Jag

by HJ Bellus

  Sunni

  “Tell us again about Bella and the time you spent with her,” Jaco says as he hovers behind me.

  The dim, flickering light in the interrogation room stirs up a massive migraine that throbs between my eardrums. Jaco has been at this for hours, tugging and prying a fake story from me.

  I’m not a scared and frightened young woman living in a small town with no family like I used to be. Back in Iowa, Jaco is revered as a local hero. He’s bluffed everyone, never showing his cold, black heart in public. I, on the other hand, was the small-town success story. The orphan who was never adopted and bounced around in the foster system only to fall in love with the local hero.

  It was a modern-day fairytale when Jaco swept me off my feet. Prince Charming never showed up to the game. The fire-breathing dragon appeared every night. It started with a slap followed up by an apology that would make anyone feel special and loved. It escalated from there until Jaco found out I was leaving him. That’s when he punched the final nail in my coffin.

  I’m numb from head to toe with the exception of my burning cheek. The fight I had built up over the years on the run has faded into emptiness. The cold pads of Jaco’s fingers wrap around my neck and pinch to a near painful point.

  “Sasha, you can make this easy or difficult, doesn’t matter to me. Unfortunately, the cameras in this interrogation room are out of commission. Crazy how little things like that happen. My partner here will be taking all the notes.” He thrusts my face forward until my face is mere inches from the table. “Ball’s in your court, Sasha. What’s your poison?”

  I remain silent, refusing to answer. I used to squeal like a pig when under Jaco’s torture. Not anymore. This fact must irritate the devil, because next thing I know, my battered cheek is bouncing off the tabletop. Everything goes black.

  “Jaco, you’re going too far this time.” Papers shuffle around the voices. “We’ve picked her up, and you’ve ruined her life. Let’s head back home.”

  “Not a chance. I’m not leaving until she’s convicted and put away for life.”

  “Was she that shitty of a wife? I wasn’t around when you were married to her.”

  “The cunt had the nerve to think she could up and leave me. Made sure that shit never happened. Sasha is nothing but trash. I wasn’t going to let someone like her ruin my reputation. Divorces always get messy, and secrets come out, so I took her down before she could ruin me.”

  The steady heartbeat of throbbing pain in my cheek burns throughout my body. The room spins out of control when I lift my head. My tongue is thick in my mouth, emphasizing the dryness.

  “Look who’s back with us,” Jaco taunts. “Sasha Brown, did or didn’t you spend time alone with Bella?”

  “Yes, I did.” I’m exhausted and want away from this man. He’s done his job and broken me down to a place where I’ll say whatever he wants and he knows it.

  “Did you hurt her while she was in your care?” He plants his palms on the table and stares me down. Victory dances over his features. How one person can be so damn evil is beyond me.

  “No. I’ve never hurt a child in my life,” I repeat over and over.

  Jaco is behind me in two long steps, his fist clutching a chunk of my hair. Tiny jolts of pain spread throughout my skull as my head is ripped back.

  “Don’t fucking lie to me, Sasha.”

  “I’m not. I’ve never hurt a soul. I’m telling the truth.” My words grow more frantic and determined. “You know this. You’ve set me up for everything and ruined my life.”

  “You whore.” He leans down and hisses in my ear. “I should fuck you so hard right now just to remind you who is in charge. I’ll break every bone in your face until you get your story correct.”

  “Enough.” The other man drops his phone and yanks Jaco off me. “You’re losing your mind. Enough.”

  The man’s long arm extends out, shoving Jaco back. A sliver of hope shines in on the situation. A possible good guy who will stand up for what’s right.

  “I’ve got enough evidence recorded. We can dictate her confession to fit our needs. You need to cool your shit, man.”

  Fool. That’s what I am for even allowing myself to think someone associated with Jaco would have a shred of decency in them. This is still my victory. They can turn in whatever evidence they want, but they will not get a fake confession out of me. Unlike last time, Jaco can beat me until the last beat of my heart, but I’ll never confess to a crime I didn’t commit. Not again.

