Chapter 26
WHAT NOW!
Rebel Pierce
As J.D. disappeared out my door with Detective Abrams slung over his shoulders, a wave of relief washed over me, and I exhaled.
“My broken door,” I muttered.
That was close. Too close.
“Rebel, are you alright?” Caesar asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.
I looked at him and nodded. My sister still clung onto him, like her life depended on it, and he refused to let her go.
“Yeah, I’m good.” I took in a deep breath and released it. “I’m just glad you guys showed up when you did.”
“It was smart leaving that line open or we wouldn’t have been able to get here in time,” Caesar said.
“How’s your friend?” I asked.
Regardless, if I left the line on the phone open or not, if it hadn’t been for the big biker we might not be here. He helped us stay alive until the calvary showed up.
He shrugged. “Don’t know. But the cops should be here any minute. We need to have the same story. The guys got a little rowdy, but you kicked them out when they started fighting.”
I nodded. “Okay. Got it.”
“But what would be the reason a bunch of bikers would be at my sister’s apartment?” Rumi asked, pushing away from Caesar then putting some distance in between them.
It was the first words she had spoken since everything went down and the wild look of fear and concern still hung heavy in her eyes. Caesar sighed but said nothing. Even though my sister still had feelings for her ex-husband, in this moment, she only clung to him because it was her natural instinct to do so, once reality set in, she would do everything in her power to push her feelings down and push him away.
Caesar shrugged. “We tagged along with J.D. so the guys could meet, Rebel. It makes sense since our Prez is dating her.”
“Dating!” Rumi shouted.
I groaned as Rumi looked between me and Caesar.
Caesar smiled. “That’s the story we’re going with.”
Rumi crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him. “And why can’t we just tell the cops the truth? Why can’t we just tell them some psycho broke in here and tried to kill us?”
“That’s not an option, Mimi,” Caesar said, calling her by the nickname he’s called her for years.
Her eyes flashed with anger, and I could sense that this would escalate into a long ass argument we didn’t have time for.
“If it wasn’t for you, none of this would be happening anyway!” Rumi pointed at him. “You need to stay away from me and my family!”
Caesar pinched the bridge of his nose, but I wouldn’t let her put the blame on him. I could have said no when Caesar asked me to help J.D. with finding out what happened to Dani. But I loved a challenge. And this case was a challenge.
Did I know it was going to lead to me or my sister almost dying? No. But I still wouldn’t have changed my decision to get involved. I met J.D. and I was helping someone get closure with my talent. I loved my job.
“Rumi, that’s not fair,” I said, annoyed with my sister.
Annoyed that she always wanted to blame Caesar for everything. This wasn’t his decision. It was mine. I tried not to lose my temper with her because she didn’t know what was going on, but the truth was if she wasn’t spending so much time at my place instead of hers, she wouldn’t even have been here today.
“It’s the truth, Rebel! And you know it! If he would just leave you alone, none of this would have happened.”
“Look, Rumi!” I tossed my hands up in the air in frustration. “We don’t have time for this shit. The cops will be here any second. For once in your goddamn life just do what Caesar tells you to do!”
She glared at me. “After this is over, you’re going to tell me what the hell is going on Rebel. And I mean every damn thing.”
“CPD! Is anyone in here! Come to the door with your hands up.”
I gave her a pointed looked, and she rolled her eyes but nodded. I hoped my sister stuck to her word and would follow our lead because if she didn’t, we’d all be in deep shit.
I walked towards the door. Rumi and Caesar remained in the living room. When we reached the door, the sight of two officers standing there greeted us, their eyes assessing the damage to my broken door.
“How can I help you officers?” I asked as politely as I could with my hands up.
My back hurt from when Abrams slammed me to the floor and my head hurt because of Rumi and her constant negativity. All I wanted to do was sink into the warm water of my bathtub and drift off to sleep. It’s been a long ass day.
