Chapter 57
T urns out, Margo was right.
Roger St. Clare couldn’t help but make issues. They’d gotten home and Rock was making her something to eat while messaging the guys, when two police officers turned up.
By this time, her headache had reached piercing level and she couldn’t stand how much light was in the room. Which wasn’t a lot since it was an overcast day.
Margo and Lemon had already headed home. Lemon had looked wrung out and Margo had been giving her concerned look.
She needed to check in with her later.
“There has been a complaint laid that you got physical with a Mr. Roger St. Clare earlier, Mr. Holden,” one officer said to Rock as he set a plate of food in front of her.
It held a selection of food. Cut-up carrots and cucumber with dips and camembert.
Some crackers. Cherry tomatoes. It all looked delicious and yet she knew she would likely vomit if she tried to eat it.
But when Rock held up some carrot with dip on it to her mouth, she felt like she had to take a bite.
“Mr. Holden?” the same officer said as the other one looked around in wonder at the large windows looking out on Hyde Park. “ Did you hear what I said? You need to come down to the precinct with us.”
Panic filled her and she let out a small cry of protest, grabbing onto Rock as though she could keep him with her.
He frowned, shaking his head, then glared at the two officers. What should she do? How could she help? She should get him a lawyer.
Wait . . . she was a lawyer. Not a criminal lawyer but still . . . she knew enough.
“Is he under arrest?” she asked.
The officer stared down at her in interest as Rock attempted to feed her again. “Uh, well, it’s in his best interests to come to the station. Mr. St. Clare said he beat him.”
“Did he? Does he have evidence?” she asked.
“He doesn’t. But we can check for cameras.”
“He didn’t mention witnesses then?” she asked.
“No. Were there witnesses?”
“Yes. Three of them. Myself included. Also Margo Slade and . . . well, I don’t know her name. Slade will, though.”
“I do,” Slade said, walking into the room with Spencer.
She slumped in relief. Thank God they were here.
Spencer sat on her other side, drawing her in to lean against him. “Poor Princess. Look at you. You’re so pale. And I heard St. Clare threatened you and Lemon.”
“He threatened you, miss?” the first officer said.
“Indie,” she supplied. “Indie Madden. And yes, he did. He came rushing up to me and my two friends and started yelling at us. He grabbed my friend first. Then me. That’s when Rock pulled him off me.”
And she wasn’t saying anything more at the moment.
“There, officer, it seems that St. Clare was the aggressor and my friend was simply defending the women,” Quaid said as he strode in.
She stared at him in shock. When had he gotten back? Did the others know he was coming ?
Quaid watched her through narrowed eyes but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
The officers watched them all warily. “We need to take statements from you all and Mr. Holden needs to come to the station.”
Rock nodded and stood. He gestured to Spencer who nodded back at him.
“I’ll make sure she’s taken care of,” Spencer said.
“Mr. Holden will only communicate with text,” Slade told them. “He’ll also make his own way to the station and our lawyer will meet you all there. I’m sure you’re familiar with him. Hamish Murrin.”
Hamish Murrin was one of the best known lawyers in London. He was a shark and these officers seemed to know that as they grimaced.
“Don’t worry, Princess,” Spencer told her. “Hamish and Quaid will soon have Rock out of that police station and back with us.”
She nodded, wincing. But as Rock stood, so did she, hugging him tight.
He hugged her back, kissing her lightly. “Be good.”
“Get back to me soon and then you can make sure I am.”
He grinned.
“I’ll look after him,” Quaid told her.
It felt like a promise. One she didn’t quite understand. But she nodded anyway.
“We’ll need a statement from Ms. Madden too,” the second officer said.
“You’ll be doing that here,” Slade said firmly. “As you can see she is pregnant and was just attacked. I won’t have her dragged down to a police station.”
Both officers nodded at the command in his voice.
“Is there somewhere private we can talk?” the first officer said.
“Slade and I will stay with you,” Spencer told her as they got up and led the officer into Slade’s office.
The officers were surprisingly gentle as they took her statement, but she was still worried after they left. She sat on the sofa, chewing on her lip.
What if they arrested Rock? What if they didn’t believe her? What was going to happen?
“Hey, calm down,” Spencer told her as he sat next to her on the sofa and lifted her onto his lap. “Everything will be fine.”
“They could arrest him! He did hit that weasel but it was only because he was worried about me.”
“I wasn’t aware that he was following Indie, were you?” Slade asked Spencer.
Spencer sighed. “No, but it shouldn’t be surprising. He’s protective of all of us, but especially her.”
