Page 45 of Stepson

“You don’t have time for this? So, what… I’m not your brother anymore? You’re completely out of the game now?”

The tone in Jeff’s voice tells me he’s definitely poking the bear, and that bear is me. Does he really think he can guilt trip me back into being a criminal? He’s got a rude awakening coming if that’s the case.

“Listen here, you fuck. I spent the last seven years in prison for something I didn’t fucking do. Don’t fucking test me right now or I will kick you out of the truck right now and go back to my hotel room to fuck Bentley’s brains out while I completely forget that you even exist.”

I know it’s harsh, but I don’t give a fuck. He leaves me no choice.

Sighing, he shakes his head. “I’m sorry, man, I didn’t mean to push you. I know that being in prison was rough on you. I just…” he pauses as his glare turns to the side mirror. “We’ve got company. Play it cool.”

I follow his gaze to the mirror and see a police squad has turned onto our road, right behind us.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.My heart sinks into my gut but I try to relax so I won’t do something illegal and give them a reason to pull me over.

Memories from the night I met Bentley, and the night that took me from her, invade my mind. That was the best and worst night of my life. What topped it off was when my father did absolutely nothing to get me out of it. I knew then, and I know now, that he was responsible for all of it.

The squad lights turn on behind me, filling the cab of the Mercedes with red and blue lights as my heart sinks. What the fuck?!

Not wanting to cause trouble, I legally pull over to the side of the road and wait with a thundering heart for the officer to approach my window. Instead, he goes to the passenger side and shines his flashlight in, blinding me for a split second before I roll the window down.

"Hello, officer. Did I do something wrong?" I ask as politely as I can. I learned real quick to be respectful and honest with an officer—then they treat you well.

But when he shuts his flashlight off and grins at me, my heart sinks even further. Fuck me. It’s officer Dickhead. The very officer who arrested and booked me seven years ago.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He looks at Jeff. "We've been looking all over for you tonight. Step out, Jeffrey."

He opens the passenger door as Jeff steps out. There’s no way this officer is going to be cool with me. Fuck!

Turning Jeff to face the truck, he starts patting him down, tossing contents from his jacket onto the ground at his feet. I know what he’s dumping onto the ground, and I didn’t even think about having Jeff get rid of that shit before I picked him up. Yeah, I’m not going home anytime soon.Shit.

“You know the drill, Jeff. Put your hands behind your back. You have the right to remain silent,” the officer states as he cuffs Jeff before he looks into the cab at me. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back.” He leads Jeff to his squad as I watch Officer Dickehead put him in the backseat through the rearview mirror.

I gulp, rubbing my sweaty palms on the top of my jeans. The only thing I’ve done wrong tonight was drive Jeff around. I can play it off that I didn’t know he was running from the cops or that he had drugs on him, but then I remember part of my probation rules and one of them states I’m not supposed to run around with my old crowd. Fuck, I’m screwed.

If my phone wasn’t dead, I’d have texted Bentley everything, but it’s too late for that. She’s going to think something bad happened to me, and it’ll be the truth, I just hope she believes I didn’t do this on purpose. The falling sensation in my gut tells me I’m going back to jail tonight, and I’m not sure if Bentley will want anything to do with me. Why would she? I’m a criminal with a record and time spent in prison. She’s married to amillionaire who can take care of her, and that’s probably the main reason why she married him in the first place. Why didn’t I see it sooner?

The officer comes back, scaring me as he approaches my window. I roll it down and look at him, taking a deep breath.

“Officer, you should know that I had no idea—”

“Shut up, Price, and step out of the vehicle.”

Sighing, I do as he asks but not before he spins me and slams my face against the side of the truck. He kicks my legs open and starts to pat me down.

“I don’t have anything!”

“I told you to shut up.”

I roll my eyes, keeping my mouth shut. The guy is a total fucking hardass, and takes the badge on his chest too seriously.

“You know that you’re breaking your probation by being with Jeff, don’t you?” He asks as I nod. “And you’re probably going to tell me you didn’t realize Jeff had drugs and paraphernalia on him, right?”

“I honestly didn’t,” I reply, but I know he won’t believe me.

“Right. Well, Mr. Price. I’m arresting you tonight for breaking your probation rulesandfor driving a stolen vehicle.”

“What?!” I shout and try to stand up, but the officer shoves me back against the truck.

“Don’t fucking move, Price!” he screams as he roughly pulls my arms behind my back and cuffs me.

The familiar cold metal grips my wrists as I squeeze my eyes shut, cursing my father once again. I should have known better. Fuck!

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