“We’ve got reports of a disturbance,” one of the officers said, then looked at my door before looking back at me.
“I’m sorry officers. I had a few friends over, and things got a little rowdy. Can I put my hands down?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the officer said as he tried to look around me. Hopefully he couldn’t see the glass on the floor. “Just make sure you keep them where we can see them.”
The other officer kept looking at my door that was barely on the hinges and would need to be replaced.
“Everything is fine officers.”
By the look on their faces they didn’t believe me. They exchanged a knowing glance, as if sharing a secret, before diverting their gaze back towards me.
“Is there anyone else inside the apartment, ma’am?”
“Yes, my brother-in-law and my sister. Officers, I was just having a little get together when things got out of control. I asked everyone to leave.”
“Well make sure you keep it down, ma’am. It’s not fair to the other residents who want to live in peace. If we’re called here again, somebody will leave in handcuffs.”
Normally, I would have told him to kiss my ass for trying to lecture me on what I could and couldn’t do on my property, but I bit my tongue and tried to remain calm. I just wanted to get them out of here, not end up in jail for pissing off a cop who seemed to have an authority complex. So, I fought the urge to tell him to go fuck himself and just smiled sweetly at him.
“We will officers,” I said. “And thank you for stopping by.”
Neither said anything else and, walked away from my door.
There was no point trying to close it, so I just returned to my living room.
“What do we do now, Caesar?”
“We get you guys packed up, and to the clubhouse,” he said.
“I’m not going to your clubhouse,” Rumi said, plopping down on my couch.
I rolled my eyes. “How much should I pack?” I asked, ignoring my sister.
I didn’t think we were in anymore danger, but I’d let Caesar decide if that was a good idea for her to go back to her place.
“At least enough for a week,” Caesar said. “If you need anything else, we’ll get it.”
“And what about my door?” I asked. “I can’t leave it like this.”
“It’s handled,” Caesar said. “While you were talking to the cops, I called a couple of the prospects. They’ll have your door replaced, and the place cleaned up before you return. It’ll look like new.”
Well that relieved some of the tension. “Can you two get along long enough for me to pack?” I asked them even though my question was aimed at my sister and not Caesar. She was the issue not him.
Caesar smiled. “Of course. We can get along, can’t we Mimi?”
She looked at him like he’d lost his mind. Before she could answer there was another knock on the door.
“Jesus Christ! What now!”
I stomped towards the front door and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Agents Revels and Monroe. I took in a deep breath and plastered on a smile.
“How can I help you, Agents?”
“You need to come with us, Ms. Pierce,” Agent Revels said with a smirk on his face that I wanted to slap off.
“We’ve already had this conversation, agents. Do I need to remind you by calling your superior?”
Agent Revels smirk turned into a wide grin. “Ms. Pierce, I assure you our superior knows what’s going on. As of matter of fact he signed off on this.”
“Am I under arrest?” I asked as Rumi walked up beside me.
“Not at this time,” Agent Revels said. “But we are bringing you in for questioning. If you don’t want to come in on your own, we will arrest you for obstruction. Your choice.”
I glared at him then turned to my sister. “Don’t call mom or dad.”
“Rebel, you can’t be serious?” She glared at me like I had two heads. “They need to know what’s going on.”
“And I’ll be the one to have that conversation with them. Just do what I ask Rumi.”
She stared at me for a moment and then nodded. “And please do whatever Caesar asks. It’s for your safety, okay?”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay. As soon as you’re finished call me.”
“I will.”
I looked over her shoulder at Caesar.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll take care of her and let J.D. know what’s going on.”
“Thank you.” I turned my attention back to the two Agents. “Let’s get this over with.”
They stepped back into the hall, and as I followed behind them, the sound of our footsteps echoed off the walls. On my right stood one agent, their gaze fixed intently ahead, while on my left stood another agent, their posture rigid and unwavering. Although I hadn’t been formally arrested, the way they escorted me away from my apartment made it feel like I had.