Suddenly, someone grabbed me by the shoulder and yanked me back, pressing me against the wall. I cursed under my breath, feeling my eyes starting to swell, and refused to meet Mia’s nervous gaze.
The policeman grabbed my wrists, tugged them behind my back, and clasped cuffs on them. I shook my head, still riled up, and tried explaining to the man behind me what had happened. That it wasn’t my fault. That Mason was the one who had forcefully touched Mia.
But before I could explain my side of the story, the guy pushed me toward the door. The crowd parted for us, and I could see Mia out of the corner of my eye. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she now buried her face into Serena’s shoulder.
Was I ashamed about what had happened? Yes. Did I regret it? No.
Mason had needed a good ass-kicking. He needed to go to jail. He was as bad, if not worse, than Melissa’s mother. Showing up to talk to Mia, following her into the restroom, touching her when she had been screaming at him not to.
The cop pushed me out of the building.
“It wasn’t my fault. I’m not the one who should be in cuffs, heading to jail,” I pleaded. “He touched her, groped her. You can ask anyone here. They all saw it.”
“Sir, I’m going to need you to calm down,” he said, gently pushing me against the side of his patrol car.
I shook my head. This night was over. We had been having one peaceful night. Mia was enjoying it. I was going to ask her that one question that would change both of our lives forever. And Mason had had to fucking wreck it.
“Do you have anything on you that could hurt me?” the man asked, patting down my upper body. He paused right before checking my pants pockets. “Anything in your pockets?”
My lips parted, and I looked around to see Mia and a group of people from the restaurant huddled close by. I looked down at the top of the car and lowered my voice, so nobody but me and him could hear it. “I have an engagement ring. Right pants pocket.”
“An engagement ring?” he asked, voice a bit less tense. He glanced toward the group of onlookers. “Is the lucky girl out here?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “I’d appreciate it if she didn’t see it.”
The cop felt my left pocket, then my right, pulling out the ring box just enough for only me and him to see it. “We’re going to need you to come down to the station for questioning.”
“Am I under arrest?”
After glancing toward the crowd and seeing Mason being brought out in cuffs, the cop shook his head. “You’re coming down for questioning until we can sort this all out.”
“Sort it out now,” I said through gritted teeth.
If I went all the way down to the station, this night would be even more ruined. There would be no salvaging it.
“If your story checks out, it shouldn’t be long. I can safeguard the ring at the station or—I don’t usually do this—I can let you keep it on you.”
I pursed my lips, knowing that if they took it … it’d be harder to keep from Mia. She’d come pick me up. She’d stand with me when I got my belongings. She’d see it and know something was up.
All I wanted was for her to be happy and for this night to be special for her.
“Leave it on me,” I said. “It won’t be long.”
As a couple officers talked to Mia and the others, another cop pushed Mason into the back of a patrol car. I clenched my jaw, anger rushing through me. I had known exactly what I was doing when I went up in there and beat his ass. I had known I’d end up here, about to be put in the back of a police car by an officer, because I was protecting the person I loved.
But it hadn’t mattered to me. I would do it again and again if I had to. Nobody touched Mia.
I glanced over to see Mia standing with Serena. Mia stared at me with pitiful, big eyes, her arms wrapped around her body. Tears raced down her cheeks, and all I wanted to do was go comfort her. He should’ve never laid his hands on her. I should be there, making sure she was okay after what happened.
“Let me go talk to her,” I pleaded with the officer.
He pushed me into the back of the police car without another word, and I didn’t refuse. Because while beating Mason’s ass was to protect Mia and I knew I wouldn’t get in any real trouble for it, refusing to obey a police officer could land me in jail. I could lose my job. Everything I had built for my family would be gone.
I rested my head on the back of the seat and blew out a breath through my nose. Adrenaline was still running through me, and when I saw Mason through the window, being taken out of the cop car and tended to by EMTs, I wanted to kick his ass again.
Maybe he’d take the fucking hint and finally stop harassing Mia.
CHAPTER32
