by Sloan Storm
They gave in. A patrol car arrived not long after, and I got inside, safe at last.
I’d never been interrogated before, but for some reason, sitting all alone in a room at the police station, it sure felt like it. I sat, I stood, I sat, I stood. There was no way to get comfortable. While I was still standing, the door to the room opened and two men entered.
“Miss Rain?” one of them asked.
One held a tablet in his hand. The man who spoke introduced himself as Detective Wilson. He gestured toward the other cop. “This is my partner, Detective Mitchell. He has a few basic questions for you before we get to the reason why you’ve come in tonight.”
Once he began, it wasn’t long before I felt my stomach sink. What was I doing there? If they started to ask me a bunch of questions about Dorian, it could really get him in trouble.
That’s not what I wanted. He didn’t deserve that.
All I wanted was to be able to go back to my life. I wasn’t trying to cause any trouble, not for him and certainly not for myself. Paranoia gripped me again, and I looked around the room for surveillance cameras or maybe even a two-way mirror. I’d completely ignored the last few questions out of Detective Mitchell’s mouth. I guess he noticed.
He cleared his throat. “Ma’am?”
Without thinking, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I um, I want a lawyer. I don’t want to be recorded or say anything without one here.”
The two men looked at each other for a split second, frowning.
Detective Wilson spoke. “You aren’t under investigation. There are no recording devices anywhere. In fact, you can go, if that’s what you want to do.”
My mind raced. I didn’t know what I wanted. If I left, I had nowhere to go and no one to turn to.
“Miss Rain,” Detective Mitchell began. “Would you like to clarify the statement you made about being kidnapped and held hostage? It would be helpful if you shared the name of the person, or persons, responsible. After all, that’s a very serious charge.”
Half listening, I looked at him. “What? What was that?”
He raised eyebrows and repeated himself. “Who kidnapped you?”
To my horror, I blurted it out. “Oh, um, Dorian. Dorian Scott.”
They looked at each other again.
“Are you… sure about that?” Detective Wilson asked. “Dorian Scott, the businessman?”
“Yes.” I scoffed. “Of course I’m sure.”
“Uh huh, well, do you want to press charges against him?”
Did I? “I… I don’t know. I mean, I’m not sure.”
The truth was he hadn’t done anything to harm me, in fact, it had been the opposite. Yes, even though he wouldn’t let me go, I had no doubt he’d do anything to protect me. How convincing could I be if I said ‘yes’ to the detective’s question?
Not only that, but I’m sure the fact I wore an expensive gown wasn’t lost on them. Detective Mitchell leaned into Detective Wilson and whispered something into his ear.
Afterward, he looked at me.
“Miss Rain, would you be willing to give us a few minutes? We need to discuss what can be done to help you, even if it’s just finding somewhere safe for you to stay.”
I shifted in place, wishing I could find something to do with my hands to look less guilty or anxious or whatever.
“Okay…” I muttered. “Um, I guess.”
Soon after, both of them left the room. After they’d gone, I wondered if I’d said too much, gone too far about Dorian. Eventually, I sat down, tried to calm myself and gather my thoughts. I still hadn’t pressed charges, so really there wasn’t anything they would do to him unless I followed through.
On the other hand, if I didn’t and I left the police station, it was a matter of time before Dorian tracked me down. There was no doubt in my mind. Looking up at a clock on the wall, I noticed the detectives had been gone for quite some time. I began to wonder what the hell was going on.
I scooted the chair back. It groaned on the smooth cement flooring. Standing up, I walked towards the door, wanting to open it and find out what was going on. But when I twisted the knob, it didn’t budge.
I looked down at it and yanked – hard.
Nothing.
There was a long, narrow window on the door, a few feet high and maybe, maybe six inches across. Moving my head from side to side, I looked through it to see if I could find anyone close by.
“Hey!” I yelled, banging on the door. “Let me out of here!”
I don’t know how long I stood there, pounding away at it with no response. Finally, after turning the bottom of my hand red from hitting the door, I gave up.
Hours passed.
A mix of rage and fear took hold of me. What the hell was going on? Why was I being held here? Suddenly, the door opened, and the detectives walked through it. I jumped to my feet, running in their direction when I stopped dead in my tracks. Dorian appeared right behind them, his foreboding frame filling the doorway. He glared at me while I backed away, bumping into a chair behind me.
What the hell was he doing here?
Once Dorian was inside the room, the detectives excused themselves, but before they could close the door, I let them know what I thought of the shit they pulled.
“You fucking crooks! He paid you off, didn’t he?”
Ignoring me, Detective Wilson slammed the door, leaving me alone with Dorian. He raised his hand to his face, covering his nose and mouth for an instant before wiping it downward in frustration.
“Why did you run away? Didn’t you enjoy yourself?”
“Uh! Did you seriously just ask me that? This has nothing to do with me enjoying myself!”
He didn’t respond. The look on his face suggested he didn’t want to hear any explanation I had.
Fuck it. I didn’t care.
