Chapitre 20: Chapter 20
Michael
Pulling into my driveway I spot Cobi's' motorcycle and get angry all over again. Putting the car in park, I take my foot off the break and stare at the garage door before me.
What a cluster fuck.
First, Whitney blows up on me about not being honest with her, then asks me about the kiss I have yet to stop thinking of. From there, Cobi comes in and rips me a new ass in front of her, only to have her shut down on me once again.
Fuck.
She was making such great progress but the moment she felt unwanted or uncared for, she went back into her shell. Her walls are up, I can see that now and I'm going to have to work even harder to break them back down.
Turning the car off, I hop out and walk right up to my door, opening it with fury allowing it to slam against the wall. Cobi is standing in the middle of the entry way to my kitchen with a beer in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other.
He went and got pizza? Are you fucking kidding me?
"What the actual fuck Cobi?" I shout but Cobi's shoulder simply shrugs as he walks over and collapses onto my couch.
"I'm sorry Mike, I really am." He states honestly. "I didn't expect her to be here and I went off the handles when I saw her."
"You think a simple apology is going to fix this?"
"Why was she even here in the first place?"
"That's none of your fucking business. Don't you realize you could have let it slip that we are looking for Petrov?"
One thing most people who meet Cobi and I don't know is that as much as I am referred to as the brute, as the asshole and the serious one. Cobi has his moments of losing control. Normally it only comes out when he is up to his ears in stress but when it does come out, the fucker is lethal.
Now is one of those moments.
Cobi jumps off the couch, slamming his beer down on the glass coffee table and throwing his pizza across the couch. "None of my fucking business? Are you kidding me Mike? You're the one that lied to her in the first place. You're the one that has Deek out searching for God knows what and you're the one that is letting your job slip."
"Fuck you Cobi." I shout as he marches his way towards me.
"No Mike, fuck you. Fuck you and your high horse. Are you out of your fucking mind messing around with her? It wasn't enough you had to lie to the poor girl months ago. Now you have to rub it in her face each and every fucking time you see her? Let me guess, you're already fucking her aren't you?"
My fist connects with Cobi's jaw, causing him to fall to the ground."Don't you dare talk about her like that." I shout watching as he covers his face with his hand.
Cobi and I have fought our whole lives. Dad nearly encouraged it whenever we got into a disagreement. Mom hated it but knew raising two boys would be harder if we couldn't get it out of our systems. We never went too far; dad would mostly break us apart after a few minutes, but we learned each other's weaknesses and strengths because of it.
"Shit man, you really care about her." A large grin graces his obnoxious face as he gets back up and fixes his stance. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"
Blowing out a deep breath, I march over to the couch and collapse, watching as Cobi does the same before grabbing hold of his pizza and beer.
"I can't explain what I feel for her man. I've been seeing her for a couple of weeks, but we aren't dating or anything. Problem is I've already fucking kissed her."
"You what?"
"Look I know I fucked up, I can't stand myself for abusing her trust that way, but she told me today that she's been thinking about the kiss, been thinking about whether we should peruse something. I shut it down before she could say anymore and that's when you walked in."
Cobi leans his head back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling and closing his eyes. "Fuck man, what the hell are you going to do?"
"I'll figure it out, I have a lot to make up for."
"Yeah starting with your boss and Deek. What the hell were you thinking ignoring them both?"
"She needs me Cobi." This time a serious expression covers his face. "Look, I know you don't get that, and I can't explain t anymore past that, but she needs me, and I want to be there for her. I can't be distracted when I'm around her, I need to give her my full attention because that's what she deserves. Her father came to me and told me that she wasn't doing well. They think I can help her Cobi and I couldn't just turn that down. I owed her that for leaving her back in Alaska."
Cobi remains quiet for some time. I reach over to grab the remote and turn on a Rockies' game, muting the television knowing damn well Cobi is not done giving me any kind of lecture. His next words nearly shock me out of my seat.
"We found Amelia Mike." Turing my head I watch as he looks down at his clenched fists with worry. "She was at a recovery hospital for patients that overdose from drugs."
"Drugs?"
"She was using Mike. I dropped her off with whatever family she happened to have left, thinking the whole time that I was making a huge fucking mistake. I knew deep down her father was a piece of shit, but I needed to get away from her. Deek called me a few days ago, said that he found her and that she had gotten into drugs. She's recovered now but still going through withdrawal."
"Cobi, that's not your fault."
"As much as leaving Whitney wasn't yours?" He looks over at me with a sad smile, reminding me of our father on his death bed.
"Touché."
We watch the game for a few moments, keeping our thoughts in our heads instead of vocalizing them. It isn't until Cobi speaks up that I know what's really bothering him.
