6

I didn't know what to do.

My boyfriend– scratch that, ex-boyfriend is in police custody for killing his supposed new girlfriend???

Does it mean that if I had stayed longer, that could have been me on the screen, dead and lifeless.

I shuddered.

"Damn. This shit is messed up," Zack cursed.

I sprang to my feet, "I need to go see him Zack," I said and tried to move.

He stood instantly, dragging my hands. "Are you out of your mind?! Dude's in police custody on account of murder and you WANT to see him??" He yelled and let go of me. "What if that had been you, huh? You want to go see him! Please tell me you're joking..."

I didn't speak for some seconds. We were both breathing heavily and our chest rising and falling rapidly.

"I'm not joking. I need to make sure he's okay. I- I-- I--" I blubbered as tears rolled down my eyes. "He doesn't have anyone to look after him, Zack." I wept and his face softened.

He took a step closer to me and held my gaze. "But that's not your problem anymore remember. I just don't want to see you get hurt again. I saw how fragile you looked the day I got you away from him. I also notice how you wait to get a word from him everyday," he revealed and my head dropped in shame. "I don't want to see you go back to that stage," he stammered.

"I really care about you, sweetheart."

I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around him. I closed my eyes, enjoying his warmth. He let out a heavy sigh.

"I know. I'm so happy to have someone like you looking out for me. But I just want to know he's fine that's all," I gently patted his back. "He's never gone to the station before and he must be scared and all alone. We both know his mother isn't one to sympathize with anyone, no matter who you are to her," I lamented.

He pulled me closer snuggling his nose into my neck. He took a very deep breath. "Okay. But only on one condition," I pulled away and raised a questioning brow. "I get to come with you. I'm not taking no for an answer, neither am I taking any chance with that guy," he puffed.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, okay. You can come. Thank you, Zack. I really mean it."

I looked into his eyes and he shrugged. "Anytime, pumpkin. You know I'd do anything legal for you," he joked and a laugh escaped my lips.

"Ditto," I smiled.

***

The next day, Zack and I headed out to the station where Dom was kept. The sky was gloomy, as though telling me before hand how the journey was going to be.

It was a thirty minutes drive from the house and all the way, I alternated from chewing my nails to adjusting my seatbelt to fiddling with the radio.

We stopped at a red light and as I nervously fiddled with the radio, trying to get my mind off things, my elbow accidentally shifted the gear from park to drive and the car– with us, lunged forward almost hitting another car had it not been for Zack's fast driving, turning the wheel to the left and avoiding major collision.

"Shit! Ria, what the hell?" Zack shouted, both hands on the steering as he gave me a menacing look.

"I just saw my whole life flash before my eyes and it was short, like literally," I panted, my breathing erratic.

Zack scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You better not kill us before we reach our destination, or I'll be making your already short life shorter." He threatened, putting the car into gear, pulled out and drove on.

***

"You have forty-five mins," the officer told I and Zack as he opened the door, stepping to the side.

I walked into an ash coloured room with a white table in the center, two empty chairs on one side and another which held Dominic. In a glance, I could see that he was tired, his shoulder slumped and his head was bent. He looked so tattered and his face, worn out. When he raised his head, I noticed his eyes had sunk in a bit.

On sighting me, his eyes softened a bit but when he looked behind me and saw Zack, it hardened.

"What brings you and dickhead over here?" He spat. "Come to gloat and tell me I deserve it?"

I ignored his remarks and walked towards the empty chair, pulled it out and sat in it, Zack doing the same. Nobody uttered a word for sometime. My eyes were just trained on him.

"Dom–" I started, "I know you didn't do it... I want to believe you didn't do it," my voice cracked and he looked at me with a hard stare.

"Please, stop those fake waterworks running down face," he scoffed. "You left me and the next day I see you with this dude–" he gestured to Zack who has had a frown on his face upon entering, "–laughing over some shit, and you're crying over me?" He cackled wickedly. "Get the fuck outta my face."

"Dom," I paused, not letting his words seep into my mind, "I'm here to help you. We can get you out of here," I said, glancing at Zack whose frown deepens and then back at him with soft eyes.

He held my gaze, and after some seconds, looked away. "I don't need your help. I'm the son of a trillionaire, or did you forget?" He sneered. "I'll be out of here before you can even leave this place. It seems to me that you still feel something for me, if not that, I wonder why you would waste precious time coming to see me," he smirked.

I tensed up at his words, but Zack placed a comforting hand on my laps and I calmly breathed out. "I know someone is trying to frame you, you should too, but I guess you're too thick headed to actually accept any help that comes your way," I scolded.