“I don’t want to be anyone’s hostage, even if that means putting my own life at risk.”
“That’s ridiculous, Tempest. You have no idea what you’re talking about. I told you that once I turned the case over and some time passed you would be free to go. Why couldn’t you just trust me?”
I stepped towards him. “How much time… exactly? Would you settle for an answer like that? No, you wouldn’t.”
“It’s too bad that you feel that way, but that’s not going to change what I have to do. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to you.”
I couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. I might as well have been speaking another language.
“You aren’t listening to me! I am not afraid of being captured.”
Dorian leaned away, clapping his hands together in obvious amusement. “Don’t be so naïve. False bravery won’t do you any good here…”
I cut him off. “Hey! Here’s a news flash, Dorian! I don’t care what you think. I’m leaving and there’s nothing that’s going to stop me.”
I started to pass by him when Dorian grabbed hold of me, hissing a warning. “You are making a big mistake.”
I didn’t have the energy to fight with him. After a few tense moments, he let go of me, and I pulled away.
“Look, I didn’t tell them anything about what happened with Todd, about the case.”
Dorian let out a long exhale. “I already know that. You see, I trust you, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why you are unwilling to do the same in return.”
“Okay, well, you’re not my father. Even if you were, he stopped having any control over me when I was twelve. This has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with you thinking you can control me which, by the way, you can’t.”
Shaking his head, Dorian raked his hand through his hair before turning his back on me and walking towards the door.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
Stopping at the door, he wrapped his hand around the knob and looked at me over his shoulder. “If I can’t reason with you, I know someone who can.”
What the hell wa
s he talking about?
He opened the door and gestured for someone to enter, calling out at the same time. “Okay!”
Before I could get a word out, I looked on in disbelief, stunned at the person who entered.
“Oh my God!” I cried out, running towards my father. A huge smile came to his face. I flung my arms around him and swallowed him in the biggest hug I’d ever given to another person.
With my chin resting on my dad’s shoulder, I watched Dorian walk out of the room and close the door behind him, leaving the two of us alone.
“What are you…” I stammered, separating from him. “How did you get here?”
A tired smile spread across his face. He sat down in one of the chairs.
“Dad, answer me. What are you doing here? How did you know where I was?”
My father scooted the chair closer to the table. He flopped one arm on top of it and with the other gestured towards the entrance of the room.
“Ask the suit.”
Following his fingertip with my eyes, I glanced in the direction of the door. I couldn’t see anyone looking inside, but Dorian was out there, somewhere.
Had he done this? Why?
The fact he had… It made me feel like he really listened to me. After all, he knew how much I wanted to see my dad. What’s more, he’d done it in spite of the way I acted towards him. The cops must have told him I’d come in threatening charges of kidnapping. Maybe in his own way he was trying to prove to me I could believe everything he said.
I had no idea what to think.
I turned and looked at my father again, smiling. I’d have to get the answers to all those questions later. Right now, I just wanted to spend time with him.
“Dad, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it for our regular visit. Something came up, and I…”
With a casual flick of his wrist, he waved me off. “Don’t worry about it, Temp. I’m just glad you’re okay. I worried when I didn’t hear anything from you.”
While he spoke, I sat down in the chair next to him and frowned. “I know. It wasn’t my fault. I…”
He shrugged. “No. Stop. I don’t want to hear it. Tell me what is going on, and do it now.”
I returned his shrug with one of my own. “What are you talking about?”
“What am I talking about?” he replied, clapping his hands together once for emphasis. “Well, for starters, why are you in here? Where is Todd? I thought the two of you were coming by to see me on the way to Reno, and now you and I are here?”
The mention of Todd’s name caused me to swallow hard. I looked away from my dad, hoping like hell he didn’t notice. He stopped talking when I did. With a slow turn of my head, I looked at him again.
I met a disapproving look, wrinkling his face beyond his years. The expression spoke louder than any words he might say, but that didn’t stop him. He pointed towards the door, angling his upper body towards me and deepening the concern in his eyes.
“Who in the hell is that out there? How are you hooked up with a guy who can pull strings like that? He’s the reason I’m here, you know?”
He had me boxed in. Shit. I didn’t have any choice except to lie to him. The worst part was the lies wouldn’t stop with Dorian. There was no way in hell I was going to try to explain what happened with Todd.
“He’s um, just a friend. That’s all, Dad.”
My father slumped back in his chair and dropped both of his hands in his lap, rolling his eyes at the same time.
“Don’t bullshit me. I raised you. I know the kinds of people you hang around, and guess what, none of them are like him. That man is no friend of yours. Now, quit wasting time, because I don’t know how much I have here.”
While he chastised me, I stood from the chair and turning my back on him began to walk across the room. I hadn’t gotten more than a few steps away when he continued.
“Okay well, if you won’t tell me about him, then why not tell me where Todd is right now? And, before you say anything, I’ll add this — now isn’t the time to lie about that, either.”
