Page 61 of Unbinding the Demon
Her thin lips pressed into an unhappy line. “All right, very well. Let’s all go into the kitchen then.” She looked both aggravated and a bit nervous, but she smiled at me as we walked.
Way to fucking go, Ashton! Sure, just tick off the cop right before I have to get interrogated; what a great fucking idea!
We entered the kitchen, and I eyed Lacey’s blooming tea kettle as the three of us sat down around the small wooden table. Ashton made an obvious point to be between the officer and me. The room looked almost exactly how it had been the night before. The sage green countertops were mostly clean, with only a few dishes still in the sink from William’s baked chimichangas he had made for dinner. The tan tiled floor could have used some sweeping, but it wasn’t too terrible.
Officer Hoffman watched as Ashton leaned the flattened boxes against the side of his chair. “So you’re moving out, I see?” she nonchalantly asked while flipping through her small notepad, her coffee resting on the table beside her.
I pulled my eyes away from the pink, watery bloom and looked over at her. “Um, yeah. I really don’t want to stay here after what happened last night,” I said while fidgeting with the hem of my dress.
“Can’t say I blame you. Where will you be living?” she tapped the end of her pen on the table.
“That’s not what we’re here to speak to you about,” Ashton cut in with a harsh tone, creating even more awkward tension in the room.
Good grief, he really doesn’t like this woman.
“Okay, well, let’s just begin then.” She rolled her eyes and looked over her notes.
I told Officer Hoffman all that I could and answered all her questions to the best of my ability. Even though Ashton was acting like a rabid bulldog the entire goddamn time, I was still glad that he was with me. It was nice to have him comforting me as I tearily relayed the horrifying event that had happened. The whole interrogation lasted an agonizing forty or so minutes, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over with. Once she mentioned that we were on to the last thing, I imagined myself skipping through a field of wildflowers with heavenly music playing in the background...Freedom!
“There’s just one last thing. Since you seem to have been this girl’s target, the police force is willing to offer you some extra protection if you want it.” She smiled at me, then glanced at Ashton’s scowling face.
“No, she doesn’t want or need that. Gwendolyn will be living with me, and I fully intend to protect hermyself.”His voice was dark and venomous, and the look on his face was downright lethal. I could practically feel the protective aura radiating off him, making me feel like a little turtle under a heat lamp.
“Well, it’s her choice. So what do you say, Gwendolyn?” Her tone clarified that she was asking me and not him.
“Well, I guess...” Ashton squeezed my thigh under the table, and he gave me a sterndon’t-you-dare-say-yeslook. “I guess I’ll decline. But thank you for the offer.” I politely smiled at her.
Ashton smiled at her too, and her jaw ticked. “You know,OfficerHoffman, it sure is strange that someone who attempted to harm my precious Gwendolyn...” My eyes awkwardly shifted around, as he caressed a lock of hair from my face. “...would meet such a bizarre and unexplainable, yet extremely painful and gruesome fate. Don’t you think?” He leaned forward over the table, making it so I couldn’t see his face. Officer Hoffman stayed silent and widened her now fearful-looking eyes. “But you seem like a smart girl. I’m sure you can figure out what really happened,” he said with a chuckle. “It would probably be best to tell the othermembersthat she’s under my protection, too. The other members of the police force, that is.” He waved his hand in a circle as he clarified.
Man, this is really fucking uncomfortable...
“Well,” she said, and then nervously cleared her throat. “Okay, we’re done here then. It was nice to meet you, Ms. Gallagher. Call us if anything else comes up.” She stood and shakily gathered her things, her face pale as though she had seen a ghost. Then she walked out of the room without a second glance.
“Oh, and one more thing,OfficerHoffman,” Ashton called to her from his chair, causing her to tense up in the doorway. She slowly turned around to look at him. “That’s a beautiful necklace you’re wearing. I wouldn’t take it off if I were you.” His tone was oddly threatening for a simple compliment on her jewelry. Her fearful eyes met his cruel gaze; then she continued to walk away without saying a word.
Good fucking God, that was weird!
“Thank the gods that’s over with,” he chuckled as he stood and picked up the boxes, then offered me his hand. “Come on, let’s go pack what you’ll need most. We’ll come back for the rest of your things once the authorities have finished up here.” He smiled with loving kindness in his mesmerizing eyes.
I shook my head and slightly laughed at his instant change in demeanor. “Alright, but no reading my diary, you big creep!” I joked as I took his hand with a smile.
“You have a diary?” He curiously raised a brow and smirked.
“Shut up and let’s go!” I said in a defensive tone and rushed him out of the kitchen while he laughed behind me.
25. Parting Ways
I tossed an old running shoe over my shoulder as I rummaged around in my cluttered, cobweb-infested closet. The small box I had was full of all the silly little cat hats I had accumulated over the years for Pepper Paws. I’d been hustling and bustling, packing up anything that I deemed worthy of needing the most, which turned out to be a lot of stuff. Ashton was collecting my art supplies, books, and other random things for me... orso I thought.
“Who in the almighty name of Beelzebub is Fabian!?” I froze as Ashton’s angry voice roared throughout the room, practically shaking the walls. My wide eyes peeked out from the closet doorway, where I saw him sitting on the floor, propped up against the side of my bed. He was holding a little black book that was decorated with a few artsy red roses, with a livid expression on his face.
No! Not my diary!
“Hey! I told you not to read that!” I began to swim through the sea of band tees, dresses, and shoes that filled my closet floor. My face contorted in disgust as it tore through a dusty, old cobweb while I stumbled out into the bedroom. I rushed across the room while wiping the webbing off my face to snatch my diary away from him. As I reached for the book, he lassoed my waist with his snake-like arm and pulled me down to his side in one swoop. “Give that back!” I yelled as I struggled against him.
“Not until you tell me who the Hell Fabian is, and what he did!...And where he lives, for that matter.” He seethed as he looked through the pages using the hand that wasn’t restraining me, keeping the book just out of my reach.
“He’s just my stupid jerk of an ex-boyfriend. Now give it back!”I tried to lunge for my diary, but Ashton’s unyielding arm held me tight.
