Page 22 of The Lies We Steal

We were wolves. Rabid, feral, and fiercely loyal to our pack and only our pack.

“You think this is a joke? These are serious charges, you are looking at years in prison. You think that tough guy act’s gonna work in a state penitentiary?” He raises his voice, I hear his fist smash the table loudly, but I don’t bother opening my eyes.

“If you had a shred of proof, I might, and I mean this, I might bat an eyelash. Until then I’m going to catch up on some sleep, you mind?” I crack one of my eyes open, nodding towards the light switch.

The screech of his chair vibrates the room, heavy footsteps approach me, I feel his fingers dig into the edges of my leather jacket, jerking me up closer to his face. I can smell his morning coffee and cheap aftershave.

“I’ll nail you for this, you little prick. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll throw your ass into prison myself.” He hisses.

I grind my teeth, my eyes opening and I’m positive there is nothing but pure evil behind them. The bubbling of red starts to filter across my irises, the room spinning in fast circles, the cop whose name I’m not even sure of starts becoming nothing but a black silhouette.

Something I need to obliterate. I can’t stop the shaking in my hands, or the way my hands swing up, even bonded by cuffs, knocking into the underside of his arms. He’s hands fly off me.

“Lay hands on me again, and I’ll stick my fist so far up your white trash ass you’ll lick my fucking knuckles.”

I stand up, my height giving me maybe an inch on him. I stare down at him, wondering if he’d have the same balls if I wasn’t in cuffs and he didn’t have a fucking gun. I doubt it.

“Yeah, big boy? Do it. Give me a reason to throw you into the pit.” He smirks, all cocky like I won’t smash his face in.

My restraint isn’t something I’m known for and the only thing that saves me from watching him collect his jaw off the ground is the interrogation room door swinging open with a thud.

“Your knight in shining armor is here!” Rook sings as he waltzes into the room.

Officer dickhead, takes a step back from me, “You can’t be in here, this is an ongoing interview.”

“Well see the thing about that is,” Rook starts but doesn’t get to finish because I can hear his father in the hall behind him.

“Does anyone want to tell me why my son was arrested because of something a drug dealer said?!” He booms, and I know the officer beside me is realizing that he has fucked up.

Rook’s father, Theodore, was not an enemy people made lightly. His father was once a judge and Theodore was well on his way from Ponderosa Springs’ district attorney to your honor in just a few years. And like his father before him, he’d slowly become his own son’s worst nightmare. But letting him go to jail wasn’t going to happen. That would taint his name too much.

I look at Rook, something like understanding on my face for what I know he’ll have to deal with later tonight. If anyone deserved to leave this place, it was him. If anyone needed to get away from his toxic family, it was Rook.

He shakes his head, silently telling me to drop it.

I lift my hands up, shaking the cuffs. It’s eating him alive that he has to let me go. It’s all over him while he sticks the key in the lock, releasing my hands from the metal bracelets.

I don’t give him another moment of my time, I have too much going on as it is. Dealing with this asshole’s bullshit isn’t something I want to add to the list of things I need to do.

Walking towards the exit with Rook leading the way, I hear him open his mouth again.

“Caldwell,” he says.

I turn my head just enough to let him know I’m listening.

“How’s it feel to know your parents are the only ones who didn’t pick up the phone? They busy? Aren’t they visiting Dorian in Boston, he win another award?”

I hate the sound of his name.

Dorian.

The reason I turned out this way. The reason I was even born into my fucked-up family. I think I was the only person in the world who hated Dorian Caldwell.

However, I stopped caring about what they did a long fucking time ago and I didn’t need to be updated on what it was they were doing with their beloved golden child.

Everyone in this town knows I’m the shadow of him. I see them whisper and murmur about it when I walk into crowded rooms. I’m nothing but the cheap replacement that never even stood a chance.

I know he’s trying to get underneath my skin, trying to piss me off but I don’t warrant a reaction. It’s not worth it and neither are they.

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