“I think he believes his role is to guard us,” she said. “I told him that he’s part of us. Our family. And he needs to be beside us, not behind us.”
“Good girl. But we shouldn’t be talking about this now,” Slade said as he crouched in front of her. “You don’t look so good, Boo.”
Yeah, she didn’t feel so great. Her headache wasn’t going away, she felt nauseous, and the light was still hurting her eyes.
“She hasn’t eaten much,” Spencer said.
“You look like you’ve got a headache,” Slade said.
“Just a bit,” she said croakily.
Slade placed a hand under her chin. “No lying. That will just get you a punishment in the naughty girl notebook.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “I wasn’t lying.”
Well. Sort of stretching the truth.
“I’m going to get you some painkillers.” Slade stood. “And you need to eat. This stress isn’t good for you or Button.”
Poor Button. He was right. She rubbed her hand over her bump. She needed to eat for the baby. But she really didn’t think she could.
“Maybe we should call the doctor,” Spencer said worriedly.
“I’m fine!” she said quickly. “Just worried about Rock.”
Slade watched her for a long moment. “Painkillers. Food. Water. And then if you still look this pale and in pain in an hour’s time, I’m calling.”
Sheesh.
She took the painkillers without protest. Spencer held the glass of water up to her mouth, not letting her hold it and she sipped it cautiously.
Then he set it down and Slade sat on the coffee table, picking up a cracker with some cheese. He held it to her lips.
Shoot.
She really didn’t feel like eating.
“Do you feel sick, Boo?” Slade asked in concern.
“Probably just too hungry, you know?” she said. “Sometimes when I get really hungry I feel nauseous.”
She wasn’t really lying to them. Right?
Indie managed a few bites of food before her stomach told her that it was too much.
“Why haven’t we heard anything?” she asked a few minutes later.
“Just be patient, Boo,” Slade said. “Hamish will have him out of there as quickly as he can. Try not to worry.”
“When Rock is back, I’ll feel better.”
It seemed to take forever, but in reality it was only a couple of hours before Rock and Quaid returned. It felt like her stress levels were at an all-time high and her stomach was still unsettled, but as she sunk into his embrace, relief filled her.
“They didn’t charge you?” Slade asked him as Quaid walked in behind him.
She checked him over as well, just wanting to ensure he was also all right.
“Of course they didn’t charge him,” Quaid said.
“St. Clare is a fucking lunatic. Putting his hands on Lemon and then on Indie. The fucker has lost it. And he’s not going to come out of this well.
Both Margo and Lemon backed up what you told them, Indie.
Rock came off a hero, St. Clare as a man who bullies women. One of them pregnant. ”
She let out a sigh and sent Quaid a shaky smile. “Thank you for going with him.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
She turned back to Rock and he picked her up, carrying her to the sofa and settling down with her on his lap. “Did you eat?”
“I did.”
“Barely,” Spencer said, watching her with a worried frown. “She’s been sitting here fretting over you.”
She glared at Spencer. “Tattletale.”
Rock cupped the side of her face, tilting her head back to study her. “You don’t look well.”
She grimaced. “Everyone keeps telling me how terrible I look. I just . . . today was . . . a lot.”
More than a lot.
Now that Rock was safe her body seemed to be exiting the numb state it had been in and she was moving into some form of shock.
Was that it? Her body trembled.
“I was . . . he was . . . for a moment there . . .”
“Whoa, Princess. Breathe.” Spencer’s concerned face floated in front of her vision. “I think we should call the doctor. I don’t like how pale she is.”
“I don’t want . . . the . . . doctor . . . want . . . all of . . . you.”
Spencer was joined by Slade and the three of them surrounded her. But the panic didn’t completely dissipate.
She was still missing one.
“Q-Quaid.”
“Fuck,” Slade muttered. “He said he was going to get something from the car. I’ll call him.”
Why did he leave? Because he didn’t want her?
He couldn’t trust her even though she had never betrayed them and never would.
Big sobs escaped her. It felt like everything was crashing down around her. She didn’t know why, but it seemed like what happened this morning had broken that last bit of control she had. The piece that was holding everything back.
And now it came rolling out of her.
Billy hurting her.
Edward basically kicking her out.
A positive pregnancy test.
The guys. Hurting her. Pushing her aside.
Breaking her.
Feeling so alone.
So. Alone.
Then Billy. Pain. Agony.
Still so alone.
“Jesus, fuck,” Slade said. “What is going on? Why is she crying like this?”
“I don’t know,” Spencer said urgently.
“Boo, Indie, listen to me. You have to stop crying.”