SWNOVELS Runner: Chapter 8
“Lower your weapons,” I snapped, looking at the police chief to back me up. He hesitated for a moment before ordering his men to stand down.
Mili burst into tears, the gun in her hand shaking. She had blood all over her shirt, and the knuckles on her hand were cut to shit. The cop in front of her charged at her, knocking her against the car while prying the weapon from her hand. She let out a pained cry, her spine hitting the trunk of the cruiser.
“Stand down,” I repeated, my pulse thumping like crazy. I barely knew this girl, but something about her had me fascinated. And I didn’t want to see her hurt.
“She attacked us,” the other cop screamed, trying to unlock his cuffed hand.
“Only because you arrested me for no reason,” Mili said, her voice cracking. Fear swam in her eyes when the cop who’d shoved her grabbed her arm, dragging her closer to me and the police chief. “I didn’t do anything wrong. They were going to throw me in a cell and not tell another soul. I was scared for my life.”
A couple of the policemen murmured under their breath as they took in her words. Her face was now streaked with tears, and she slumped toward the ground when the cop let her go. I was closest, and I reached forward to keep her upright. She clung to me, burying her face in my chest. The scent of coconut drifted over me, and my hold on her tightened without even thinking about it.
“She attacked us—”
“Randy,” the police chief cut him off. “No need to scream. Explain what happened.”
“We caught her stealing a car,” Randy said gruffly. “Got back here, and when I opened the door to get her out, she had slipped her cuffs and attacked me.”
“Rylan,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “You were right. I should have listened to you. The crew—they’re bad news. They did this. I wanted nothing to do with them, but they grabbed me at the park, and then, suddenly, I was being arrested for stealing Kade’s car.”
I stared down at her, my mouth dropping in surprise. “They wanted you to get arrested? Why?”
“I don’t know.” New tears formed in her eyes, her hands grasping my suit tightly. “They don’t like me. I never should have moved here.”
“Calm down,” I said softly. “We’ll figure this out.”
I didn’t know how the hell Kade and Gray were still walking free. They pulled shit like this all the time without thinking. One of these days, it was going to catch up to them. I doubted it would happen tonight. Not without proof. But if her story is true, then the least I could do was get her out of it.
“Where’s the car?” I asked, looking at the cop named Randy.
He rubbed his head nervously. “What?”
“The car you say she stole.” I spoke slowly. “Is it at the impound?”
Randy glanced back at his partner for help, but the guy was still acting like his broken nose was the end of the world.
“Randy,” the police chief barked. “Answer Mayor Hunt.”
“No, sir. It’s not at the impound.”
“Where is it?” I asked tightly.
“Um, you see—”
“Whose car is it?” I cut him off, asking another question.
“I haven’t made a report yet. I don’t remember the names,” Randy mumbled.
“Did you call dispatch when you responded to the call?” This time it was the police chief asking questions, and he looked pissed.
“No, sir.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“It was the Riot Crew,” Randy sputtered out, glaring daggers at Mili.
Silence settled over everyone, and the police chief glanced at me. I raised an eyebrow, knowing what was going to happen.
Absolutely fucking nothing.
“They kidnapped me,” Mili squeaked out, pushing away from me. “I was only trying to protect myself.”
“You broke my partner’s nose,” Randy ground out.
“Enough,” the police chief said. “You were really going to take an innocent woman to jail?”
“It was either me or her,” Randy shouted. He looked around, waving an arm. “Let’s not pretend half of us here wouldn’t have done the same thing. They would have killed me if I told them no.”
He was right. The only difference was he got caught. The crew had half the police force in their pocket. Mili stood next to me, hugging herself as she stared at Randy.
“She assaulted two officers,” Randy’s partner spat out. “We can arrest her for that.”
“Not happening,” I said stiffly.
The police chief nodded in agreement. “Ma’am, you are in no danger of being arrested. But if you’re willing to testify against the men who kidnapped you—”
“Are you crazy?” she asked shrilly, her panicked filled eyes finding me. “The police are scared of them, and you want me to speak against them?”
