Then steps come closer. Heavy and loud, stopping close but not speaking.
I’m scared. Tired. Angry.
So full of ire for how unjust I’ve been treated, but more than that, I can’t take anymore.
My nervous system has taken a few hard lashes since my birthday, one after another, and mentally I’m cracking. Can feel each open wound grow and morph into hate. Into dark thoughts that I’d never voice out loud.
For the first time in my life, I want retribution. To not be a weak link.
“As your lawyer, I ask that you let me handle this, Theodore. I assure you; they’ll feel your wrath.”
“Deal with it,” Theodore hisses out after a minute, a deep rumble building in his chest with each syllable. His voice is deeper. The command is full of ire. “What they did was—”
“Mr. Astor, can I have a word please?” At the sound of Detective Consuelos’s voice, I pull closer to Theo and he responds by tightening his arms around me. I’m not afraid of the detective, but rather the fire that seems to course through my veins at the mere sound of his voice.
I want to hurt him. I want to scream.
But instead, I let Theo be my wall at the moment, a human shield from the bad, and I couldn’t be more thankful for meeting this man. He’s the only person who’s never judged me. Who cares and actually sees me.
“You’ll be speaking to my lawyer, Consuelos. And mark my words, this is just the beginning.” My brows furrow at Theodore’s words. What does that mean?
“Sir, the department wants to apologize to you both. We misunderstood the situation and reacted instead of thinking logically as we are trained to do.”
“No, you didn’t,” I say with my head still buried in Theo’s chest, but he nudges me back a little and then tips my face to meet his. His eyes are warm and full of so much understanding. Of care.
“Speak up, sweetheart. You have every right to be upset.”
“Gabriella, I understand you’re angry—”
“It’s Miss Moore to you, Detective.” Standing up straight, I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I give myself a minute to gather the right words because being emotional won’t get my point across. “What you did was crucify me without a chance to defend myself, especially from a charge that should’ve never been attached to my name. I did the right thing, Consuelos. I called you, a detective for the SPD, to come to my aid when that picture was left on my door. You never questioned me, but instead arrested and then closed the file. No phone call. No court appearance to see a judge for bail. You never upheld my rights to due process, and right now I’m disgusted by the sight of you—I see you the same way everyone in there looked at me.”
My words caused two reactions from him: anger and shame. His hands clench, the papers in his hold scrunching up. “Miss Moore, it was an honest mistake. After the body was found at the Astor Gallery, we called Mr. Astor and—”
“The body was found where?” So that’s how he found out.
“At my gallery, along with security footage left behind that showed a man driving an old Toyota Corolla dumping the body.”
Man driving a Toyota Corolla. “I don’t know anyone that owns that kind of car.”
“We know,” Consuelos says, his eyes shifting toward the other people I’m now noticing in the room. The woman is still here, yet she’s looking at the floor and posture stiff. Then, there’s the other two men that I don’t know: one in a suit and one in a blue uniform. Both look at me with serious expressions, but not menacing. “Miss Moore, we believe that you have a stalker—”
“What?” Because I couldn’t have heard that right. “Please repeat that.”
“What the detective is trying to say, Miss Moore...” The man gives his officers a hard look and each takes a respected step back, while I’m busy reading his name tag. This man is the captain, and he looks mad, but then softens his demeanor. “We apologize for the egregious mistake made by this department. We were wrong, and instead of doing our jobs, we arrested someone innocent and who seems to have someone following her.” Captain Bron gives me a moment to gather myself after my knees give out and Theo grabs me, pulling me against him with a secure arm around my waist. “I’m sorry, Miss, but these acts of violence are not random but to get your attention. Do you have any ex-boyfriend, or have you dated anyone recently that has shown any level of aggression or unstable behavior?”
“I have no current boyfriend or ex. I’m not someone who dates.” The shakiness in my voice is unmistakable and when Theo kisses the crown of my head, a few tears fall. Why am I being targeted? Why me? “I’m a recluse most of the time and keep to myself.”
28
Theodore
“W
e’re here, Sir,” Tero says from the front, pulling into my parking spot while the woman in my arms continues to rest. Gabriella fell asleep a few minutes after we left, her head on my shoulder, and I didn’t hesitate to place her on my lap and cuddle her close. She’s been through so much in the last eight hours, my little fighter, but I know she’ll be okay. She deserves better than the world has given, my perfect girl, and I’ll help her every step of the way. “By the way, I’ve already taken care of her door, and any other damages incurred within the home. I’m missing two knickknacks but have located the replacements on eBay.”
She’s no longer alone.
I’ll be her protector, lover, and friend. Her everything.
“Thank you. Is Meera on the way?” I ask while looking down at my girl’s perfect face, from her long lashes to her small nose with a sprinkling of freckles and down to the perfect cupid’s bow that I want to bite. She’s so beautiful and sweet—too trusting—and it’s cost her a lot over the years. Something that ends now that I’m in her life. “Has Gabriella’s appointment with my lawyer been moved back? I’ll be taking care of that personally now.”
No more friends like Elise.
No more men getting close.
No overzealous cops preying on her defenselessness.
“Yes, to both.” Tero turns his head, his eyes shifting toward the beauty in my arms. So many emotions flash through his eyes, but the leading one is anger. He’s blaming himself for not being in town when I’d given him the day off to spend with his wife for their anniversary. Neither of us could have foreseen this level of idiocy happening. It took me an hour to get everything squared away after finding out, and I have no clue how long she’d already been detained beforehand. They’re going to pay for this. “She has Miss Moore’s dog and is now back to begging for a pet. She’s been hinting/demanding that we get a rescue pit-bull.”
“And what do you think?” I ask, shifting a little so I can turn my body and get us out without waking her. Not that she realizes as exhaustion hit her hard. “Are you ready for that kind of commitment?”
“I am. We never had kids, and this would be the next best thing.”
“Then I am happy for you.”
“Thank you, my friend.” Tero opens his door and gets out, rushing to mine and doing the same. We don’t talk anymore as we head toward the elevator and then ascend, entering my penthouse through the private entrance. I’m not in the mood to talk, and he knows this. I’m trying to control my anger, and right now the only thing that will calm me is laying down with her.