  Jaco’s partner pulls me up by my linked wrists resting behind my back. He’s gentle when he moves me around, unlike my ex-husband who takes any opportunity to toss me around.

  He reaches in front of me, swinging the door wide open. The bustle of a police station slams me in the face. I wince, knowing the throbbing in my face has to match the nasty wounds on it. I refuse to drop my head. I keep it held high as I’m led down a hall with dozens of prying eyes judging me.

  Rich, loving, whiskey-colored eyes stop me in my tracks. The officer slams into my back and grunts. The metal cuffs nip and bite at the tender flesh on my wrists. It’s nothing compared to the pain of seeing Jag. His family steps up behind him.

  I open my mouth to speak his name. Nothing comes out. The dried parched skin on my lips cracks. The tangy taste of blood floods my taste buds. Disgust and hurt stream off Jag. He crosses his arms over his chest as I near him.

  I try again to say something. Each word clogs in my throat as I stand in front of Jag. The man who was once on top of the world stands before me, destroyed.

  “Come on, Jag. You don’t need this right now.” Trick grabs Jag only to be elbowed by him. Cruz and Boss step up as reinforcements, pulling Jag away from me.

  Layla’s eyes are swollen and red. She drops her head and turns away from me. Once Jag turns away from me, he never looks back.

  “We got a full admission.” I hear Jaco’s voice as I’m led away from the conversation.

  I plant my feet on the tile and struggle with my remaining strength in the officer’s hands. “Jag, I didn’t do it. Jaco is a monster. Please listen to me. Think about it, Jag! You told me you’d never leave me. Please listen to me.”

  My voice carries throughout the station, drawing everyone’s attention to me. I don’t give a shit and struggle to get back to Jag. He has to believe me. I know he does. All I need is five minutes alone with him. Jag appears from around the corner, anger boiling and raging from his tightly strung shoulders. He’s livid and in the mood to take someone down. I’ve never feared him until now. Jaco won. He’s brainwashed Jag, turning him against me.

  My face cracks with defeat as I slump and finally drop my head.

  “You, Sasha, lied to me. It was all lies. I gave you the benefit of the doubt. You wormed your way in and brought this shit in my life. Tell me one thing.”

  I look up through the greasy hair cascading over my face. “Did you ever really love me, or am I just another victim in your scheme of chaos?”

  “I love you more than you’ll ever know, Jag. He’s the monster, not me,” I mumble, not able to put much effort behind my words.

  Jag nods and squeezes the back of his neck. “Got it. I gotcha. Well played, Sasha.”

  The venom and hatred in Jag’s voice will haunt me for the rest of my nights. The way he so easily turns from me and strides away will always be the center of my memory. The officers ease me in a cell and lock it without a word or backward look. I’m treated like the animal Jaco has portrayed. A life sentence will be a blessing at this point. I don’t have it in me to live any longer.

  I glance up at the ceiling. An exposed pipe sprawls across the ceiling of the cell. The sheet on my bed is the only thing I need to make everything disappear. I tear it from the mattress and begin looping it into a circle. Relief floods through my veins. I won’t be a sitting duck when Jaco visits me tonight as he threatened.

  Chapter 26

  Jag

  Unfuckingbelievable. The sight of Sunni o
r Sasha made me sick, tore me up inside until I felt like I was bleeding in front of everyone at the police station. I never saw this coming. Wouldn’t have guessed it.

  Layla hasn’t spoken a word between her sobs. Each one rubs me raw to the point I’m about to lose my fucking shit.

  “Like I said, we have a full confession from Sasha. Your cooperation has been priceless bringing her in. This time she won’t see the light of the day.” Jaco holds out his hand to me.

  Boss nudges me in the back, snapping me into action. I jet out my hand and shake his. “Thank you for everything.”

  I have to get out of this stifling office before I lose my mind. Everything is all too consuming, causing me to suffocate. I’m pissed I didn’t drive my truck and had to be surrounded by people in Boss’ Escalade. Once the doors shut and Boss fires up the engine, I send my fist into the dashboard. Not once but three times until blood oozes from my knuckles and the entire surface is shattered.

