Chapter Six
“Let’s start from thebeginning, shall we?”
Willow groaned and leaned down to place her forehead against the cold steel of the table that was, she was fairly certain, bolted to the concrete floor of the sterile room she sat in.The air smelled faintly of disinfectant and old coffee and the buzzing fluorescent light overhead made her temples throb.She felt like she was trapped inside an interrogation room from every episode of NCIS, CSI, FBI and every other alphabet law enforcement drama she had ever binge watched.Complete with uncomfortable chairs, a large mirror along one wall she had no doubt hid a number of people and two law enforcement officers holding plain brown folders, playing the obvious ploy of good cop, bad cop.
“We are only trying to help,” said the male good cop.His tone was mild, but his eyes were sharp.“We have statements from your fiancé and your psychiatrist telling us that you have a history of mental illness and that in times of stress you push him away and your thoughts turn toward self-harm.A fact that you dispute, arguing that you have neither a fiancé nor a psychiatrist.But Willow, you have to see that for us, those statements combined with photographs of you and Marcus at various social gatherings pointing toward an existing relationship, are quite compelling.We just want to help you get through all this.Get the help you need and get you home.”
“Well, not your home,” said the female bad cop snidely.She leaned in toward Willow and the reek of stale coffee on her breath hit like a slap.“Because, well, you no longer have one.”She smirked when Willow raised her head from the table.“And that is something the fire inspector wants to talk to you about, too.Arson is a serious crime, Willow.A felony, in fact.And it comes with a whack of time behind it.”
Willow’s anger flared.“Are you implying that I started the fire that destroyed my home?Because, as Ursula has said, yelled and raged at you in the not-so-distant past, I have been at her place since early yesterday evening and nowhere near my place.Not to mention, why the hell would I want to do that?I would have been sentencing my own cat to a fiery, painful death!”
Bad cop smirked wider, crossing her arms and sitting back.“Is this the same cat that ran through the door when we came to see you at Miss Addington’s apartment this afternoon?It didn’t look like it had died a fiery death, so it’s amazing to me that it was your animal that somehow managed to survive the blaze—and no one else’s.”
Willow sat back and took a deep breath, knowing that if she screamed at the two officers or beat them with the chair she sat on, it would not end well for her.Her stomach began to twist and she placed a hand against her lower abdomen.The skin under her palm felt hot, almost vibrating.She could sense the wolves stirring.Sunset was close.
“Marcus is not my fiancé, he is my stalker.”Not even a flicker of interest from either of them.“You know, it amazes me that you can sit there, accusing me of crimes and felonies I didn’t commit and believe that I’m engaged to a man simply because he has photos of the two of us together—rather than taking my word on the matter.”Heat bloomed under her hand, her pulse thundering.Her tattoo seemed to thrum in response, as though it wanted to answer for her.“I have a photo of Jason Momoa and me from a restaurant we both happened to be eating at last year.If I tell you I’m engaged to him, can you go to his apartment and arrest him?”
Bad cop scowled, arms crossing tighter.“Don’t be ridiculous.Firstly, that fine piece of man perfection would never be engaged to the likes of you.And secondly, you weren’t arrested.We simply asked you to come here so we can get to the bottom of all of this.”She stood and walked to the door.“Why don’t I go out and get your fiancé, who has been here for most of the afternoon, worried sick about you—” she shot Willow a scathing look “—that man is more than you deserve from what I can tell.”
“No, I don’t want to speak to him.”A cold chill of fear swept through Willow at the thought of being locked in this tiny room with Marcus.The skin on her stomach tightened further, burning and she knew her mates felt her fear and wanted out.Her mates.She wanted her mates.
“Well, we don’t always get what we want now, do we?”Callaghan’s smile was pure venom, and Willow had a sinking feeling that perhaps there was more at play here than a cop being a total bitch.
“This isn’t exactly procedure, Callaghan,” Good Cop finally spoke, frowning at his partner.His voice cracked slightly, like even he was starting to feel the strain.“We need to—”
“Oh, do shut up, Greg,” Callaghan snapped with a dismissive wave.“Was it exactly procedure when you and your girlfriend used one of the interrogation rooms to play out your perverted sexual fantasies?”Greg blanched, sinking back into his chair, shame flooding his features.“No, I think not.And I am done with this shit.This woman belongs to Marcus Thornton and was always meant to be his.”
With that, Callaghan left the room and Willow reeled.Those were the exact words Marcus had yelled at her the night before last.What the hell was going on?
“Willow, we’re here.”Willow inhaled sharply at the voice she heard in her mind.It wasn’t sound—it was sensation.A deep rumble in her bones, a warmth against her skin.“I don’t know if you can hear me, but Liam and I are right here with you.”
“How is it that I can hear you?”
Greg frowned at her.“Because you’re sitting not two feet from me and the room is soundproof.I can hear you perfectly.”
Feeling ridiculous, Willow shot him a small smile, then lowered her gaze to the table’s surface.Her fingers pressed tighter to her stomach as the tattoo pulsed.
“Just think the words, sweet,” Jacob’s voice came again, calm and steady.“When the sun sets and we’re free of these chains that seem to hold us here, we can see what you see, hear what you hear and talk with you just as if we were standing beside you, holding you pressed between us.”
Willow closed her eyes for a brief moment.Her pulse steadied, her panic settling under the weight of his voice.“That sounds wonderful.”
“It will be, love,” Liam’s tone was deeper, rougher.She swore she felt his breath brush her ear.“Once we have you exactly where we need you, we will never let you go.”
Willow took strength from that, clutching it tight.“Marcus is on his way in.”She felt—rather than heard—her two mates growl, the vibration sparking across her skin, fierce and protective.“As cool as that sounds, growling is not going to help the situation.What do we do if he goes all crazed demon and tries to kill me in this tiny little room with no weapons?”
“You don’t need weapons, sweet.You have us,” Jacob answered confidently.“We are holding back only because Ursula warned us that emerging in front of others would not go well for us.But if that prick so much as touches one hair on your beautiful head—”
