Page 21 of Fight or Flight
“Aidan Linden, you are under arrest for drug trafficking and drug distribution, as well as cooperation with a wanted fugitive, David Wallace, regarding the attempted murder of a federal agent, arson, and gang activity. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer...”
Everything else the man is saying gets droned out by the loud ringing in my ears as I watch Claire’s body slump down the wall. Her face pales as a silent no leaves her trembling mouth.
The beautiful eyes, usually so full of love and life, dim as she sees the look on my face that shows nothing but guilt and regret. My heart breaks when she chokes on a sob, and I moved my body instinctively, wanting to go to and comfort her.
I’m forced to stand up as one of the cops roughly searches my body for weapons or any other illegal stuff. The older man walks to Claire and offers her a hand to help her stand up with a gentle smile, so at odds with the look he gave me just a second ago.
The commotion from the entryway catches my attention briefly, and I see Saint struggling to get away from the man who’s holding him as he kicks and screams obscenities. For a moment, our eyes meet, and he stops fighting. But then he blinks rapidly and resumes his pathetic attempts at getting away with renewed vigor.
I turn my head away, only able to concentrate on what matters the most. All I care to see is Claire. The whole room becomes unfocused as I beg her with my eyes to understand while the cop walks her toward the door.
Please do not give up on me.
But then I see the moment I lose her completely.
Her back turns ramrod straight, her jaw clenches, and her usually warm eyes turn so cold it makes me flinch. I never thought Claire’s eyes could express such hatred. Honestly, I thought she was incapable of that emotion.
And the fucked up thing is that she looks so beautiful at that moment. Like a storm cloud right before it strikes out with a bolt of lightning.
“Claire, I love you so much.” I throw desperately, my voice sounding alien to my own ears. Everything moves in slow motion.
She only stares at my face before moving past me.
Time moves forward as I watch her say something to the man in the suit, and he nods his head, looking at her with pity. He scribbles something on a notepad and gives her the piece of paper before giving her a fatherly squeeze on the shoulder when she turns to leave.
I feel sick to my stomach. I want to cry, I want to rage, but most importantly, I want to rewind time.
My life as I know it is over. I know prison time is pretty much inevitable.
Yet, all I can think about as I’m dragged through the doorway and pushed out of my house into a police cruiser with my brother and the gang members who were unlucky enough to stay the night is Claire and the cold loathing I saw in her eyes.
I killed our love, and now I’ll have to live with that.
CHAPTER VIII
AIDAN - THREE MONTHS ago