Minnie sits like a doe caught in headlights, the loud, violent sounds instigating pure panic within her. “W-what’s going on?” She asks Gage, clutching a pillow to her chest as the sounds of boots pounding up the stairs grow louder.
Is someone breaking in?! Has someonealreadybroken in?!The cops?
“What the hell?” Gage hisses roughly as he swings his feet to the ground, getting off the bed. He’s only seconds out of the sheets when the bedroom door starts rattling. The pounding grows louder.
The door blasts open, pieces of wood flying from the damaged doorjamb.
Minnie sits there in Gage’s baggy tee and her underwear, mouth wide open, mind frozen for only a moment. It’s too much stimulation, too much for her. When men clothed in police gear flood into the room, Minnie finds her Scream Queen wail ripping out of her lungs.
“Stop with the squalling, girl,” one of the men says harshly, making his way over to the bed to carefully secure her while two more men go after Gage. They go to each side of him, shouting orders, telling him to get down on his front with his hands behind his head.
Similar shouts come from the other rooms.
Sheer helplessness fills Minnie; her mind is drowning in terror. It’s so like that day, all the yelling and screaming and fear-
“Don’t fuckin’ touch her!” Gage yells, looking more concerned about what’s happening to Minnie instead of what’s happening to him. “You’re goin’ to scare her, you fuckin’ idiots!”
“Get down, Travers, you big bastard,” the lead intruder says, shoving Gage to the floor. “Do as we say and no one gets hurt. We’re only here for you.”
Snarling with his face against the floor, Gage says, “I’ve got nothin’ to hide. My parole officer-”
“We got a call about a possible threat.” The man sounds snide and uncaring. Minnie supposes that might be his job, considering the situation they’re all in. “You know the rules. We have to investigate. If you have nothing to hide, you’ll be let go. No harm, no foul,eh, Travers?”
In Gage’s oversized shirt, soon Minnie finds herself plastered up against one of the walls, horrified beyond measure as the cops begin tearing the room apart. The chaos enfolding is more action than she’s experienced in well over a decade. In fact, it might even rival That Day Thirteen Years Ago.
“Why are you doing this?” She asks over the racket of shouts filling the small space. “He hasn’t done anything!”
Her question is left unanswered as men begin crashing through the drawers in the room violently, slamming them shut, tossing things left and right. She has to duck out of the way when the bed itself gets flipped over. Have these men no shame? This is someone’s house!
“Motherfuckers, I don’t have any guns or drugs,” Gage yells with his face still rubbing against the coarse carpeting. His muscles flex as he struggles against the man pinning him to the floor. “I know the fuckin’ rules, you’re wastin’ your time!”
“That might be true. It might not. Regardless, you’re coming with us for questioning,” the SWAT officer says darkly, yanking Gage to his feet. Two of them flank him and shove him out the door, down the hall-
Minnie finds her feet again and runs into the hall, tears streaming down her face. Her body trembles with nerves and terror. This wasn’t supposed to happen; this was supposed to be a nice night together! “What is he being charged with?” She calls after them, her voice high and tight with emotion. “You can’t justtakehim.”
One of the heavily armored police officers comes over to her and says stiffly, “We received a call that there were guns in this vicinity, in the possession of a known felon. We have to act on the tip due to the dangerous history of said felon. Sorry, miss.”
Her mouth sags open, and she stares at his back as he disappears down the stairs after the others. After a moment, Minnie runs back into the war-torn bedroom, finds her jeans and her own shirt before racing down the stairs, fully intending to go with him to the station.
Just as she reaches the first floor, she sees the chaos that has been wroughteverywhere.
Cabinets have been opened, the same with drawers, their innards tossed about. The other bedrooms are open, with similar messes within each room. She can hear Chase’s more mellow tone in the distance as he is being taken out the front door, chattering idly. Red doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, which is an absolute pity, because Minnie can hear his wretched squawking coming from the top floor as he hurls obscenities.
All Minnie can focus on is Gage.They’re taking him away!Minnie makes to follow them out the front door when strong arms come around her, keeping her from chasing after the police. Adrenaline is a violent drug in her veins, making Minnie thrash to and fro, trying to escape the hold that keeps her in place. “I need to go to him! Let me go!”
The remaining SWAT filter out through the front door, which happens to be swinging on its hinges. A little shoddier than it used to be.
“Hey, now, I got you, girl. Chill.” Marlin’s deep, dark voice is like a balm on her racing nerves. “He’ll be fine, it’s alright. Gage is tough. They have Chase, too, so they won’t be alone.”
“It’s not right, they can’t just barge in and drag him out of his bed like some sort of, of,um-”
“Criminal?” Marlin says dryly.
Minnie flushes. She is well aware that Gage is an ex-convict. “That’s beside the point! He wasn’t doing anything criminal in bed!” Oh, goodness, those words came out a little spicier than she intended. “I’m going to get him out. I just…I just need a ride.Please.” Minnie looks at Marlin pleadingly.
“Are you saying you want me to take you over to the station?” Marlin shakes his head. “I don’t think that’s going to help any tonight. You should sit this out for a day. Let things work themselves out. Gage and Chase are big boys. They can survive a night of questioning in lockup.”
Let things work themselves out?!Ha!“I have to at least try to help him.”
