“Inside, Celeste. Now. We obviously need to have a conversation.” I notice his fists balling and clenching tightly, and when I feel Martin tense beside me, I know he does too.
Turning to me, he tells me quietly, “You don’t have to go in with them. You can come over until they’ve had time to cool their tempers.” His gaze searches mine and I smile, loving that he’s worried about me.
“He won’t hit me. He never has. I’ve never had anything to fear.” Placing a hand on his cheek, I try to reassure him, but I know he doesn’t like the idea. “I’ll come see you later.” Mindful of my parents watching, I lean up to kiss his cheek and pick up my book.
Martin walks forward and stops in front of my father. “Lay one hand on her and you’ll have nothing to worry about except for bending over for a bar of soap for the rest of your life, we clear?” I have to cover my mouth to stop from laughing at Martin’s threat and the look on my father’s face.
“I assure you, I would never hit my child,” Dad snaps back.
Martin nods, gives me one last look, and exits our yard to go back next door.
“Inside, Celeste, now.”
Marty
* * *
This waiting is bullshit. It’s after dark now and not knowing what the hell has happened over at her house is killing me. Every instinct I have says to go over there, bust down the door, and drag Celeste out caveman-style.
If not for her reassurance that she would be fine, and her father didn’t scare her, I’d have fucking done that by now. I have a powerful need pulling at me to grab her now.
My phone buzzing in my pocket saves me from going over there. “Detective Lynch,” I bark through the line.
“Detective!” My precinct’s new captain, Duncan Rayford, snaps through the line.
“Yes, Cap?” He’s not who I want to deal with right now.
“Get your ass down to the station right now!” He hangs up before I can ask why, and I’m cursing more now than I was when I left Celeste’s side.
Grabbing my car keys, I’m in no rush to leave as I stroll out the front door. The lights are on at her house and I see her mother in the den, where all that damn liquor was, and a sour feeling punches me in the gut. I want to check on her, but I know if I don’t get to my captain now, he’ll be bitchier when I do get there.
With one last look at Celeste’s, I jump in my Crown Vic and head into the city. My need to get home sooner rather than later drives me as I rush through the traffic and nearly get hit going through a yellow light.
Sliding to a stop in a spot marked for detectives, I’m out and running inside the building like there’s a fire on my ass. I’m barely through the door before I hear his voice.
“Lynch!”
“Damn, someone’s in shit,” one officer mutters as I run past him.
“Hey, Cap, what’s up?” I’m standing in his doorway as my sergeant walks up behind me, pushing me through and slamming the door shut.
“Sit down, Martin,” Sergeant Stokes instructs.
For the first time since getting the call, worry slithers down my spine, and that knowing in my gut intensifies. Something is about to go horribly wrong.
“I’ve put up with a lot of your shit since coming here,” Captain Rayford reflects. It hasn’t been that much, but I don’t say so. “However, your actions reflect on this department, therefore, when an accusation of rape comes in, I have to investigate.”
My jaw drops and my eyes I’m sure are wide as fucking saucers.
Rape?
“Who the fuck said that?” I’m in complete shock and drop into the chair behind me.
“We got a call this afternoon. We can’t tell you who it was from, Marty, you know that.” Stokes looks at me with pity.
“I didn’t fucking rape anybody!” Outrage fuels my anger and I jump to my feet, pacing in front of the captain’s desk. “I haven’t even been on a date in six months,” I mutter to myself, and then it clicks. “Was the complaint rape or statutory rape?” I look Rayford directly in the eye.
“Statutory,” he confirms.