15. Chapter 14
Kodi – Two Days Later
“You can’t leave,” Benny says quietly as he leans over my desk while I try to fill in paperwork from my arrest this morning at the shopping center, and I roll my eyes.
Over the years, Benny was barely around.
He knew how suffocating Dad was, especially after Mom died.
He knew Dad tried to micromanage my life, taking my wages, refusing to let me move, telling me who I could or couldn’t speak to, and keeping tabs on me so I couldn’t leave.
Now, suddenly, Benny is always here, and honestly, his hovering only increases my agitation and hurt that I’ve been feeling over the past two days, the anger that is beginning to simmer along with the confusion.
Why won’t Knuckles answer my calls?
What did I do?
“Why can’t I?” I ask as I look at my big brother, trying to forget about my I guess boyfriend, “I never wanted to be a cop, I didn’t want to go to the police academy, I wanted to work at the art gallery.
I wanted to draw and paint and live my life how I wanted it, but because Mom messed up, because Mom was bored, I was the one who ended up suffering.
This isn’t my life, Benny, it is yours. The job is yours, as it should be, not mine. ”
“But Boston?” he whispers, “That’s nearly three thousand miles away.”
I shake my head and remind him, “Dad has blacklisted my name in this state. I don’t have a choice, I need to leave California, and then maybe I might find who I am again.”
“And what about Knuckles? Or is it just fun?” he grits with disappointment, and I hold up my hand and lift my wedding finger before he can even open his mouth and be a hypercritical ass, showing him the tattoo.
Benny’s face softens, and I confess, “I’m madly, deeply in love with him, but the problem, big brother, is that he has demons he’s not willing to speak to me about.
He won’t even kiss me because he knows I’ll know we’re forever when he does.
He hasn’t answered one call or text in two days, or even let me know he needs some space, god, he hasn’t even come to the motel.
I feel like I can’t breathe without him and want forever with him despite the trauma Mom put me through.
He clearly doesn’t feel the same way which is one hell of a hard pill to swallow,” I swallow hard, “This job, it may not be my dream because Dad took that from me, but it’s still along the lines. ”
Benny shakes his head just as Dad walks out of his office, gaining our attention.
He eyes me, but unlike the anger I’ve always seen, this is laced with guilt. I look away from him and back at my big brother, who eyes our father for a moment, then gives me his full attention, his eyes softening as he sees my tension double when Dad is near.
“He shouldn’t have hit you,” Benny whispers.
“He shouldn’t have tried to control your life out of revenge for something you had no choice but to keep quiet over.
Our mother proved how evil she was by even agreeing with the threats made against a sixteen-year-old.
He shouldn’t have tried to control you out of fear that you’d end up like Mom.
I get you shutting him out—I’m with you for that—but please don’t shut me out as well. ”
“You sat back and allowed him to try and push me towards Masters, who is a creep,” I remind him.
He winces as he eyes the man on the other side of the room, talking to a fellow officer not from this precinct.
If I’m honest, he looks a little wary of Masters, though I can’t blame him, because as I said, the man is a creep and if he stares at my breasts one more time today, I’m going to knock him out with the butt of my gun.
He makes me feel like a piece of meat.
“To be fair, I thought he had a thing for you until I caught him screwing Conners a few weeks ago,” he shudders, and my eyes widen.
He, I mean… Surely not?
“Conners, as in Conners who is married to a woman?” I gag.
Benny nods with a disgusted look, and I simply mutter, “Gross,” not knowing what else to say.
It’s not about his sexuality— his wife is sweet and supportive, holding off her career so he can advance in his, so the fact that he’s cheating to begin with…
I shake my head. If Conners thinks getting involved with the Masters will help him get the position he’s after, then he’s mistaken. He’s risked everything for nothing.
Dad was using Masters because he knew he could keep me in line through him, but Masters is na?ve. He has no sway whatsoever despite what he believes, and if Dad thought Conners deserved a promotion, he would have given him one by now.
The man is a slacker, he’ll only take the easy jobs, and half the time he's late for his shifts, which I’m now seeing is because he’s busy with Masters hoping to cheat his way to the top.
Maybe if the man actually did his job, he’d get the promotion he desperately wanted.
Benny snorts at the scrunch of my nose, the image of Conners bent over for Masters suddenly engrained in my brain making me want to gag and he takes a seat on the edge of my desk.
“Can you not just, I don’t know, look around here for a different job if being a police officer isn’t what you want to do?” he tries, “I know Knuckles, sis, he won’t let you leave. He may be quiet at the moment, but it’s his way to straighten out his mind.”
Knuckles didn’t text to explain, he just ghosted me but I don’t say that—I won’t show my brother or my father, who’s already stepped forward, how much pain I’m in.
Instead, I shake my head and admit, “It’s a done deal.
I’ve given notice on my lease and found an apartment in Boston. I move in just under three weeks.”
“Fuck,” Benny mutters as Dad flinches and opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, Masters calls, “Marshalls, let's go, we’ve got a call on a domestic!”
