw Klutz slumped in a chair and an officer hovering over him, applying basic first aid. Klutz was barely conscious, and his beautiful face was black and blue. His left eye was swollen shut, there was a nasty cut on his cheek, and his bottom lip had been split open. There was bruising coming out across his poor face. As I fell to my knees by his side, I heard a terrible wheeze.
“Where’s the fucking ambulance? What happened?” I cried, and my hands fluttered above him. I didn’t know where to touch Klutz that wouldn’t hurt.
“We’ll investigate, and if I think what happened, happened, then, Mrs Edwards, you can be sure I’ll throw the full weight of the law at them. I’ll not have dirty, racist cops in my station,” Chief Howser said, but it was no balm to my nerves. To think, we’d been dancing and eating cake two hours ago.
“Howser, I have got evidence!” a voice screeched, and Bernard shoved past several officers. “I checked the cams, and I’ve got the time and proof of them approaching Klutz and beating Klutz for no reason. Klutz can even be heard saying he wants to take them into the restaurant to meet with Ramirez!”
“There’s a voice recording?” Chief Howser asked.
“The camera and recording are activated at movement. I have everything recorded, including two asshole cops taking an innocent man into custody! And beating him without provocation!” Bernard announced. Bernard winced as he saw Klutz.
“If you do nothing, this video will reach social media!” Bernard threatened.
Chief Howser rolled his eyes.
“Don’t threaten me, Bernard. You’re aware I run a clean house. Can you give that video to Nando, so the chain of evidence is fully upheld?”
Two paramedics raced in and crouched down. I recognised one as the man who’d attended the warehouse when Casey blew it the fuck up.
“Okay, Klutz needs urgent medical help. The hospital will admit him,” Javier Hawthorne said sadly. “Heard congrats were in order, Aurora Victoria.”
“No, not at this moment. Shit, we should still be celebrating with friends,” I whispered. Javier reached out, and squeezed my hand, before rising to his feet.
“Goldberg will be coming with you and Bobby Lucas. As soon as Klutz regains awareness, we need a statement. Mrs Edwards,” Chief Howser murmured in a low voice, and I peered up, “Make sure there’s a lawyer present.” Howser offered a sad wink and walked away.
“Steven will meet us at the hospital. He was at the party alongside Stuart. They’ll both attend,” Phoe added quietly.
“Thank you,” I responded as Calamity and Fanatic took my sides and hurried me out. I was stunned and lost; the man who’d become my whole world had been beaten. And for what? Klutz’s skin colour? Of course, I read the papers and knew shit like this happened, but not in Rapid City. Klutz had repeated time and time that the Rapid City cops were decent and clean. But how could they be? While I’d seen subtle racism toward Klutz from a few ignorant people, it hadn’t been at this level. Had I blinded myself to this? Why had my sight let me down? I should have had a forewarning of this shit and been able to stop it.
As I clambered into the SUV Calamity and Fanatic led me to, my thoughts whirled. Had I let my soulmate down? Inside, I was shaking while trying to maintain an outward calm. Phoe and Casey, who had both climbed in beside me, held my hands, and I noticed only a slight shake. How, in today’s society, one of enlightened ideas and acceptance, did racism still grow? Strip away a person’s skin, and we are the same underneath. What did the colour of skin matter?
Mom had been from India, and my father had been white. I didn’t remember much racism towards them, but I’d been young when they died. My grandfather and grandmother had never made a deal of my darker skin, nor had any school friends. Logically, I understood racism existed, but I’d not come across it until now. And it was vile, evil, and despicable. To dislike someone on sight because their skin colour was different from yours.
While I had not been exposed directly to racism, I’d known it when my mother’s family rejected me for having a white father. Even amongst other cultures, racism existed. Mom’s family had hated my white blood, although Gran had protected me from anything on that side of the family. Gran had told me when I was eighteen about them, and I’d shrugged and walked away. If they could not see past the white part of me, they did not deserve me. If people couldn’t see past the Indian bloodline, they weren’t worth my time.
But this outright hatred for a black man, the lies and lengths the two cops were willing to go to, was horrifying. They knew nothing of Klutz, his history, his past, his kindness, or gentleness; they just saw black skin. Well, racism had smacked me straight across the face. And it terrified me. Was anywhere safe? I’d been so used to living the easy life before and after meeting Klutz that this level of cruelty gutted me. How did we live in such a world of ignorance when so much intelligence was around?
Chapter Eight.
Klutz
“Hey, settle down, it’s okay, you’re safe,” a voice I recognised said.
Sleepily, I blinked and opened my eyes. Well, only one opened; the other was swollen shut. Calamity stood by the bedside with a finger over his lips.
“Aurora’s only been asleep an hour, and she’s been awake for nearly thirty-eight hours. Let her nap, brother,” Calamity continued.
Confused, I twisted my head and saw Aurora curled up in a ball in a chair.
“What the fuck happened?” I croaked.
Calamity frowned and asked what I remembered.
“Nothing. Getting married, eating and dancing in Bernard’s, and zilch. Everything’s a blank after that.” Had I been in an accident?
“Klutz, two cops attacked and beat you senseless. Then kidnapped you for over an hour while we think they continued the beating. That was yesterday afternoon. They arrived with some bullshit story that they’d found you beaten on the streets. Ramirez was suspended for laying one out, as he called them on their shit. IA is crawling all over the station, and Howser brought them in. Both cops have been arrested and are awaiting charges. Ramirez is facing charges and doesn’t give a flying fuck. Steven and Stuart are pushing for the maximum against the uniforms while fighting for Ramirez, and the DA is involved,” Fanatic said, approaching.
