Page 6 of Rule
"The evidence is stacked against you, Scarlet," Blackwell replies somberly. "The fingerprints on the cane match yours.”
“Because Beth threw it at me,” I spit out, my anger getting the better of me. I feel the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes again. All hope seems lost – even Blackwell believes I'm guilty.
"But," he continues before the despair can consume me entirely, "I might have a way to help you."
My head snaps up at that, hope flaring again.
"How?" I ask eagerly.
Blackwell leans forward, and my anxiety skyrockets as the look on his face is one I’ve seen a thousand times before when men find out what I do for a living.
ChapterFive
Tristan
The moment I step into the police station, the cold, sterile air hits me like a slap in the face. As I approach the front desk, my heart pounds against my chest, my hands clenched into fists, barely containing my rage. Hanging up the phone call to my dad, who is minutes out, I rap my knuckles on the desk.
"Scarlet Bellingham," I demand, my voice low and dangerous, "Where is she?"
"Sir, please calm down," the officer behind the counter tells me, clearly trying to maintain control of the situation. But I'm beyond calming down - not when Scarlet's been dragged into this mess.
"Tell me where she is," I growl, leaning forward, my eyes locked onto his. “I’m her lawyer, you can’t keep me away from her.”
The officer hesitates for a moment before finally giving in. "Third door on the left," he says, knowing I’m right and pointing down the hallway.
"Thank you," I mutter, my voice dripping with venom as I stalk down the corridor, each step fueled by a burning fury that threatens to consume me.
Vowing to myself that I will ruin Caitlin along with Beth for this, for putting Scarlet through such an ordeal. No one hurts what's mine and gets away with it.
Reaching the door, I take a deep breath and compose myself before entering the room. Scarlet doesn't need to see my anger; she needs comfort and reassurance. As I open the door, I find her sitting on a hard, unforgiving chair, her right wrist bound by handcuffs that dig cruelly into her delicate skin. Opposite her, a lechery detective sits, appearing disgruntled when I enter.
"Tristan," she whispers, relief flooding her features as her gaze meets mine.
“Ms. Bellingham,” I reply formally, even though I want to go to her and wrap my arms around her. “Leave,” I state to the detective, who knows he has no choice but to scarper. Once he’s gone, Scarlet relaxes.
"Hey, beautiful," I say softly, attempting a smile despite the storm of emotions raging inside me. "We're going to get you out of here. I promise."
"Thank you," she murmurs, her eyes filling with tears. It takes everything in me not to kill everyone in this damned station to get her free where she belongs. “You need to find Beth. She did this.”
"We know," I tell her, my voice barely more than a whisper, "We'll make sure she pays for it. We won't let her win."
"Tristan..." she begins, her voice trembling, but I cut her off.
"Trust me, Scarlet. I'll fix this. I swear."
"Okay," she finally whispers, a fragile smile forming on her lips. "I trust you."
"Good," I reply, gently pressing my lips to her forehead, trying to convey the depth of my love and commitment. It physically hurts me to walk away from her like this, but I have no choice; I need to gather the others and come up with a plan to free her.
“You are going to have to stay in here a little bit longer until we can find Beth. But don’t worry, we’ve got this. We’ve got you. JSP is here and he will protect you. Don’t say anything else. He is a shark, he’s got this, okay?”
She nods relieved that she isn’t going to be alone. “That detective before…he wanted to make a deal.”
“What kind of deal?” I ask with a frown.
“Thatkind,” she scoffs, her face a mask of disgust.
“Oh, really,” I growl, fury coursing through my veins. “Don’t worry about him. He’ll go down with the rest of them.”