With every word he spoke, the tone of my father’s voice grew darker, more ominous. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I started to nibble on my lip, my brain frantic to come up with anything to tell him sounding even halfway believable.
He wasn’t in the mood to wait. “Where. Is. Todd. Tempest?”
My stomach sank, hollowing out a crater of anxiousness and guilt. He left me with no choice. It was lie to the best of my ability, or else. I spun in place, fixing my face with the most annoyed look I could, hoping I would convince him.
“I don’t understand why you are wasting precious time here asking me a bunch of questions about Todd. Why don’t we just spend whatever time we have together? What difference does it make where Todd is, or what’s going on between us? You never liked him anyway!”
My dad didn’t hesitate. “Just answer the question.”
Snapping my arms across my midsection, I hooked them hard and glared at him. “We broke up, okay? That’s why we didn’t make it to see you. We broke up. I just needed some time to get my head together before I told you about it.”
He didn’t respond, only shifted his posture a bit. I’d always had a hard time reading my dad’s emotions and now wasn’t any different. I couldn’t tell whether he believed a single word out of my mouth about Todd or not.
While silence lingered between us, another thought occurred to me. Even though the detectives told me the room wasn’t monitored, I hadn’t realized how untrustworthy they were at the time. For I all knew, they were recording every word. Dropping my arms, I walked back in the direction of the table, speaking with a soft tone.
“I really don’t think we should be discussing any of this.”
I made a circular motion with my finger, gesturing around the room, indicating my suspicion about the police. My dad nodded. I sat down once again and leaned in towards him when he spoke, whispering to me.
“I won’t make you tell me anything you don’t want to, Temp, but you will listen to what I have to say.
“Dad, I…”
“Quiet. Shut up and listen. They could come back in here at any second.”
With reluctance, I agreed. My dad looked past me, peering over my shoulder in the direction of the door before speaking again, his eyes locked on mine.
“Listen, a rumor’s going around the lockup. There’s a man in there… He’s got gang ties. Shithead has a nephew who’s a lowlife like him, apparently earning his living as a hitman. Seems crime runs in their shitty family. Thing is, the two of them are close, really close. In fact, the nephew’s been in for visitation a couple of times.”
I had no idea where any of this was going. For being concerned about time, he sure took a lot of it to make his point.
I cut him off, still whispering. “What does any of this have to do with me? Todd? What’s this rumor you’re talking about?”
My dad reached towards me, wrapping his fingers around my forearm. He looked into my eyes without so much as a blink. “One last time. Where is he?”
Exasperation got the better of me. I didn’t want to keep this secret from him, but the less he knew, the better. Even so, it was obvious he had no intention of letting me out of the room without an answer to satisfy his curiosity.
“Tempest!”
“All right! All right!” I snapped, balling my hands into fists. “Todd is…”
But before another word passed through my lips the door to the room opened, and Dorian walked through it, followed by one of the detectives.
I shut up quick, turning and looking up at them.
Shit. What did they hear?
Dorian cleared his throat. “It’s time for your dad to go.”
I nodded and looked at my father.
“I’m sorry.” I said, hoping that would be good enough. I knew it wasn’t, but what the hell was I supposed to say? There wasn’t anything I could do about it.
My dad forced a smile to his lip
s, standing at the same time. All the while, he looked at me in a way that suggested he knew I was keeping something from him. But I wasn’t the only one. He never did get to finish telling me about the prison rumor. For now, all of that would have to wait.
We hugged.
“I love you.” I said, squeezing him tight and feeling those familiar emotions once more. Every time I had to leave him behind in jail, a little piece of my heart stayed there. The only difference now was he was the one leaving.
We separated, and he kissed me on the cheek. “I love you too.”
Not long after, the detective escorted him out, leaving me alone with Dorian.
He wasn’t happy.
A wave of helplessness washed over me. I suddenly realized there was no escaping him. No one, not even the police, were willing to help me. For several seconds we stood there in awkward silence until at last Dorian cleared his throat for a second time.
“Do you plan on following through with that threat of yours?”
Dorian slid his hands into the pockets of his pants, gliding them slowly inside. His eyes never left mine.
God, I wanted to slap him. Just slap the shit out of him.
I resisted the urge, answering his question instead. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What threat?”
Dorian grumbled a chuckle. He took a step towards me. He still hadn’t blinked. “The threat where you told the police I was holding you captive, keeping you as a prisoner?”
The feeling of wanting to slap him changed. Now, I wanted to scratch his eyes out, but I knew it wouldn’t do a bit of goddamn good.
Swallowing hard, I returned his icy stare. “What do you want me to say? You win. You always get what you want, don’t you? Isn’t that…”
He cut me off. “This isn’t about me getting what I want. I don’t understand why you ran away. Don’t you enjoy being in my company?”
Oh my God. Did he seriously just ask me that? Again?
I groaned. “It’s not about that either. We already talked about this! Of course I enjoy being with you. What woman wouldn’t?”
Dorian scoffed at me, shaking his head. “Then I guess I don’t get what the problem is here.”