"I'm going to go pick her up and bring her back here."
"Cobi, she's not Liv man. You can't save everyone."
Cobi's silence is all that greets me as his gaze drops from mine and back to the television. I can see his frustration bubbling under his two day old growth as he chews on his cheek and cracks his knuckles. I'm about to speak again, attempting to grab hold of his attention but he speaks up before I can.
"I want to go and see dad soon." Panic rises from my chest, but I push it down. Shifting in my seat I give myself away and watch as the grin grows back on my little brother's smug face. "Don't you think it's time Mike?"
"I can't Cobi. With Lamino, Deek and everything going on with Whitney and now having to apologize to her, I've been too busy to go out and see him."
"Mike, it's been months man, and don't use Whitney as an excuse, you need to squash this fear you have and go and see the old man."
Blowing out a deep breath I cross my arms and keep my gaze on the screen. Knowing my father is buried only an hour away and that I haven't seen him guts at me, but I just haven't brought myself up to go. My father's death took quite a toll on me, a toll I don't think I am ready to cross just yet.
I ignore Cobi's statement and focus back on the game. We sit like that for the rest of night, talking shit to each other and reliving old memories of our childhood. I love times like this with my brother, but I can't stop thinking of a blonde haired green eyed beauty that is at home broken because of me.
-
Rubbing my eyes with my thumbs I shake my head, attempting to rid myself of any distractions and go over the case files once more.
Missing seventeen year old girl.
Missing only ten days.
Shit.
I grab my phone out of my pocket and pull up Lamino's contact information. I decide on just messaging him since I know he is in a boring budget meeting.
Me: Need to speak with you about this new case.
Lamino: Shouldn't have given Evans your other case.
Me: So, you're punishing me with an open and ongoing case? I only deal with cold and you know it.
Lamino: Look Mike, the department needs something because the girl's father is best friends with the mayor. You're the only one that I have right now that can do this, so either pull you panties up and do it, or I'll call your mama.
That fucker.
Rolling my eyes I shove my phone back in the pocket of my slacks and look through the files again. Lamino is right, I kept pining off my work and my other cases because I felt like Whitney needed to come first. I can't exactly blame him for putting a new case at my feet to get me to see the light.
A knock at my door saves me from pulling my hair out at the déj¨¤ vu I have for this case. Penny stalks in looking defeated. Her hair isn't up in its usual tight ball, it's lose and curly but wet at the ends. Her nose is pink from obviously sneezing and she is wearing a thick wool sweater around her red and orange polka doted dress.
"Penny everything alright?"
"Oh fine, just fighting a little bug." She says blowing her nose into a tissue that was in her breast pocket before collapsing down onto a chair across from me.
"Maybe you should go"
"I have yet to miss a day from being sick Mr. Taylor and I don't plan on it now. Work needs done around here and I for one, will not let a small cold take me away from it."
"Penny"
"No. Now, let's go over the newest case and after that I will explain why I think this one might be a waste of your time."
A smile breaks through on my face as she rambles on about sickness and how it seems to only get to her when everything in her life is going right.
"Waste of my time huh?"
"Well, give me specs and I'll give you what I think is going on."
"Alright." I say sitting up in my chair and grabbing my pen and pad of paper Penny keeps stacked on my desk. "Where would you like to start?
"Bethany Mitchell. Age seventeen, missing for ten days, and apparently the last person she was seen with was an on again off again boyfriend. They were last seen at a gas station located right outside of town and they were heading south."
Nodding my head, I go over my files as well, matching my findings with hers. "So what's your theory?" I ask, catching on to why she thinks this may be a waste of my time.
"Pretty simple. Looks like Bethany had it with her parents telling her she can't date a man that's seven years older than her when she is only seventeen. She ran away with said man and then realized what she did wrong. I don't think she will be 'missing' very long." Penny states putting her fingers up in quotations when she says the word missing.
"Alright, I'll take that into consideration when I go and visit the Mitchell home today." I begin putting my paperwork away, placing them carefully into my carrying case. When I turn to look back at Penny she has another smug look on her face. "We're you able to get a hold of them?"
"That's another thing. They no longer want our help."
"What?"
"Yes." She states standing and collecting her items. "Apparently, they feel as though their daughter will come back on her own. At least that was what Mrs. Mitchell had told me before I heard her husband scream at her to hang up the phone."
"Hmmm."
"My thoughts exactly." Smiling at me, Penny heads back out the door and I turn to grab my keys and head out myself. I need to get to the bottom of this case and if it's what we expect, I will not be happy that they wasted time on a trivial case when there are others that may have needed us.