“No, you don’t have to,” I told her, trying to keep her calm.
“You two,” the police chief pointed to Randy and his partner, “in my office. Now.”
The chief nodded at me and then strode inside the station. The rest of the cops scattered, leaving me alone with Mili. She sniffed, wiping the last of her tears away. She wasn’t shaking anymore but still looked terrified.
“Are you okay?” I asked, studying her for any other injuries.
“Fine,” she mumbled, giving me a hint of a smile. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything. It’s not like you really broke the law.”
“I can honestly say I didn’t. Kade and Gray are fucking dicks.”
I blew out a surprised laugh. “Yeah, you could say that. Did they hurt you?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you worried about me?”
“I worry about anyone who crosses the crew.”
“And how do I know you’re not paid off by them like those cops were?”
Her accusation didn’t faze me, especially after what she had just been through. Half of this town was corrupt.
“If I were, do you think I would have defended you?”
She studied me with quizzical eyes. “I guess not.”
“You really messed the guy’s nose up,” I said, suppressing a grin. “Remind me to never make you mad.”
“I’m a single woman who lives alone. Self-defense is important.”
I noticed how her fear and panic had completely disappeared. She was still being cautious with me, but her subtle change was interesting. I had a feeling there was much more to her than she was letting people see.
“What time is it?”
Her question threw me for a moment, and I glanced at my watch. “Nine.”
“I have to go.”
She turned to leave, and I rushed forward, cutting her off. “Go where?”
“Home.”
“Let me drive you.”
“No, thank you.”
My frustration with her bullshit politeness grew when she tried darting around me. She was acting completely different from when I saw her at the club or at the café. She darted around me, and I raced to get in front of her again. Her eyes flashed with annoyance for a split second before she frowned.
“Look, I appreciate you standing up for me, but I need to go,” she said, keeping her voice soft.
“There’s nothing but businesses around here. No matter where you live, it’s going to take you forever to walk. Let me drive you,” I told her.
“No. I like walking.”
“Or do you just not want me to know where you live?”
Her gaze trailed down my face. “Is that a problem? That I don’t want to give a stranger my address?”
“You don’t trust me,” I stated, wondering why the fuck I cared if she trusted me or not.
“No offense, but I don’t trust anyone.”
I tilted my head. “Someone hurt you.”
She laughed, but it sounded hollow. “Everyone has a past, Rylan.”
Wanting to shake her and see if I could get some truth out of her, I changed the subject. “How’d you get out of the handcuffs?”
She shrugged. “Slipped out of them. They didn’t put them on very tight.”
Realizing I wasn’t getting anywhere with her, I pulled out my wallet and took out one of my business cards. She stared at it as I held it out to her for a few seconds, then she grabbed it.
“If you need anything, you can call,” I said, curious about whether I would hear from her again.
“Thanks,” she muttered, turning on her heel and nearly jogging away. “Have a good night, Mayor.”
I watched her disappear into the darkness. If she was on the crew’s radar, I had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time I saw her. Hopefully, she was smart enough to leave before she ended up dead. I ran a hand down my face, making my way to the doors of the police station until I noticed the rear door of the police car was still open.
I moved to shut the door and saw something on the seat. Reaching inside, I grabbed the bent wire, holding it up in the light. I quickly stood up to see if Mili was still within sight, but she was gone. Letting out a small chuckle, I strode to the dumpster and tossed the wire in. She didn’t slip out of the cuffs; she picked the damn lock.
There was a lot more to her than she showed everyone. Excitement churned in my gut at the thought of seeing her again, and I tried pushing it away. She was involved with the Riot Crew, which meant she most likely wasn’t the innocent bystander she portrayed herself to be. As mayor, I did everything to keep my life clean. Getting mixed up with her would be the exact opposite of everything I’d worked so hard for.
But I still couldn’t get her out of my damn head.