“You can make your phone call in there.” She hobbled from behind the counter and moved toward one of the doors lining the back wall. Each room was jam packed, and she led me to the last one—the quietest one. “Phones are attached to the wall.” She unlocked the door and held it open for me, and I stepped inside, staring around at the benches full of people.
I screwed up my nose at the rank smell of sweaty bodies. A few of them were coming down off a high, and one was throwing up in the corner, adding to the stench. The door slammed shut behind me, and I winced at the sound of the lock turning. I was stuck in here with all these men. Men who had been arrested for god knows what. It would have been easy for me to say I wasn’t like them, but we all had our reasons for doing what we did, no matter how valid they were.
Several gazes landed on me, and I could feel the burn of them, but I kept my eyes forward and my jaw locked. Now wasn’t the time to show weakness, not in front of anyone in this room. I stretched out my fingers again and relished in the sting of the cuts on my knuckles, then pushed my shoulders back. I had one mission inside this room, and that was to make my phone call. I gritted my teeth and sauntered through the people scattered around and made my way over to the phones. A couple of people murmured as I moved past them, but I didn’t make eye contact with anyone. My guard was up because I was in unknown territory.
I picked up the receiver of the first phone and it came off completely, the wire unattached. So, I moved over to the next phone and tried not to show my relief as it seemed to be working. The dial tone sounded as I placed it next to my ear, and I quickly punched in the numbers to my dad’s cell, said my name so he knew I was calling, and turned my back so I could see the entire room.
It rang several times, and just as I thought it was going to go to voicemail, Dad’s gruff voice answered. “Hello?”
“Dad.” I let out a breath, relieved I got ahold of him.
“Asher?” I could almost imagine the frown on his face. “Why are you calling from county jail?”
“I got arrested.” I ground my teeth together, trying to wade through all of my thoughts. I wanted to tell him everything, but there was something more important he needed to do first. “I need you to go to Elodie.”
“Elodie?” I heard movement and the echo of Mom’s voice. “Why? What’s happened?”
“I…” I scrubbed my hand over my face, trying not to see the memory of her on the floor in the apartment, but it was impossible. All I could see were her empty eyes and that fucker on top of her. “There’s a lot you don’t know but…fuck.” I clenched my fist causing fresh blood to drip from one of the cuts. “I dropped her back at the apartment, and Jax asked me to come help him with Al. And I…” I inhaled a breath, trying to keep my cool. I needed to stick to the facts. Give Dad just enough to make him understand what happened. “I got an alert on my cell that my store had been broken into and…and…when I got there I…”
“Take your time, son,” Dad said, but I could clearly hear the tone of his voice. He wanted me to tell him what was going on, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get the words out. It wasn’t my place to tell them what had happened to Elodie, but she needed someone. She needed help. And I couldn’t be that help right then.
“When I got there, I…her ex-boyfriend, he was…he…” I wanted to squeeze my eyes closed and pretend I wasn’t here, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t look vulnerable to any other man in this room, so I kept my face a mask no one could see through. “He was raping her, Dad.” I slammed my hand on the wall, needing something to get the frustration out of me. “He fuckin’ raped her.”
“Fuck,” he whispered. “And I’m guessing that’s why you’re in jail right now?”
“You bet your ass it is.” I shuffled my feet on the floor. “But no one is with Elodie. I don’t even know where she is, Dad. But she needs—”
“We got it, son. We’ve got her.” His voice was the same as it always was, but there was an edge to it I hadn’t heard in years, not since he was active in the DEA. “I’ll get in touch with some connections and find out where she is. But, son?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not gonna get in front of a judge until at least Monday.”
I ran my hand through my hair and pulled on it. “I know.” My stomach dropped, and I hated that I wouldn’t be able to see Elodie until then—I hoped. “That’s why I need you to take care of Elodie for me, Dad. She...she hasn’t had the best of times. Her ex was abusive, and her mom doesn’t give a shit other than to get high and—”
“Brody? What’s going on?” Mom’s voice was clearer now, and my breaths became heavier. Mom would know what to do. She’d know how to help Elodie while I couldn’t.
“Go get dressed, Lola. We need to head out,” Dad replied to her. “Keep your guard up in there, Asher,” Dad told me. “And your head down.”
“I will.” I gazed over everyone in the room. “Just make sure you get to Elodie. She…she needs you.”
“Call me as soon as you can and I’ll update you,” he gritted out.
“I will.” I paused, trying to make sense of everything that had happened from the time we’d left their house only an hour ago. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Don’t need to thank me, son.”
“I know.” I swallowed, trying to keep a lid on all of my emotions. “I’ll speak to you later.” I didn’t wait for his reply because I knew I had to get off the line. If I didn’t, I’d expose myself to a room full of men who I had no doubt were listening in on every word of my side of the conversation. I placed the receiver back on the handset and took a breath, wishing I hadn’t when the acrid smell of vomit burned my nostrils. “Fuck.” I was stuck in here with nowhere to go, but at least Elodie would be looked after, and right now, that was all that mattered.
