Page 84 of Crawl
I hold my breath. Did he say Remedy?
“Now,” the detective says slowly, “If you care about Remedy, drop the knife.”
The blade clatters to the asphalt. I can’t do anything until I know she’s safe. I tilt my head, keeping both hands up.
“And what did Remedy tell you?” I ask.
“I saw the surveillance footage. What you did with her stepdad was almost sweet.” He steps closer, keeping his gun aimed at me, and the silhouette of Remedy’s face glows in the back seat. The window is cracked for air, but she’s just watching us. Is she in on this? Did she bring the detective like I told her to? The detective cracks his neck. “Making sure that her stepdad died? That’s more than anyone could have done for her. But it’s my job. I would have taken care of him the right way.”
He’s so damn proud; it’s laughable.
“So what? You put her stepdad in jail? Then he gets out and does it again to someone else’s daughter?” I laugh. “We did you a favor.”
“We?” the detective asks, his brows raised. “We?”
A warmth surges in my chest, full of strength and passion, burning all over me.We are a unit.I’m here, making sure that she lives, even if that means that I don’t. Remedy is my ride-or-die, and I’m never going to give her up.
I have to make sure the detective doesn’t question Remedy.
“You’re right. Let me take credit,” I say. I waggle my fingers. “Remedy was a pawn. She doesn’t mean shit to your investigation.” I narrow in on that truth. I have to make it seem like it’s entirely mine. I hate myself for saying this, but I have to show him that she means nothing, so that she can be free. “The dumb slut probably didn’t even realize that I was manipulating her.”
“Nice try, but I saw her kill her stepdad,” the detective says. “Even if you manipulated her, she held the knife. She’s not innocent by any means. The judge and jury may have mercy on her, considering she was abused by her stepdad and manipulated by a psychopath.” He narrows his eyes, straightening his stance, ready to take me down. “But you are the worst piece of garbage that could’ve crossed her path.”
The detective is right. Remedy is better off without me. But I gave her freedom, a chance to be her true self, and I don’t regret that. I’ll do it again if it means that she’s at peace with herself. And if that means going to jail or dying for her, then I’m going to fucking do it.
You have to do anything to protect someone you love.
“Kill me,” I demand. “You and I both know it. I’m like her stepdad. I’ll keep killing. And trust me, Detective, you’ll be next.”
He inches forward with his gun still aimed at me, then kicks the maroon knife out of the way. It skitters toward the bushes and rocks.
“I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to put you in a cage, you insufferable bastard.”
I laugh. The son of a bitch thinks he’s doing the right thing.
“You’re so honorable,” I mock.
“What’s it going to be?” He points his gun toward the car, then focuses it back on me. “Are you going to let me arrest you or are you going to fight me?”
I can’t kill the detective without putting more eyes on us, especially Remedy. If she’s in the back of his car, then there’s a good chance that someone knows they’re together. He shows up dead, and she’ll be the first person they check.
“Let her go, and I’ll let you arrest me,” I say.
“You know I can’t do that, but I’ll make sure she gets a good judge. She’s still a good girl.”
A good girl.My nails dig into my palms at those condescending words. The detective has the nerve to belittle her after everything she’s been through? Treating her like a victim and not a fucking survivor? Not even acknowledging the fact that she’s a killer like me.
And that irritates me.
She’s not a good girl. She’s a damned nightmare.
And she’s all fucking mine.
I swing my fists forward and he attacks me with the back of his gun. I swirl around, dodging his blows. But he kicks my feet out from under me and I lay back, pretending to be stunned, then knee him in the chest, knocking the wind from his lungs. I tumble onto my hands and knees, searching for the knife. By the time I find it, he’s back on his feet. I grab the knife with one hand and throw a handful of dirt and rocks with the other. The pebbles hit his eyes and he howls. Pride flames in my chest. It’s a cheap move, but I don’t care. I want to finish this already.
With each blow we take at each other, a gnawing sensation sprawls across my chest, making everything inside of me seize up. I’m invincible. No matter how hard I try to die, there’s always someone stopping me. A cop trying to spare my life. A foster parent finally growing a conscience. A victim too afraid to fight back. Or Remedy, giving me a chance.
She has hope and faith in me that I don’t deserve.