It takes me no more than twenty minutes to get on the other side of town to the Mitchell house. I park along the street, noticing there are three cars held up in the driveway, one of which belongs to the missing teen girl, the same one we matched in our records from the gas station ten days ago.
Hoping out, my anger gets the better of me as I make my way up the few steps to their door. I rattle my fist against the door and wait quietly as I hear shuffling from the other side.
Hank Mitchell, Bethany's father answers but keeps the door ajar.
"Mr. Taylor, thank you so much for coming over so soon, but l believe my wife has already spoken with your office about no longer needing your service."
"Yes, I received that message, but the case has already been filed and I thought it would be better if came to speak with you privately."
Hank is just about to speak up but a deep and familiar voice coming from the other side of the door stops him. "Hank, it's fine just let him in. We may as well explain everything while we still can."
Hank reluctantly opens the door and I walk inside the massive foyer and into the enormous living area. Not only is Hank's wife Delilah there, but Bethany as well and as I look around my instincts were correct, Mayor Waver is here too, no doubt helping his best friend figure out what lies they could spin to make this less about a false police report and more about something pathetically inaccurate.
"Mr. Waver." I nod my head in his direction.
"Hello Michael." My fist clinch when he calls me by my full name.
Whitney.
"Mrs. Mitchell." I address Delilah next then bring my gaze back over to Bethany, watching as she squirms under my gaze. "Bethany, it's nice to see you alive and well."
"Look Mike, I know this must seem very inappropriate to you" Mr. Mitchell starts but I cut him off first.
"You mean the fact that you all used your friend's leverage and jumped ahead of cases that need our full and undivided attention, only to find out your daughter was completely fine, just rebelling?"
"I wasn't rebelling, I wanted to go with Zeus, but my parents wouldn't let me. They don't realize how in love we are." Bethany shouts.
Zeus? Seriously?
"Sweetheart, we just felt like he was too old for you"
"You still don't understand. I love him and want to be with him." Bethany begins arguing with her mother, but I can no longer take this pathetic show of spoiled brat on ice.
"Enough!" Everyone's gaze flows to me as I let my anger consume me. "You mean to tell me you all knew she had run away this whole time?"
The silence becomes my indefinite answer.
They used it to get her to come home. Once we put the face and names out to the public, the boyfriend had no choice but to bring he back. She's a minor and with his age, he could have been arrested for kidnapping.
"Mike, I know this sounds terrible and I wouldn't use the word used, more like"
"No Mr. Waver. I don't want to hear any political answers. Falsifying a police report is illegal and using your campaign to sway a few people, is immoral. There are other people, other girls that need our help. One's that are actually lost, actually in danger and being sold on a daily basis. I'll let Lamino deal with the rest of this." I say then begin walking away. It isn't until I get to the door do I hear what allows my anger to take over completely.
"Like that stuff actually happens here. We are in this crap town where none of that sex trafficking stuff even exists, so what is he complaining about?" Bethany states and I turn in anger watching as he mother tries to speak quietly with her.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I shout, causing them all to look back over at me. "You think that shit doesn't exist? You think just because your parent's have money that they could protected you from a fucking predator? You're lucky that you weren't kidnapped and sold, raped and beaten everyday because exactly four years ago, someone not far from where you live, someone your age, was."
"Mr. Taylor that's enough, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Hank comes up and gets in my face but it's too late, my anger and rage have already taken over my body and mind and I'm not letting this spoiled brat get away with that she said.
"You want to know how I know about that Bethany? I was the one that rescued her. I was the one that held her while she begged for the man that had abused her for four years. I was the one that arranged for all thirteen of those poor girls, some younger than you, to go back to the homes that most likely put her in danger in the first place. So spare me any drama queen tantrums you have and open your goddamn eyes."
"Enough, get the hell out of here Mike." Mayor Waver stands and heads over as well.
"With fucking pleasure.." I yell out, done with this whole mess. "But rest assure, I won't stop until you get what's coming to you Waver. Everyone will know what the fuck you have done."
With my last parting words, I stomp out the door and jump back into my car, peeling out and heading in no specific direction at all. It isn't until I pull up to Whitney's home do I realize where my instincts took me.
I need to see her.
I need to see that she is okay.
I need to hold her and apologize to her.
I hop out of my car and run up to her front door, pounding on it with force. I don't see any cars in the driveway, so I assume they are all out somewhere but when the door opens and her bright green eyes peer up at me, I thank my lucky stars.
"Michael? What are you "
Before she could finish, my lips clamp down onto her with fury and I let out all my pent up aggression on the kiss that I will never regret.
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone