Page 25 of The Misplaced Warrior

With shaking fingers, Gen complied, the cold metal of the handcuffs biting into her wrists as the officer snapped them shut. She flinched as rough hands patted her down again, this time checking for weapons. They withdrew Bellumferrum from her pocket, the only other thing she was carrying. Well, it was the only thing she’d been carrying until someone, somehow put stolen valuables in her bag.

The officer confiscated Bellumferrum, turning Gen around abruptly. Their force wasn’t rough, but it hinted at the fact that it could be if she fought them. Gen had no intention of fighting. She needed to figure out what was going on and who she was fighting first. Then she was going to kick their ass. Emperor had said something bad needed to happen to get things in motion—and whatever it was, Gen was going to find out and stop it, delivering a brutal punishment to whoever was behind this.

“Gen Beaufont, you are under arrest for the theft of valuable goods,” the officer began, reading her the Miranda rights.

Gen’s world tilted on its axis, as the officer led her to the back of one of the police cars. The words washed over her, a surreal blur of strange terminology that only heightened her sense of unreality.

“…anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”

As the officers pushed her into the backseat of the vehicle, Gen’s mind raced with questions and fears. Who had planted the silicon on her, and why? What would happen to her now, arrested and accused of a crime she didn’t commit?

But even as despair threatened to overwhelm her, Gen felt a flicker of determination spark to life in her chest. She would not go down without a fight. She would find a way to clear her name, to unravel the web of lies and deceit that had ensnared her.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

THE CASE AGAINST HER

Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters, Los Angeles, California, United States

Gen wasn’t alone in the holding room for more than a minute when a familiar face entered through the door. She was instantly grateful to see Captain Neal, striding over to her. Forgetting that she was handcuffed to the table in front of her, she tried to stand in excitement and relief, only to be yanked back down.

Truth be told, Gen knew that she could magic herself out of the handcuffs. However, if she tried to escape, that would only make matters worse. She and Emperor had decided that she needed to stay, figure out what was going on and then determine how to fight it.

The Los Angeles Police Department, where she’d been brought to and was being held, was for holding mortal criminals. For those crimes involving magicians, the House of Fourteen made the arrest, keeping them in jails that were guarded against magic. If one got locked up in there, they couldn’t break out—not even with the strongest spells.

For that reason, it was insulting to Gen that she’d been brought to the police department at all. But the list of insults was running high. Someone had framed her. Then called in the police. Now, what they were going to do with her, well, that was what she needed to see. But Gen couldn’t help but think that after everything, this whole thing reeked of the Commissioner of Los Angeles.

“Captain Neal,” Gen said in a rush, grateful that the man she’d worked with on stopping the bank robbery and respected greatly was there. “I didn’t do it. You have to help me. I’ve got to figure out what’s happened.”

He held up his hand, pausing her. “All I know for sure is what the facts say, which is that there was a robbery at MystTech Creations and the stolen goods were found on you.” Captain Neal paused but Gen didn’t dare interrupt the silence. The stoic man, back in uniform and given back his old title, took a seat across the table from her. After the corrupt Chief of Police, Barry Fer was arrested, the police officers he’d fired were reinstated.

“Gen, what I actually believe, but can’t prove, is that you had nothing to do with this and are completely innocent.”

She sighed with instant relief. “It’s true. I’ve been set up but I need to investigate to figure out who is behind it.”

“Someone who wants you out of the way, I suspect,” he said, a knowing look on his face.

Gen looked around the bare room where there was a glass wall that looked like a mirror. However, Gen suspected that it was more than that. Something also told her that they shouldn’t talk freely there, like they were being watched.

“What can I do?” Gen asked, with a groan.

“Well, it doesn’t look good,” he said, shaking his head. “You’ve been caught red-handed.”

Gen’s eyes widened. “But if I was the actual culprit, if I actually did this, then I’d be caught blue-handed.” She held up her palms for him to see that they were unmarked.

He shot her a confused expression. She then explained about the Sneak’s Stain Solution.

When she was done, he sat back, a heavy look on his face. “There’s a lot to this, I suspect. It’s not my jurisdiction. I’m actually here with special permission by the acting Chief of Police. When I heard you’d been arrested, I requested to speak to you right away, knowing who you were…”

She nodded. “A Rogue Rider…”

They both were speaking discreetly, reading between the lines. Captain Neal had to know that something was nefarious when he heard that Gen had been arrested for theft. Now, he was here and whatever he said during this meeting would hopefully give her insights into what she had to do next.

“Gen, I don’t have to tell you, that this is serious business,” Captain Neal said in a low voice, leaning forward. “These are severe charges.”

Gen copied his movement and tone. “I didn’t do anything. I served as an intern. I helped MystTech Creations. Someone is setting me up.”

“Then if I were you, I’d figure out who,” Captain Neal said, his eyes shifting back and forth with a sincere nervousness. “I’d find the best detective out there to take this case and hope that they could find who is behind this, because I suspect the truth is well guarded.”

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