His Father

Seeing him there, stuck as they degraded him in such a way. It was so unnecessary.

They asked me questions, if I took drugs, was he my pimp, shit that made no sense. Then, two hours later, they released me. Just like that. Even though the entire time I didn’t say a word. Not even when one of them called me a smart girl.

Smart for not speaking? Who knows.

Sargent

Maddox called the cops when he discovered the extra containers were carrying drugs. I thought I raised him to be smarter than that. Perhaps he thought I didn’t know.

Why didn’t he come to me?

I wait impatiently for them to release her. Those fucks really thought they could use her to get me to confess my crimes? I haven’t committed any crimes beyond being duped myself at age nineteen. Since then it has been about survival.

Those pricks tried everything in the book. “Your girlfriend is in there right now spilling all of your secrets. She’s told us everything about you and your little scheme.”

She doesn’t know shit but kudos to them for trying to trap me into saying something incriminating. It might’ve worked on a guiltier person.

My rage returns tenfold when my lawyer exits through a door with a shaken-up Tempest under his arm.

I move to her and scoop her into my arms. She doesn’t protest, only buries her face in my neck and breathes quietly. I exit the building, glaring at Agent Samuels as I pass, who nods knowingly at me. This is all fucked up. None of this was supposed to happen yet.

FUCK.

Maddox…

What have you done?

“I’ve got you,” I whisper in her hair and follow my long-time lawyer, Feinstein, to his car.

“She doesn’t even have shoes on. That goes against so many human rights laws. I will personally be putting in a complaint about that,” he grumbles, and I have to agree.

I am livid. Absolutely livid.

I lower her into the back seat and climb in after her.

She doesn’t speak, I wonder if she’s in shock. She screamed for me when those fuckers pinned me and Tasered me. I damn near pissed my pants. Thugs. It was severely unnecessary.

“You did good, kid,” Feinstein tells Tempest. “Samuels said she didn’t speak a word. Not a single word. Not even her name.”

I relax. “Good, then they can’t implicate her.”

“They didn’t read me my rights,” she says so quietly I hardly hear her.

“Would you swear on that?” Feinstein asks hopefully.

“I just want to go home,” she murmurs, looking out of the window. “I’ve never been arrested before. Is this going on my record?”

“No,” I promise her. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“And you did?” She looks so tired and sad. “What’s going on, Sargent? What happened?”

“Nothing we can talk about here,” I reply softly, kissing her forehead. “I’m so sorry.”

I call my people, my staff, my son, repeatedly. This is going to be such a shit storm.

My house is trashed, well and truly. My lawyer takes pictures of the damage as I return to Tempest in the car. She shifts away from me and sniffles softly, I see the reflection of a tear trail on her cheek.

“We’ll go to a hotel.” I try to place my hand on hers but she slides it away and uses it to wipe her eyes.

“Where’s Maddox?” Her voice is scratchy, probably from the screaming earlier. She was terrified for me.

“We’ll find him.”

When Feinstein returns, the roar of a bike ascends my steep driveway. I turn and look out of the back window of the car and he appears on his Harley.

Stone pulls up far too close and rips off his helmet.

I climb out of the car, leaving Tempest where she is and instruct her to lock the doors.

“Got the feds turning over my compound. Wanna tell me what the fuck is going on?” He looks angry, and high. Not a good combination.

“Somebody in my company unfortunately discovered a crate and called the police,” I explain calmly.

“Who?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

His eyes narrow, he’s never intimidated me, not until this moment when I find myself without a weapon, in just shorts, sneakers, and a white T. He’s as big as I am and far more psychotic. I’m not liking my odds. “I asked, who.”

“They have been dealt with,” I reply and find myself pinned against the side of the car with his hands fisting in my T, gripping the fabric and pulling it up to my neck as he tries to cut off my air supply with his knuckles.

“I ASKED WHO!”

I hear the car door open and close.

“Stop!” Tempest yells and Stone’s grip on me loosens just enough for me to shove him away. He goes back a step but his eyes stay on me. “Please. I can’t take anymore tonight. He’ll still be here tomorrow for you to kick the shit out of. I just need a joint and I need a bed.”