Page 31 of Break

Growling softly to myself and irritated that I have to face this fucker, I check my mirrors to move back over into the right lane so I can take the next exit to turn around. “I’ll grab him. Maybe I’ll be able to get an idea of where his heads at with Mina and what he plans to do.”

Max grunts in agreement. “That’d be helpful. Coop say anything about getting me that file? I have an idea of what happened, but I don’t want to make any assumptions here.”

“I’ll text him and see if I can pick it up when I grab Danny.”

I roll my eyes when he tells me, “Don’t let that fucker see you’ve got it. I don’t want him to have any hint that Barriers is involved.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not an idiot. Dick.”

He chuckles into the phone. “Debatable. You coming over here today?”

“I was on my way to your place when you called. I’ll head over as soon as I can,” I tell him, then ask, “How’s she seem?”

Max pauses a moment before answering. “Honestly, I don’t know. She didn’t come down from her room last night, and then slipped into the kitchen about half an hour ago. Scared the shit out of me, too. She’s stealthy. Aside from a ‘good morning’ and ‘fine, thank you’ when I asked how she’s feeling, she hasn’t uttered another word.”

Nodding my head to myself, I’m not surprised. She probably feels incredibly out of place there, living with Danny’s best friends and shaky confidence that we won’t tell him. “It’s going to be an adjustment for her, I suppose. Just be your magnanimous self, maybe even try a smile for once.”

Snickering when I hear his low growl, I take the last turn, bringing the station into view. “I smile,” he defends, which makes me grin from ear to ear. That guy struggles to smile the same way my mom struggles to get her two-sizes-too-small jeans on.

“Sure you do, buddy. I’m at the station. I’ll be over soon.” Parking my car, I quickly ask before hanging up the phone, “Oh!Does she need anything? I can swing by the store on my way there.”

“Ethan grabbed her some stuff last night. When you get here, we can see if she’ll make a list of anything else she could use. She’s only got a few changes of clothes at the moment.”

“Got it. I’ll see you soon. I’m going to head inside and talk to Cooper before I grab Danny.” I end the call after he says goodbye and get out of my car, steeling myself for the upcoming encounter. I know it’s going to be difficult to keep my cool around him, so I shake my arms out, gearing up for it.

After finding Coop and answering a few questions he has for me about Mina’s new arrangement and how she’s fairing, I run back outside with her file in hand. I don’t want Danny to see it and ask what it is, so I lift the floor mat in front of the back seat, directly behind where he’ll be sitting. Then I set my bag on top to prevent any shifting around while we’re driving.

Making my way back into the station, I let the receptionist know I’m here to pick up Danny. It’s one of the newer girls whose name I haven’t learned yet. She nods and leads me back to the holding cells, where Danny is waiting, while informing me that everything has been processed for his release.

He stands up as I approach, fighting back a smug smirk when he sees that it’s me here to free him. “Vince… I’m surprised you’re the one who came. Feeling like the asshole you are for cuffing me like a criminal?”

Delivering my own smirk back, I play it off like I think he’s just joking around with me. But I can see his anger simmering behind his eyes. “You wish, fucker. Like I told you yesterday, just doing my job. You ready to get out of here?”

Running my eyes over him, I feel a ridiculous amount of pleasure over how shitty he looks. His eyes are bloodshot like he didn’t sleep all night, and he looks like he could definitely use a shower. The smile he was faking drops, changing into a glare with bared teeth. “Noooo.Obviously, I’ve had a fantastic night here. Was even considering an extended stay. Fuck you,friend. OfcourseI’m ready to get out of here. Why would you even ask that?”

So, he’s definitely pissed. Awesome. Can’t wait for the drive home.

“Calm down, you smelly fuck. Let’s go.” I ignore the way his eyes are locked on me and nod at the guard to unlock the door.

Grabbing a plastic bag that was sitting near his feet, he stomps out of the cell like a petulant child. I expect him to make a scene as we make our way through the building, but he keeps his mouth shut until we make it through the front door.

“Where are you parked?” he snaps out his question like I’m inconveniencing him.

Holding up my key fob, I press a button to make my vehicle beep, letting Danny know what direction to walk in. He grits his teeth as he fights off whatever shit he wants to spew at me. I simply raise a brow in question, daring him to say something.

He loses the tenuous hold he had on his temper. “Why thefuckare you standing there like a cocky bastard after arresting yourbest fucking friend?How could youdothat to me over those bitch’s lies? You think you’re hot shit just because you’re a cop here now? ‘Cuz I’ve got news for you, you’re no-” He’s practically screaming by the time I cut him off.

“Stop,” I order, then take a step toward him. “You need to calm yourself down right now and think about who you’re getting angry at. I did my fucking job. We got a call, and I was the one to take it. I can’t just tell them, ‘you know what guys, I don’t think I’m gonna bring him in because, you know, he’s my friend and all’. Whatever the hell happened between you and yourwifewas news to me.”

Turning away from him, I head toward my car and pray that he’ll decide to find a different way home. Unfortunately, I’m not that lucky because his footsteps are fast approaching me. “Fucking goddamnit! This is just all so fucked up. You gotta believe me, man. The shit she’s saying is all bullshit. I didn’t lay a fucking finger on that cunt.”

Stopping, I stare at him and do my best to hold back my look of incredulity. “If you didn’t touch her, then how the hell did she end up looking like that?”

He jerks his head back, then narrows his eyes at me. “You saw her?”

“Of course I fucking saw her. I work here, dumbass.”

Danny growls in frustration, running his hands through his disheveled hair. “Look, I don’t know what happened to her! Maybe she fell or something; she’s clumsy as fuck. Who knows? But I swear to you, I didn’t fucking hit her. Whenever she gets mad at me, she spins these stories to make me feel bad, or to convince me to come back home. I’ll talk to her about it and we’ll work it all out.” He flashes a smile at me, like all the angry energy he was holding back was never there to begin with. “It always does.”

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