Page 42 of Flame's Fight

“You need to think this through, Ms. Wagstaffe.” Billings protests. “Mr. Younger is an upstanding citizen. Your accusations could affect his career and his life. Are you willing to let that happen?”

I’m facing the door, so I take a deep breath before turning back to face the two detectives. I lean forward to place my hands on the table so I can get in their face. “That man kidnapped me. I don’t know what his intentions were when he got me alone out on the water. But my guess is that whatever his plan was would have more than inconvenienced me. I didn’t ask to be abducted by him, but I ask that you do your damn job. Have you checked to see if he’s done this before?” I snap.

“Mr. Younger has no arrest record.” Billings snaps back. His eyes blazing at my attack.

“So what? Have the police has ever questioned him? Has there been other women who have gone missing from the places where he lived or worked? Maybe his other victims weren’t as lucky as I was. Maybe they didn’t escape. Or maybe it is asking too much to expect you to do your job properly. I’ll be talking with my lawyer. She’ll want a recording of this conversation.”

“We don’t have the recorder on.” Billings says smugly.

I pull out my phone and make a point of ending the recording that I’m making. “Good thing I did.”

I open the door and stalk out of the office. I don’t stop, even when I hear Billings calling my name. “Fuckers.” I mutter as I step back into the lobby.

Flame’s eyes go wide when he sees my face.

“I hope nothing I do makes you look at me that way.” He says with a mock shudder.

I huff as he pulls me into his arms. I relax against him as I fight back the tears. If this is what other victims go through, it’s no wonder most remain silent.

“Let’s go.” I say, pulling back but not leaving his embrace. “I want to get out of here.”

“Do you want to go back to the clubhouse or your apartment?” He asks me. “We can stop at the liquor store and buy you a crate of wine.”

I shake my head. “No, I want to meet Caitlin and the others. I want to help them build Crossroads and I want to help build this clinic. We need to create a safe place for victims so they can find help without judgement.”

“I take it they judged you?” Flame asks.

“At first, they tried to convince me that Younger may not have been the one to kidnap me, then they tried to talk me into not ruining his life.” I huff again. “Fuckers.”

“Did you record it, like Evie suggested?” He asks as he opens the door to the SUV.

I climb in and give a smile to Axel, who is watching me with concern in his brown eyes that are so much like his brother’s. Once Flame is in the seat next to me, I answer.

“I did. Do you want to hear it?” I offer.

“You can send it to me, and I can listen to it later.” Flame offers. “No reason to relive it if it’s that bad.”

I shrug and send him the audio file.

“I’ll send it to Evie. Maybe she can use it to get them off the case and get someone who will do their job.” Flame says.

I shrug. “Maybe. You know, if my dad wasn’t a cop or I didn’t know Shield, I’d never trust a cop again after that.” I tell him. “They made me feel like I did something wrong. That I asked for this and that Younger has no culpability. Why is that?”

“I don’t know.” Flame says, pulling me against his chest and brushing my hair. “Did they look into his past? See if he was involved in other kidnappings?”

“They said he doesn’t have a record. I asked if they even looked into missing person cases where he used to live and work. They acted like I was crazy for asking. I don’t think they’ll follow up.”

“They don’t have to. Byte is doing that. If there is something to find, he’ll find it. And we’re all convinced he’s done this before.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: FLAME

It’s killing me to stay and comfort Brooke when what I really want to do is find Billings, his partner, and Younger to make them pay for upsetting my girl. But I know, right now, she needs me with her more than she needs me to beat the shit out of them. No matter how much they deserve it. I want to listen to the message, but again, Brooke needs me. Damn, this caring for someone else is hard.

I glance down before placing a kiss on her hair. Pulling her close, I feel a sense of peace when she relaxes against me. Maybe this caring for someone else isn’t so hard.

When we reach the parking lot next to Crossroads, I see Ashlyn dismounting from Reaper’s bike. Ghost and Tanya slide into the spot next to wear Axel parks. Damn, I miss my bike. I take Brooke’s hand as we step out of the SUV. I see a group of people near the door of what looks to be an old bank. One of the more elaborate ones that existed to flaunt wealth instead of provide convenience to their customers. The building doesn’t even have an ATM.

“How did it go?” Tanya asks Brooke and grimaces when she sees her expression. “That good, huh?”

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