  I throw my head back and roar in anger. “This is fucking bullshit.”

  I punch the dashboard again, leaving behind crimson red smudges. My cell phone rings on cue.

  “You better have some damn answers,” I roar.

  “Jag, you did good. I know that wasn’t easy,” Ruddick responds.

  “I’m two seconds away from storming back into that station and laying out that smug bastard. I need answers, or it’s happening.”

  “I can meet you in twenty minutes at your apartment. Jaco has a date he will be distracted with.”

  “One minute late and I’m hunting him down. It won’t be pretty.” I end the call and toss the cellphone into the dash. The screen shatters on contact. Once it lands on the floorboard, I stomp the shit out of it.

  “Calm down.” Boss keeps his attention focused on the road ahead. “This shit ain’t helping a thing.”

  “Did you see her?” I roar. “Her face. She’s been beaten. Sunni fucking pleaded with me, and I turned my back. Do you know how fucking hard that was?”

  “Can’t imagine, son.” He flicks on the blinker. “Beating the shit out of my car isn’t going to solve a damn thing. Keep yelling and get it out. Trust what Ruddick has in place.”

  Hands wrap around me. Layla lies her head on my shoulder from the backseat. Her cries are softer, and her tears soak my t-shirt. The bomb that was dropped on us when Sunni was arrested shattered us. Ruddick turned everything upside down hours later. Still can’t wrap my fucking head around it.

  “I want you guys to stay.” I drop my head back on the headrest. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to control myself.”

  I slam three beers by the time Detective Ruddick shows up. Boss knocked me on my ass when I went for the fourth one. Layla’s tears dried up, and now we sit in silence. When the doorbell rings, I’m up and off the couch and fly to the door. Ruddick doesn’t wait to be welcomed in before walking into my home. He cuts the bullshit, sensing the impending temper I’ve had to keep tamped down. I pace back and forth while he updates us.

  “We need four more days.” He holds a hand up to me. “Before you blow, Jag, listen to me. Jaco trusts me. He’s been feeding me all sorts of details about all the shit he’s done. It’s like he’s bragging about it. Sasha…”

  “Her name is Sunni,” I correct him. She picked that name for a reason while she was hiding. She’ll always be my Sunni.

  He nods his head and continues. “Sunni is just skimming the surface of how crooked Jaco is. I have enough evidence to set her free but just need a bit more time to get access to his laptop to put him away for life.”

  “Then fucking get it,” I blurt.

  “Jaco isn’t dumb. Someone like him has played his cards well over the years. He’s smart and calculating. Like I said before, he’s enjoying bragging to me. The more intel I collect, the longer the list, ensuring there’s no way he can get his way out of it.

  “Why four days?” Boss stands, folding his arms over his chest.

  “He’s training local officers here before we go back to Iowa. He’ll have his work laptop with him. It’s his personal one I need to get my hands on. Jaco will be distracted, giving me the perfect opportunity to grab it and download files.”

  “So, my woman sits in fucking jail until then? Did she get medical treatment for her face? She doesn’t belong in there.”

  “Give me four days, Jag, to get my hands on his laptop. I caught everything on camera. Jaco assumes I’m a slacker and let him run the show. It plays right into his over-the-top ego.”

  “What do you mean video?” I quit pacing and grip my hair, ready to pull it out.

  “I think it’s best you don’t know.”

  I eat up the distance between us in three long strides, grab his tie, and slam him against a wall. It takes everything inside of me not to butt his face with mine.

  “Talk.”

  “Jag, Jesus, do you have a death wish?” Hands yank me from the detective. “Not going to be any good sitting your ass in jail. Sit your ass down and shut your mouth.”

  Boss shoves me into the couch, all the while glaring. “Move or open your mouth, and I’ll knock your ass out.”

  He turns to Ruddick. “Do you have enough to clear Sunni’s name right now?”

  “Yes, sir.” His voice shakes. “The parent of the child she was charged with molesting in Iowa came forward, telling us Jaco threatened her and paid her off to come up with the story. I have plenty of recordings of Jaco incriminating himself plus him knocking her around.”