Awesome…
Sighing, I shut down my computer then pick up the paperwork I’ve just filled out as I stand.
“Duty calls,” I mutter, handing the paperwork to Dad who reluctantly takes it.
I grab my phone, which feels like a heavy boulder, the urge to try and call Knuckles again pulls at me, but I resist. Instead, with my phone in hand, I walk away and even though my father and brother look like they want to protest, they don’t because they know they can’t.
The job has to come first, that is what Dad always ingrained in us.
I squeeze my phone, breathe deep, and pocket it. I promised only one call and one message to Knuckles a day, and I’ve kept to it and I even latch the motel door after eleven—never letting him think I’m waiting, though I am.
As much as I want to scream and shout for him to love me, I won’t, just like I won’t beg him to contact me. I have more pride and self-respect for that, and besides, Knuckles hasn’t had it easy, the scars are proof of that. He has to want to fight for me, and right now he doesn’t.
Shaking my head, I follow Masters out to our car, and I silently pray this will be quick because the less time I spend with this sleaze, the better.
***
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Mr. Rounders shouts as I escort him out of his marital home with his hands cuffed behind his back, his head bleeding while his wife screams from the inside, holding up a baseball bat.
Masters is currently trying to calm her down while I bring this piece of shit to the van.
When we got here, she’d already wacked him three times with the bat after finding him on top of her thirteen-year-old daughter who is now sitting on the couch, crying her heart out while social services comfort her as her mom rightfully loses her shit.
Apparently, in her mind, she’s been having an affair with her stepdad, who took her virginity. He groomed her, and even though she knew how wrong it was, it wasn’t until her mom opened her bedroom door just as the sick man thrusted inside her to snap her out of the situation.
“Grooming, rape, sexual assault, and actual assault when confronted by the child’s mother,” I grunt as I shove the man into the police van.
“She wanted it, she’s always wanted it ever since I walked in on her naked in the shower five years ago, she was mine and I knew it, she knew it!
” the pervert sneers as he tries to stop me from putting him into the van, and I grow cold at his words and the need to shoot him overrides my senses and I grip his arm tighter.
He’s just admitted to grooming her since she was eight.
Sick mother…
Locking my jaw, I shove him into the back of the van and inform the man, “And you’ve just admitted to it on camera, enjoy prison, Mr. Rounders, I hear the inmates hate pedophiles.”
The man stills, his caramel eyes widening in shock, and I slam the van door shut.
“Take him away,” I order as the man begins to bang and shout and I turn around and see Masters strolling out, escorting the mother, whose arm is around her shaking daughter.
“Chambers and Lunes are going to take it from here. This is out of our job description,” he explains when he stops before me, and I frown because nothing is out of our job description, but Lunes, who looks completely confused, takes the mother and daughter towards his squad car.
“Let's go, your dad has requested us downtown,” the ass grunts, and I scowl as I look at Lunes again, who is eyeing Masters with a frown.
Lunes doesn’t trust easily—not after his partner went rogue, nearly getting them both killed and it’s no different with Masters who always slips out of sight and keeps secrets, and seeing Lunes furrowed grey brows my unease grows.
“Actually, I’m going to stay here,” I state as I walk away from Masters and towards the house to begin taking pictures of the scene for the courts not trusting this man’s word but Masters grabs my arm, gripping it tightly, forcing me to look his way with nothing but anger as he snaps, “Your father has requested us!”
I wrench my arm out of his hold and glare at him as I grit, “I haven’t finished my job here, Masters, and you’re not above me, meaning you don’t get to control me,” just as Lunes drives away, heading down the dirt track road away from the farmhouse.
“You know, you were supposed to be mine,” Masters says just as I take a few steps and I spin around, ready to tell him I was never his, but stop short when I see the two men flanking him that weren’t here a moment ago.
Each of them holds a rifle with no other police officers around and a bad feeling begins to churn.
Cannon tattoos with blood dripping from the end are noticeable on their necks, and I lock eyes with Masters, who has his taser aimed at me.
Okay, so the man has lost it. Not only has he gotten involved with a group of sick men that are into kid trafficking, but he’s threatening the Chief's daughter…
“Your dad promised me your hand, he promised me the superintendent role, he promised me a raise, and then you admit you’re in a relationship with that MC scum!” he growls, and I slowly move my hand to my piece, and he moves his eyes to my movement, then grins wide.
“I won’t lose my royalties I’m going to receive by marrying you, I won’t lose that sweet pussy I know you’re saving for marriage,” he says coldly, and I quickly grab my gun and aim it, then shoot without thinking twice.
The first Charger falls, a bullet to his head before he can even blink, and I quickly move my hand and shoot at the second one just as he lifts his rifle, again hitting his head, killing him instantly as he drops to the floor, just as Masters shoots me with the taser, and thousands of electric shocks hit me at once.
My eyes instantly blur as my body shakes and I fall to the floor as everything goes black, the pain too much to bear.
Liam…