Chapter Fourteen #2
“I believe you,” he tells me, walking me around to the side.
He opens the back door, tells me to watch my head, and places me inside.
Tucking my lips inside my mouth, I close my eyes tight, trying to hold back the tears, but it’s no use.
I’m not crying because I’m sad. I’m crying because I’m livid as fuck.
Every penny I’ve saved is gone, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
And I still don’t have my own damn car. So much for freedom.
Officer Ferguson goes to the Honda and digs inside. He returns with my purse and the papers that were on the seat.
On the way to the jail, he talks on his radio, and I hear calls coming in about all sorts of things.
Most of it is in code, but I can make out that a group of them are chasing a guy on foot.
I stare out the window, wondering who I’m going to call to bail me out and how I’m going to explain this to Sophie.
No telling how much it’s going to cost. I don’t even know how all this works or how long I’ll be stuck there.
I’m so pissed that I was taken advantage of by someone so… nice.
I’m a damn fool.
Once we’re there, my possessions are taken, and I’m booked.
The officer is kind enough to let me make more than one phone call, so after I try Sophie and she doesn’t answer, I reach out to Lennon.
Instead of leaving voicemails, I hang up.
I’m left with one person to call who I know is home right now, and it irks me to no end to have to ask him for help.
I dial Liam’s number, and he picks up after a couple of rings.
“Hello?”
“Liam,” I say, softly, swallowing my pride. “Can you come bail me out of jail?”
The asshole laughs, and when I don’t reciprocate, he clears his throat. “Wait, what?” He sounds just as shocked as I felt when those cuffs were placed on my wrist. “Seriously?”
I suck in a deep breath. “Never mind. Sorry for bothering you.”
“Hold on, I’ll be there. Are you okay?” he asks sincerely.
“Yeah, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you when you get here.”
“Alright, gimme fifteen minutes,” he tells me before I end the call.
I’m escorted to the holding area where I feel as if I’m losing my mind.
The room is empty, and the only thing on the wall is a clock that looks like it’s superglued in place.
Fifteen minutes pass, then twenty, and thirty.
Maybe Liam forgot about me or something else came up.
I begin to worry after forty-five minutes that maybe he changed his mind.
Right when I give up hope, an officer comes to the door and calls my name.
I’m led down the hallway to the front where Liam is standing, pissed.
I sign some paperwork. I’m given my cell phone and purse, and let free. In silence, we walk across the parking lot, and I stop when I hear my name being called from behind.
“Maddie!”
Officer Ferguson walks toward me, grinning. “Hey.” Confidence surrounds him as I move closer to him. “I’m really sorry about all that.”
“It’s not a big deal. Could’ve been worse, I guess. The car could’ve been packed full of drugs or something.”
“I don’t typically do this, but I’d like to make it up to you. Go out for dinner and drinks or something.”
A smile slides across my lips until Liam speaks up.
“Absolutely not. You need to back off, Blake,” he interrupts, and I’m shocked to hear Liam knows his name. “Come on, Maddie. Let’s go.”
Turning, I scowl at Liam and shoot him a murderous glare at the audacity. “Excuse me? You need to mind your own business.” I throw back the words he said to me not long ago.
I look at Officer Ferguson, who narrows his eyes. “Are you two…?” He moves a finger between Liam and me.
“No. He’s my roommate and he’s married. Big brother syndrome, I suppose,” I explain, stepping closer to him so Liam’s out of the conversation.
He chuckles and nods.
Instead of thinking about Liam’s protest, I give my full attention to the man standing in front of me. “Officer Ferguson, I’d—”
“Call me Blake.”
“Blake,” I repeat, blinking up at him. “I’d love that.”
“Great. What about Saturday?”
“Saturday is perfect.”
We exchange numbers, and when Liam says my name again, I put my hand behind my back and flip him off so he’ll shut the hell up. He has no right to dictate what I do.
“It’s a date then,” Blake confirms with a boyish grin.
“I can’t wait,” I tell him, trying to hold in my excitement as we exchange goodbyes. When I climb into Liam’s Mercedes, he looks like he ate a lemon.
“You can’t go out with him.” Liam pulls out of the parking lot.
I scoff. “I can do whatever the fuck I want. The last time I checked, you have a wife. So worry about yourself.”
He opens his mouth, then closes it before opening it again.
“He’s bad news, Maddie. He’s a player and has a revolving bedroom door. Everyone in my field knows about Blake and knows he doesn’t do relationships. It won’t be any different with you. He uses women.”
I glare at him. “So…he’s exactly like you?”
“Worse.” He glowers, sounding jealous.
“You’re wrong. He was super charming and understanding when I told him what happened. Plus, I bet he’s big. Guys like him—as you say—who sleep around are usually pretty confident in that department.” I grin, wanting to piss him off even more.
“Don’t push me, Maddie,” he growls, his knuckles turning white around the steering wheel.
“Why not? Isn’t that what we do?” I ask, crossing my arms. “We push each other back and forth until one of us goes too far and gets married?”
He knows he can’t talk his way out of this and doesn’t respond. Liam’s nostrils flare, and he’s tense as fuck for the rest of the way home. My breathing is ragged, and I’m fuming at everything that’s happened today. The last thing I need is for Liam to act as if he has some say over my life.
When he pulls into the driveway, he keeps the engine running for a second, but I don’t give him time to speak.
“Thanks for picking me up,” I say hurriedly, then open the door.
“Hey! We need to talk about what you did, Mads!” he shouts when I step out. “Don’t think you’re off the hook for the stupidity you pulled today.”
I lean down, narrowing my eyes. “Excuse me? You’re not my fucking father. Why do you care anyway?”
Liam slams the door before he rounds the car and stands in front of me.
“I told you I’d help you buy a car, and what do you do?
” He throws up his arms. “You go meet a fucking stranger by yourself. He could’ve taken or hurt you, Maddie.
Jesus, fuck knows what could’ve happened.
After what Soph went through, you ought to know better. ”
His words make my blood boil, considering this isn’t even the same damn thing.
“Well, he didn’t do anything besides scam me out of all my damn money, so calm the hell down,” I shout.
“And I’m not that dense. I knew his name and even talked to him before we set up a meeting place.
It was in a public area, so it’s not like he lured me into his house,” I defend, crossing my arms. I already feel like shit. I don’t need him adding to my guilt.
Liam pulls at his hair, grinding his teeth in frustration. “Mads.” He blows out a breath. “I’m so fucking pissed at you for doing this alone. My mind went crazy when the clerk told me what you were in for.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I say roughly, another thing he’s often said about me.
Before he can get another word out, I walk away and go into the house, heading straight to my room. I lie back on my bed and stare up at the ceiling, replaying everything from the day.
Liam and I have exchanged more words in the past fifteen minutes than we have in over a week, and I can’t say it ended on a happy note.
While I’m grateful he rescued me, I wish I wouldn’t have had to call him.
My sisters are going to want to know what happened, and I can only imagine what they’ll say about the entire situation.
Curious, I log in to Facebook and look at my messages. As I suspected, Nico’s profile no longer exists. It’s all the confirmation I need to know it was all a scam, and I’m the idiot who fell for it, but truthfully, I should’ve known better.
I’m too fucking trusting, and at the end of the day, I’m the one who got screwed over.
Since Liam returned with his wife, I’ve felt as if I’m living in the twilight zone, and I’m not sure how much more I can handle before I break.