“Quiet, for now. Until I get more information. Then—”
“Mrs. Moorehead?” A young cop with a friendly smile strolls up to me from the living room.
“Layla. Call me Layla.” My voice sounds rough and garbled.
“Layla, I’m Lieutenant Hodgeson. Mind if I ask you a few questions?”
He asks for my version of events. I tell him exactly what happened but leave out the detail about Blake coming after me. He writes on his pad of paper, flips a page, and writes more.
“Did he say anything to you? From the first punch to the last, was he coherent and communicative?”
I want them. They’re mine.
A fierce wave of protectiveness surges within me. “No, not really. He’d mumbled something after the first punch, but after that he didn’t speak.”
Lieutenant Hodgeson makes some notes then puts his pad and pen into his shirt pocket. “Your boyfriend’s going to be taken to the station and be put under arrest for felony assault.”
Shit. “But he was protecting us. Stewart’s the one who should be arrested. He barged into my home and made threats. Blake was trying to protect us. Everything he did was to keep us safe.” My voice is getting higher and higher, and worry for Blake’s future spikes my adrenaline.
I can’t let him go down for this. Heat flares at my neck. I try to soothe it with my hand.
The lieutenant’s eyes are warm with compassion. “Let me ask you something. Have you seen Mr. Daniels take anything recently? Drugs of any kind?”
“Drugs? No, he’s an athlete. He’d never put anything like that in his body. He works hard and…” My own words remind me of our conversation concerning his supplements. “Wait, he was taking a bunch of prescriptions.”
Lt. Hodgeson scribbles something in his notes. “Do you know what meds he was taking?”
“Um, no, but neither did he. They’re some kind of herbal concoction meant to help his training.”
He looks to the other cop standing next to him. The man nods.
“Mrs.—I mean, Layla, we suspect that Mr. Daniels was under the influence of a drug that might elevate his temper. Have you noticed any change in his temper or his ability to control himself lately?”
“Yes—”
“Yeah.” Jonah steps up and into the conversation.
He noticed it, too?
“He pulled something similar in the octagon about two weeks ago. And before that… fuck.” He runs his hands through his hair. “He told me something was off. Said he felt like he was going to bust out of his skin, but he didn’t know why.”
My stomach flips and surges. Goose bumps pepper my skin. He’s been dealing with this for weeks? All those times he’d lock down, storm out of a room, or race around locking doors. How did I miss it?
He takes more notes, this time shaking his head. “Do you have the name of the doctor who was treating Mr. Daniels?”
Jonah pinches the bridge of his nose.
I turn to the cop and face him head on. “Yeah, I do. Xavier. Dr. Michael Xavier.”
Thirty
Blake
It’s cramped in the back of the police car. My wrists burn where the cuffs cut into my skin. But I’m exactly where I deserve to be.
I lost it.
I promised her that she’d always be safe with me.
I broke my promise.
What if Jonah hadn’t been there to pull me off? How long would I have held her tiny neck before it snapped? The same neck I’ve trailed my tongue against. Buried my nose in to inhale her scent. The gentle flesh where I’d whisper words of encouragement, coaxing her to relax and let go.
Groaning, I drop my head. Yeah, I deserve to be locked up. Not for what I did to her ex… er, husband. Whatever. Hell, after the shit he said, I’d do it all over again and smile the entire time. But no punishment is extreme enough for what I did to her. The memory of her eyes, dark, wild, and terrified, floods my mind. It’s my fault she sees me as someone to fear. No different from how she views Stew. My stomach twists, and I swallow back bile. I could’ve killed her.
What if I killed him?
When the cops took me out, the guy wasn’t moving. Fuck.
I’ll cooperate with the police and make sure I get the time I deserve. Me in a prison cell is the only thing that’ll keep me away from Layla and Axelle. I grip my stomach as it twists with revulsion. I’m just like Stew. Hooked on a woman I don’t deserve. Bad for her in every way. Violent. Controlling. They deserve better. A chance to live life with a man they’re not afraid of.
The back door to the police car opens, and a cop leans in. “Mr. Daniels, I’ve just spoken to your girlfriend.”
My girlfriend. Warmth tumbles in my gut and shoots to my throat, making it hard to swallow. I don’t correct the officer. I love the way it sounds.
“She told me her version of what happened.”
I drop eyes to my lap. Her version of what happened had to be terrifying. Fucking feral gorilla tearing the shit out of a man in her living room, then turning on her. She’ll never forgive me.
The CB radio clipped to his shirt blares a monotone voice. He turns it down. “Good thing you fellas dropped by tonight. Saved these girls from a pretty abusive guy, from what I hear.”
This gets him my eyes. Is he fucking with me? He looks dead serious, even a little proud. She didn’t tell him. After everything I did, she’s still shielding me. I don’t know if that makes her a sicko or a saint.
He sucks air through his teeth. “Thing is, law says we need to take you in. Mr. Moorehead’s on his way to the hospital with some pretty nasty wounds and one hell of a concussion. That’s felony assault.”
I go back to studying my knees, throwing up a prayer of thanks that the motherfucker’s still alive.
“I wanted to ask you a few questions, but you have the right to remain silent and—”
“I’ve been mirandized. I’ll answer whatever questions you have. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Are you under any medical treatment that we should be aware of?”
“Medical treatment?” I shake my head. “No.”
“Any at all? Meds prescribed by a doctor? Nothing like that?”
I shake my head, and then remember my supplements. “Just some herbal supplements for my training.” I shrug. “Oh, and uh, cortisone shots in my lower back.”
I don’t know what the fuck this has to do with anything. A crowd of people from the apartment complex begins to gather around, pulling out cell phones and snapping pictures.
“Do you think we could finish this up down at the station? I don’t want the paparazzi showing up. Layla and Axelle deserve their privacy.”
The cop looks around and seems to contemplate my request. “Sure thing. We’ll talk on the drive.”
I keep my head down until we’re well out of the apartment complex. As soon as I lift it, I see the eyes of the cop driving looking back from the rearview mirror.
“By the way, I’m Lieutenant Hodgeson. You can call me Dave.”
I nod toward him. “Blake.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m a big fan.”
That’s good. Nice to know I don’t need to worry about Lt. Dave going all Rodney King on my ass.
Dave drums his fingers on the steering wheel. “I wrestled in high school. Won Nationals and got a scholarship to Oklahoma State. Decided after graduation I wanted to become a cop.”
“Cool.” What does he want me to say? I’m standing at the gateway to some life changing shit, and he’s giving me his life story.
“’Lotta temptation when you’re wrestling at the college level. Saw some great athletes go down for giving in.” His eyes fix on me from the rearview and through the metal bars that divide us.