Demi's gaze flicks to me. "Did they hurt you?"
I swallow hard. "They grabbed me."
Aunt Kora's pen moves again. "Who grabbed you?"
"The officer I hit," I say, and my voice shakes on the last word. "And he did it again when he pulled me out of the car by my cuffed wrists."
Demi's mouth drops open, fury sparking. "He did what?"
Aunt Kora turns toward her and warns, "Next outburst and you'll wait in the car."
She closes her mouth.
Aunt Kora asks, "Blue, did he say anything while he did it?"
"He told me to turn my body toward him. Feet out first."
Aunt Kora nods once. "Good. Keep going."
My mind flashes, sharp and ugly. His grip. The threat in his voice. The humiliation of obeying because pain demanded it.
"He squeezed harder when I tried to shrug away. He told me I wasn't in a position to give orders."
Aunt Kora writes, then asks, "What about before they arrested you. What happened?"
My insides tremble harder. I glance at Demi.
She shakes her head.
Aunt Kora's eyes turn to slits. She assesses us, then demands, "What aren't you telling me?"
The question lands heavily. The room tightens. Demi's knee bobs under the table. I drag in a breath that scrapes on the way down and announce, "They arrested him."
Aunt Kora's pen freezes. "Who?"
"Red... Dr. Mercer."
Her mouth opens, then closes. "They arrestedhim?"
"Yes."
"For what?"
"I don't know. They put him in cuffs before I even got inside."
Aunt Kora leans back slowly. "Why were you there?"
"I brought him cookies."
Silence slams into the room.
She cautiously repeats, "Cookies?"
My butterflies kick up. I lift my chin. "We're together."
Her eyes sharpen. "Together, how?"
"We've been seeing each other."
