"Go back upstairs," I say over my shoulder as the officer guides me out the door.
But Jules doesn’t even think about listening to me. Instead, she almost jumps at the uniformed man’s throat. "What the hell is going on?"
The officer gives her a warning look. "Mr. Walker is under arrest on suspicion of kidnapping a minor and rape."
Jules makes an angry sound as she walks beside us. "Kidnapping?Rape? That’s bullshit! He didn’t do a damn thing!" she yells, trying to get past the officer who’s loading me into the patrol car.
He shoves her firmly away before grabbing a second pair of handcuffs and dangling them in the air. "Do you want me to arrest you, too?"
I look at Jules urgently, hoping she’ll fucking listen to me. "Go back inside, Jules. Everything will be okay."
Nothing will be okay, but I don’t care. Let them lock me up and put me in a hole I’ll never get out of. My life ain’t worth shit anyway. Not without my little darling. So it doesn’t make a difference whether I waste my existence in my warehouse or in a cell.
Of course I’ll miss Jules. She’s still my everything even though I’ve let her feel it far too rarely—especially in the last few weeks. I’ll also miss Buster. But they have each other, and I know that Jules is indeed a big girl now. Not only is she all grown up but she also has a real family now, and that’s all I ever wanted for her. She doesn’t need me anymore. She probably won’t even really miss my face after I was such an asshole.
The officer helps me out of the car when we arrive at the police station. He’s almost friendly, which is strange because usually there’s one thing cops and people in general can’t stand: rapists. And obviously, that’s what I am now.
They don’t tell me how they found me. Maybe someone recognized Sophie when we bought the parts for the bike, or Steve turned me in. I don’t care. Knowing how the police got the idea I was forcing someone to have sex with me doesn’t change a damn thing. As for the kidnapping… Who cares? The couple of years I’ll get for that won’t make a dent.
Still, I hope Sophie doesn’t get put through too much by the cops, lawyers, and judges. Yes, she’s a strong woman. Very few would stand up to me and make it clear that they don’t accept what I say. But Sophie did, regardless of what she sawme do. She’d get through all that, but I’d like to spare her the statements, interrogations, and all that other shit.
As I stand in the cell, the officer uncuffs me. "Do you want to call someone?"
I roll my shoulders when I can finally move my arms again and answer his question with a nod. Shortly after, a phone is handed to me through the bars.
"You’ve got five minutes."
Jules picks up after the first ring, sounding rushed.
"Yes? Hello?"
My chest tightens at the sound of her voice. Ihateit when she’s scared, which is why I stay as calm as I can. "It’s me."
A strangled sound reaches my ear. "Dammit, Cole! Where are you? What did they do to you? Is there bail?"
She’s hitting me with question after question, all of them basically pointless. Nevertheless, I wait until she gasps for air before I interrupt her.
"Calm down," I urge. "Everything’s going to be fine, okay?"
"How is everything going to be fine if you get arrested, for fuck’s sake? You didn’t doanything!"
Sighing, I close my eyes. I knew the conversation would go like this. Still, it’s tearing me apart.
"Jules, please. Stop it. Don’t make it any harder for me."
Another frustrated and at the same time worried sound escapes her, but this time I don’t let her say anything.
"I’m going to prison, Jules. And I’m going to be there for a long time, which is why I don’t want you to come visit me. You don’t call, you don’t write me, you?—"
Her voice is angry as she cuts me off, and I can literally see the confusion and fury that must be in her eyes. "Are you just sayinggoodbyetome?"
Without answering her question, I go on. "Sell the warehouse, take Buster with you, and go to Chicago to live with your family. You know where to find the cash."
Fuck. I can’t stop the lump from forming in my throat as her sobs come through the receiver.
"Don’t you dare, Cole. Don’t youdaresay goodbye to me, you son of a bitch."
Jules is crying. She’s sobbing so hard I squeeze my eyes shut and tilt my head back, trying to keep those damn tears from spilling over.
