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“No,” I gasped, my voice barely audible. My gut churned, and I was going to be sick. “Those... those aren’t mine. It’s not even my car.” Why the hell did my stepdad have those in the car? Was he a drug dealer?
The crowd erupted into murmurs again, their gazes burning into me. The woman officer turned to me, her expression hard.
“Full name, home address, date of birth, and phone number, please. Who’s the car registered to?” the policewoman asked, her tone steady. The crowd fell silent as I replied, my voice echoing in the stillness.
“Katerina Harper. 2746 Billow Street.” I rattled off the rest of the details, Emma still holding onto me, shaking against me. “And the car belongs to my uncle, Wyatt Harper.”
The officer jotted the information down on her notepad before returning to the cruiser. She relayed the information over the radio, her partner still examining the bag of pills with a grave expression.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Twenty. But I’ve never seen those pills before in my life. I borrowed my stepdad’s car in a rush to come over to Emma’s.”
She nodded, studying Emma’s uncle, who moved away from us, his demeanor changed from predator to someone aloof and caring. What a damn worm.
The officer returned, handing me her phone. “Call your stepfather.”
My hands shook as I dialed his number, then the officer reached over to hit the speaker to hear his response. The phone rang once, twice, before it was picked up.
“Kat? Why the fuck are you calling me from your room?” came the gruff, groggy voice of my stepdad.
The hairs on my nape rose. He’d never let me forget this, and I’d owe him for life. I flinched, his anger cutting through the tension.
“I-I’m not home,” I answered meekly. “The cops are with me and want to talk to you,” I managed to say before handing the phone back to the officer.
With a curt nod, the officer took the phone, stepping away from the crowd.
“Sir, this is Officer Garcia. Your stepdaughter has been involved in an incident. She crashed into a fence, and we found narcotics in your vehicle. Do they belong to you? She mentioned the car belonged to you.”
Silence followed. Then, he replied, “Those... those aren’t mine. They must be hers. She’s always been in trouble. I mean, she stole my car at three o’clock in the morning. Throw her in fucking prison for all I care. Teach her a lesson.”
My heart plummeted. “How could you?” I whispered, my voice breaking, Emma embracing me. The officer was already hanging up, sighing heavily as she turned toward us.
“I’m sorry, Katerina,” Officer Garcia said, sounding almost sympathetic. “But you were found with these drugs. For now, you’re under arrest.” She recited my rights, her voice a distant echo in my ears.
“I only came to help Emma!” I cried out, as tears welled up and spilled down my cheeks. “Her uncle... he hurts her and was breaking into her bedroom tonight.”
He cleared his throat. “The poor girl is so scared, she’s making up lies.”
“You’re lying, you asshole. You’ve been forcing yourself on Emma this whole year, then hit her when she rejects you. You fucking pig.” I cut him a sharp glare when the officer glanced at Emma.
“Is this true?”
Emma was crying and my heart was breaking for her.
“Yes,” she finally said strongly.
“Are you kidding me? They’re in trouble and blaming me, and you’re listening to this shit?” The uncle was red-faced, pacing, looking guilty as hell to everything. The other police officer approached him, talking to him just as another cop car came racing down the street to join us.
“Em,” I called to her, wanting to hug her, but Officer Garcia took my arm and quickly guided me to the back of the cruiser. “Let me talk to her, please.” But there was no listening, and I called out to my friend, “It’s going to be okay, you’ll see.” My gaze locked with Emma’s. She was hugging her middle, shaking, tears rimming her eyes, looking scared out of her mind.
“Please, don’t let him hurt my friend. You need to take her away from him,” I pleaded as she pushed me into the back of her cruiser.
Fear thrummed through me, shaking me.
As the car door closed behind me, I noticed Officer Garcia approaching Emma and taking her aside to talk to her. Emma had to know that life would never be the same, that if she stayed with her uncle, he’d hurt her badly.
My chest sunk as I curled into the seat. I pushed to open the door, needing to talk to her, but it was locked. I screamed in frustration, banging my fists on the window.