Chapter Eighteen
ELODIE
Time passed in chunks. The cool night air hit me in the face, and I shivered, then warmth was surrounding me, and the sound of a car engine lulled me into a false sense of security. People talked, the police radio pinged, and my gaze couldn’t focus on any single thing. We drove by stores and then a gas station, the roads darkened and lightened as more streetlights came into view, and then the car pulled up outside of the emergency room. The large red sign above the door was a beacon—a warning that once I’d passed that point, there would be no turning back.
I had no idea what time it was because I wasn’t sure how much time had passed by, but I knew it was still the same night. The same night I’d met Asher’s parents. The same night Knox had come into my apartment. The same night he’d—
“We can sit here until you’re ready,” a soft voice said, and I turned my head toward it. My eyes blurred in and out as I tried to focus on the face, but it felt like minutes until it became clear. Jenette. The police officer from the apartment. It was just me and her in the police car. Her in the front, and me in the back. I wasn’t sure what I should have said to her, so instead of saying something, I kept silent. Words were useless at this point. She couldn’t help me. No one could help me.
I shouldn’t have agreed to come here. I should have stayed at the apartment and let time pass. I should have told myself it didn’t happen and tried to carry on as normal. I’d have been okay in the end, right?
“I can see the wheels turning in your head,” Jenette said softly. “I know it’s difficult, but once the rap—” She paused, stumbling on the word. “Testing. Once the testing is done, and the evidence is gathered, you’ll be able to go home and start healing.”
Home. I wasn’t even sure I had a home now. The thought of going back to the apartment filled me with so much fear my body physically jerked at the notion. I shook my head at my earlier thoughts. I wouldn’t have been able to just get over it. This wasn’t a slap or hair pull, or even a black eye. This was so much worse than anything I’d ever experienced, and I was afraid I was shutting down. Scared I’d never be the same. Terrified to get out of this car and—
Several
beeps rang out and Jenette shuffled in her seat. I tried to keep my attention focused on her because at least then I’d have something to occupy my mind and keep the memories at bay. She pulled something out of her pocket and frowned down at it, and then the beeping stopped. But it was only a couple of seconds until it started back up again.
Her gaze flicked back to me and then to whatever she was holding, and finally the noise stopped again, but this time she held it to her ear and questioned, “Hello?” Her eyes widened and she sat up straighter, and I was fascinated with her reaction to whoever was on the other end of the line.
“I…yes, sir, I have her with me right now.” My breaths came faster as her gaze met mine. She was talking about me. But why? What was happening? And why—
My shoulders drooped, and my panic escalated. Knox’s dad had pull in this state, so had he already heard about what had happened? Was he trying to cover it all up? There was no point in me going into that hospital because his dad would twist and turn it all on me so his son would get away with it, just like he did with everything else. He never had to pay for his sins.
I yanked on the door handle, but it wouldn’t give. I was trapped inside the car with this policewoman and had no escape in sight. I needed to get out. I needed to leave. I needed to save myself from all of this.
“Elodie,” Jenette called, but I couldn’t listen to her. She’d end up being part of a coverup, that was if she wasn’t already. “Elodie, stop,” she said, this time louder, but I just pulled at the door handle harder.
“I have to get out,” I gasped, feeling like I couldn’t quite pull in a full breath. My fingers tingled and my vision blurred. “I need to…I have to…”
“Shit.” Metal banged against metal and seconds later my door flung open and I threw myself out of the car. My knees hit the hard asphalt and my palms scraped against the rough ground, but I didn’t care. I needed to be able to take a breath and—
“It’s okay,” Jenette said from right next to me, but all I did was shake my head in response. It wasn’t okay. None of this was okay. “It was just my boss checking where we were.” I had no idea why she was telling me that. “He wanted to make sure you were safe.” Safe? Why would he want to make sure I was safe? Or maybe he wanted to see if I’d already gone into the hospital. If Knox’s dad could stop me in my tracks, I had no doubt he would—
“You have family on the way. He just wanted to know where to send them and—”
“Family?” I interrupted, turning my head to look at Jenette. In the bright lights of the front of the hospital, I could make her face out properly. Her dark eyes looked sad, and her almost black hair was pulled into a low bun. She meant business, but there was no keeping her emotions at bay. I wondered if she could see the pain reflected in my eyes. I wondered if she could sense the need to escape from me.
“Yeah.” She smiled small. “They’re coming to take care of you.” She crouched down beside me and it was on the tip of my tongue to tell her my family would never want to come and take care of me. They wouldn’t drop everything to help me, but I couldn’t quite get the words out, because once I’d said them aloud, they’d be all the more real. “They’ll be here soon. But first…” She tilted her head to the side to indicate the main entrance to the hospital. “Let’s get this over with, yeah?”
I swallowed and desperately wanted to say no. I wasn’t sure I could go through with this. Besides, it wasn’t like it would go anywhere. I’d have all of the tests done and then what? Knox would get away with it. Men who did what he did always got away with it.
“They don’t,” Jenette said, and I blinked at her. Had I said that out loud? “I promise you, Elodie. They don’t. This is the most important part: gathering the evidence. And right now, the evidence is on your skin and under your nails.” She paused and held her hand out. “Even if you decide after this that you don’t want anything done, at least you’ll have the option.”
