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While they all were on their phones, making calls and trying to figure out where Sean was, I was left to my own thoughts. For a little while, I stayed quiet. I wasn’t sure what I could offer to help. It wasn’t until Viktor put his hand on my shoulder that I got involved.
“Is there anywhere you can think that he would have taken O’Connor?”
I pursed my lips, thinking about all the times I’d seen Carson interact with people he despised. Biting my lip, I glanced back up at him.
“Did… Did anyone check the police station? Carson… He brags a lot about having buddies in the force.”
“Shit… I didn’t think of that,” Jo growled. “Liam. Liam! Stop yelling for just one second!” Liam’s voice went quiet in the background and Jo spoke again. “Did we check the police stations? Rosie says the asshole has connections in the force.”
“We’ll check now,” another voice replied.
“Thanks, Rosie. We’ll look into it.”
She hung up and the rest of the room went back to what they were doing. Viktor kept a steady hand on my shoulder, but it didn’t help with the overwhelming guilt. I sank lower in my seat, keeping my eyes on the floor.
“Rosie? What’s wrong?”
Mariana had been on the phone, but she was watching me now. She stepped up to me, leaning over and putting her hand on my other shoulder.
“Th-This is all my fault… He–” I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. “He got hurt because of me. He might be arrested because of me…”
She gave me a reassuring smile and kneeled beside me. “I know it can feel that way, but people getting hurt trying to help you isn’t your fault. It’s your ex’s fault for being such a jerk. Sean’s going to be okay. Honestly, having him arrested is way better than him being locked in someone’s basement somewhere, with no clue where he is. At least if he’s where you think he is, we can monitor him. Right?”
I nodded. That made sense. It was the safest worst-case scenario. I still felt guilty though, especially when Jo called back.
“So, she’s right. He’s been arrested for assault and potential kidnapping. They think he took Rosie and hid her, and they aren’t going to release him until he gives up where she is.”
“He better not,” Viktor growled.
“Oh shut up, Viktor. He’s not that kind of guy. But we don’t want him being locked up for something he didn’t do either. We’re going to need to figure something else out.”
“Wh-What if I went back?”
They were so busy yelling at each other that no one heard me. I swallowed hard and forced the words out a little louder.
“I-I’m going back.”
Viktor whipped his head around, growling. “No, you are not. You do not belong to him, and he cannot have you.”
I shook my head slowly. “I-I didn’t mean it like that. I c-can go to the police and tell them I’m okay. That I’m h-hiding, not kidnapped.”
Jo’s voice sounded concerned. “If your ex has friends in the force, that might work against you. Especially since he recently had you committed. They could claim you aren’t mentally stable enough to make those decisions.”
The thought of them forcing me back into a mental hospital scared me more than anything, but I couldn’t let Sean take the fall for me. Everyone here was doing everything they could to protect me. If I had a chance at making things right, it didn’t feel right to just sit back and watch.
“I… I have proof… of his abuse.”
Unless Carson figured it out, I had an entire email account full of pictures, soundbites of him threatening me, basically anything I could get. I didn't think it was a good idea to keep it on my phone. He went through it every few weeks to make sure I wasn’t cheating on him, so I made a fake email and sent it there, then deleted all the evidence. I never figured I’d ever use it. It just made me feel better, knowing that if I ever got the courage to leave, I’d have all this evidence to keep him away from me.
When I did finally manage to escape, I was too busy trying to survive and stay out of sight to use it. I forgot about it completely until this exact moment.
“You do?”
Twisting my fingers, I nodded. “Yes. In a secret email. Everything until the day I left. I don’t have anything from recently.”
I didn’t notice Mateo was listening until he spoke. “See? I told you she was brave. Give that email to Volkov’s brother. He will get the evidence we need.”
Mariana frowned. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Evidence or not, we shouldn’t bring her anywhere near that man.”