  “And you made me play nice with that son of a bitch?” I roar.

  Before I have the chance to leap from the couch, Boss makes good on this threat. His fist collides with my jaw, sending my head snapping to the side. Cocksucker rung my bell real good.

  “Turn it in. All that matters is Sunni is cleared and released. I don’t want her spending an extra minute in that hell hole if she doesn’t have to,” Boss says with finality.

  “She will be cleared. However, it’s not a promise that Jaco will be put away for life.”

  Boss jerks his chin. “We will keep her safe. She’s family. A member of Diablo’s Throne. She’s ours, and I want her out of jail as soon as possible.”

  “Understood. Not what I had hoped for, but I get where you’re coming from. I’ll turn in the evidence to my supervisor. It will all take time. Give me at least twenty-four hours to get her out.” Ruddick turns for the door.

  “Detective Ruddick, if you happen to have five minutes with Jaco in a secluded room with no cameras, we’d appreciate it,” Cruz adds.

  “I’ll keep that in mind. It wasn’t easy watching him harm her. Took everything in me to keep my cover. I believe in redemption, boys, even though I’m on this side of the law.” With that, he shuts the door.

  Layla and Cruz eventually go home to Bella. Boss and I don’t move from the couch. The shock and reality of the situation have soaked in. Sure as shit I Googled Sasha Brown. Sunni’s face stared back at me on the registered sex offender list. Jaco was full of shit. She was registered in this county. Not sure how many laws she was breaking by going by Sunni and getting paid under the table at her two jobs. But what other choice did she have? She’s innocent. What other options did she have at a halfway normal life?

  Dread creeps up the back of my throat, slithering and slinking until it nearly chokes me. That bastard had been tracking her this whole time as she moved from town to town trying to find a new life and registering as a sex offender. He toyed with her, haunted her every thought. It’s a fucking miracle she stayed with me as long as she did.

  I close my eyes, remembering all the times she was on the verge of opening up and how frustrated I was on the inside. It all makes sense. I would’ve freaked if she told me the truth. The facts are on the official website.

  Convicted criminals always claim their innocence. Deep down, I wouldn’t have believed her. I know myself well enough I would’ve flipped my lid going insane over the fact she’s been around Bella. All of my common sense would
fade into rage and hatred. I know this all too well from the initial shock before Ruddick filled us in. I’d never been torn in half and shattered within a matter of minutes.

  My cell phone rings. It’s not Sunni’s customized ringtone, so I don’t budge. Boss groans, leaning forward to grab it.

  “Jag’s phone.”

  Silence.

  “On our way.” He tosses the phone on the table. “We gotta go, Jag.”

  “Is she being released already?” I glance to the microwave to see it’s three in the morning. Neither of us has slept a wink.

  “No.” He jogs out the door.

  I’m trailing behind him, asking question after question, only to be ignored.

  He fires up the engine and squeals the tires as he pulls out on the road.

  “What is going on?” I flex my fist. The scab-crusted knuckles flex and seep blood.

  “Not telling you, so shut the fuck up.”

  “You are scaring the shit out of me.”

  He doesn’t respond as he pulls into the emergency room lane. I’m shocked when Boss reaches over and wraps his hand around my throat, applying light pressure.

  “You react, and I’ll squeeze tighter until you pass out. You got me?”

  I nod.

  “That was Ruddick.” He closes his eyes. “Sunni was found in her cell. She hung herself. A guard found her after her she did it and cut the sheet free. She was transported here for medical attention. Ruddick rushed the papers. Jaco is in custody. He’s waiting on a signature from the judge to clear Sunni. We can’t see her or get any updates until it’s signed. He’ll call us back as soon as she’s cleared. I gave him my number since your phone is trashed and I could barely hear him.”

  I struggle under his grip, needing to race through that hospital and find my girl.

  “Don’t push me, Jag.” He tightens his grip. “We aren’t getting out of this car until we are cleared. I don’t need you losing your mind in there and getting put in jail. It will take some time. She’ll have guards with her until the judge signs those papers.”

  I nod.