I glanced over at the main entrance again, then closed my eyes, trying to center myself. Asher would want me to do this. Asher…oh god, Asher. He needed me to do this. Without this evidence, he wouldn’t have a reason to have come in and done what he did to Knox. Asher needed me. He was relying on me. And that had me standing up, my shoulders back with a renewed vigor. I may not have been able to do this for me, but I could do it for him. I hoped.
My determination lasted all of five minutes until I was in a room alone, waiting for a nurse to come inside and take the clothes I was wearing and everything else she needed to do. I’d never had anything like this happen, so I had no idea how far all this testing would go, but I knew I had to do it. For me. For Asher. For every woman out there, who hadn’t been able to. But it didn’t make it any easier.
I stood in the corner of the room, my gaze focused on the door, waiting. Waiting. Waiting some more. Time passed, and voices echoed from the hallway, then finally a knock rapped on the door and it opened.
“Hi there,” a woman’s voice said, and I knew right away she was a nurse from the scrubs she was wearing and the cart with several things on it she was wheeling inside. Was all that for me? A huge encased package sat on the top, and a gown on the second shelf. Did I have to get undressed? I wrapped my arms around my stomach at the thought of exposing myself to a complete stranger. I’d never been the kind of person ashamed of my body, but right then the thought of her seeing me had terror running through my veins.
“No,” I commanded, my voice brooking no room for argument. I shook my head and backed up even more, knocking something over in the process, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t do this. It was okay in theory when I’d been outside, but now…now it was a reality smacking me in the face and threatening to knock me over. She’d see what he did to me. She’d witness the pain shadowing my body. She’d see a part of me I was scared for anyone to know about.
“It’s okay,” the nurse said, leaving the door half-open. She raised her hands in the air. “We can take our time. There’s absolutely no rush at all.”
“I won’t do it!” I shouted, wincing as my voice echoed around the room. I huddled in on myself until my back hit the wall. I tried to make myself as small as I possibly could, but I still felt like I was a red alert light going off that everyone could see. I was used to being invisible and only being seen when I wanted to be. But now…now I didn’t have a choice. She knew why I was here—knew what had happened to me. There was no escaping it and—
“Chief,” I heard Jenette say from outside my door. Her voice was different now, no longer the calm soothing one it had been with me. There was an edge to it.
“Officer Dellwater,” a gruff voice greeted, and I saw the shadow of his body through the half-open door. My breaths came harder and faster, the nurse was trying to say something to me, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying, not when I was trying to hear what was happening in the hallway. “Is she in there?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.” His voice lowered and I wasn’t sure who he was talking to, but then the nurse stepped forward and the room spun.
“Stay back!” I warned, holding my own hands up. They were my only line of defense. “I mean it,” I told her, wishing my tone was harsher than it was, but all it came out like was a broken sob.
“I can come back,” the nurse said, her voice low. “Or we can just sit for a minute and—”
“Where is she?” Another voice mixed in with all of the others and I slammed my palms down onto my face, trying to pretend like I wasn’t here right now. If I pretended I was in the dance studio, everything would be okay. Calm. I needed calm. I needed silence to try and work through all of my emotions. I needed time. Time I didn’t feel like I had.
“Elodie,” another voice said, but this was a voice I recognized, a voice I’d heard only a few hours ago. Had it really only been that long?
“You can’t be in here,” the nurse said.
“It’s okay, Elodie,” the voice continued, ignoring the nurse’s words. “We’re here n
ow.”
I slowly let my hands drop from my face and my gaze immediately landed on Brody and Lola. Had they come here to make sure I let them gather the evidence? Were they here to make sure Asher was—
“She’s refusing,” the nurse said as Jenette walked back into the room.
“She doesn’t have to do it if she doesn’t want to,” Lola told them and stepped toward me. She held her arms out as if she was ready to catch me and didn’t hesitate for a second as I curled in on myself even more. “It’s okay, lovely. I’m here now.” She halted in front of me and I winced, but nothing I did stopped her from wrapping her arms around me and holding me tight. And it was the contact and safeness of her arms that had me falling apart.
A sob unlike any other escaped my throat and tears streamed down my cheeks, but all the while, Lola held me, refusing to let go. “That’s it. Let it all out.” She swayed us back and forth, her hand rubbing my back in a soothing motion. “Nothing is going to get you now. I promise that.” She placed a kiss on the top of my head. “I promise.”
I shivered at her words, so much like Asher’s, and my stomach dropped. He wasn’t here. They’d taken him to jail, and it was all because of me. “Asher?” I whispered, pulling back a little so I could see Lola’s face.
“He’s fine,” a deep voice answered, and I flicked my gaze over Lola’s shoulder to Brody. A man stood beside him, and from the uniform he was wearing, I was guessing this was the chief Jenette had greeted in the hallway. “He told us a little about what happened. So, we’ve come to get you and take you home.”
Burned Duet: Asher & Elodie: Fast Burn & Deep Burn (Easton Family Duet Boxsets Book 4) Page 24