Page 34 of Losing the Rhythm

“Amy, it’s been a bit.”

“Stop sending me to voicemail then.”

I grimaced as she hit the nail on the head. There was a lot I needed to deal with, and it had been hard to face the fact that the police had let me down. That they allowed me to be kidnapped because it made their job easier. But my lack of response hadn’t deterred Amy. She was fighting with the police force with all her might for what they’d done.

I just wasn’t so sure anything would come out of it.

“Are you free to talk?” she asked.

“For now.”

“As in at any moment, you’ll claim you need to go.” She sighed. The exhaustion in that one sigh sent guilt through me. She was on my side, and I was making her job harder than it needed to be. Frankly, she’d been the only person on my side since the summer, and she was worth every penny.

“First thing, the Ryder gang’s trials are still months out. Expect things moving on that front come spring.”

I swallowed. “Do you think I’ll be that deeply involved?”

“Well, to a degree. You’ll definitely be a part of the trials, but I imagine with everything they’re charging these people, you’ll be a small fraction of it. Right now, they’re sorting through each person and what they’re charging them with exactly, making sure the evidence is there to hold. I can’t get much else other than that on that front.”

“That’s fine,” I said.

“Now. For the other issue.

“Police. As you know, I usually work in family law. If you do want to sue them, I have a good criminal defense attorney at my firm. I can pass you over to him in this case. I’ve also taken part in some criminal cases myself, but my specialty is family law.”

“You’re assuming I’m going to press charges against the police station.”

“You are within your rights. I want to make sure you understand that.”

“Is that what this is coming down to?” I asked, exhaustion tugging at my soul. Suing the people meant to protect me? That sounded like a bad idea.

“Excuse my language, but they fucked up,” Amy said. “They had a chance to intercede with your abduction and chose not to, instead deciding to use you in order to capture the Ryders. They put you in danger.”

“And that can be proven without a doubt.”

“Completely.”

I bit at my lip, not sure what to do about it. More court, more police, more drama. I didn’t want that. But what they did was far from okay too.

“Think about it, but the sooner we get this ball rolling, the better,” Amy said.

“Okay.”

“I know at this moment, you’re ready to toss a ‘have to go’ at me, so before that, just let me say this. Take care of yourself, Cadence. Take time to slow down and just take a breath. I’m worried about you. Do what you need to do to be healthy in all the ways.”

“Okay,” I said again, but this time in a thicker voice.

“I’m a mother and all my instincts say you need that kind of advice. If you need anything from me at all, as always, you are more than welcome to give me a call. You aren’t alone. Take a look around you and you’ll see. No matter what choices you make, people are there to support and love you.”

“Thank you.”

“Bye, Cadence. I’ll talk to you again soon. And as soon as you decide what you want to do in terms of the police, contact me. I’m ready to get that going as soon as you say the word.”

“I know you are. You always are,” I said. “That’s why I chose you.”

“Second smartest decision you ever made.”

“Second? What was the first?”

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