"Look, my friend's a lawyer. You're a suspect of murder, murder, Dominic. This isn't a child's play. He can be your attorney– help with the case, clear your name–"

"Get out. Now!" He roared, thick veins appearing on his neck. I was startled as he barked. I tried to touch his hands but he immediately pulled them back, slamming them hard on the table. "I said GET OUT!"

I stood, a hard glare on my face, the chair falling back on impact. "Fine, you can rot in here for all I care."

I yanked the door open and stormed out with Zack on my tail. We don't speak a word to each other until we enter his car.

"So that went well. . ." Zack remarked grimly.

"Ughh," I groaned, letting my head hit the dashboard a few times. "So not what I was expecting to happen. He's just too infuriatingly stubborn. There's too much tension around us and he doesn't listen to me. This was a part of the reasons I ended things with him," I ranted.

"Uh-huh," Zack replied, sounding off. I turned to see his attention at the door of the station. Following his gaze, I see Dom walk out of the station, a shit eating grin plastered on his face. He was standing with a guy putting on all black and a cap, hiding his face.

The all black dude leads Dom into the car and they zoom off.

"I guess he wasn't kidding about the not spending time in the station part, huh?" Zack lamented and I let out a loud guttural groan.

***

"I don't know who he was but he just came for him. He paid the bail, so there was no reason to hold Mr Payne without any solid evidence," the officer with the name tag "Trent" explained.

"Can we at least have an insight or any detail on the case? I'm a lawyer, that has to count for something, right?" Zack spoke from my side.

We had gone back into the station after we saw Dom's car zoom off, to get more answers to the numerous questions we had.

Officer Trent eyed us warily before heaving a sigh. "You've got ten minutes. What do want to know?"

Zack looked at me, motioning with his eyes for me to speak. I looked back at him, rapidly shaking my head telling him to speak. He frowned and motioned again. I was about to reply when a grunt startled me. I looked up to find Officer Trent's narrowed and annoyed eyes on the both of us.

Deciding to be the bigger person, I cleared my throat. "I heard on the news that he was in an accident... How did-- how did that happen?"

"Before he entered his car that night, he was slightly intoxicated," officer Trent explained. "It seems like he went to a bar and had a few drinks, or something. We're lucky he hit the tree and not a passerby."

He shrugged when I gave him a look that said seriously?

"That would have been worse," Office Trent stated and I couldn't help agreeing.

"How did you guys find out he was drunk?" Zack pitched in.

"Through the ambulance that arrived. The paramedics ran some tests on him once they saw he was bleeding, and confirmed he was drunk driving," he answered, his gaze moving between Zack and I.

"And...?" Zack urged.

"We examined round the vehicle and that's  when we opened the trunk and saw the dead girl," the officer sighed deeply, before he continued. "Forensics ran some test and  said the time it had been close to two hours before we got there. So my best guess is; he killed the girl, intentionally or accidentally we don't know yet, and used alcohol to drown the guilty emotions that was surfacing, then tried getting rid of the body," he supplied.

A cold chill crept up my spine and I let out a shaky breath. "How did she die?"

"Well, there was a heavy wound at her right temple," he said touching his head at the supposed spot. "Probably hit with a rough stick or pushed against a hard surface 'cause the wound was very deep and nasty."

"He can't do such," I muttered, shaking my head in denial as I cupped my arms.

"Can we at least see some photos?" Zack questioned and I sensed wariness in his voice.

He shook his head slightly, a small frown on his face. "I'm afraid you'll have to meet the officer in charge for that. But you must know, he's oddly pumped up about the case," officer Trent warned.

I turned to Zack raising a questioning look, but he just shrugged it off and we followed the officer as he lead us towards a series of  doors till he stopped.

***

It hasn't been a fun week for Officer Smith. His partner has the flu, so he's on patrol all on his own, covering both his and their shift. Let's just say that that's made his mood range between cranky to far out asshole.

It didn't help with the fact that his leg still hurt from a couple of months past. He'd put it in a cast, avoided adding pressure but it still hurt like mad, adding to his aggression.

From his window, he saw a vaguely familiar lady walk in with a guy. Upon closer examination he figured she was the lady from a few months back, who was with the suspect during the time of his injury.

The month when he'd been injured due to the suspects anger.

The suspect had been causing a disturbance and Officer Smith who was nearby rushed to the scene. He approached cautiously, trying to calm Mr Payne down, but all to no avail. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, bleeding from a large cut caused by a glass from where he was thrown.

He had readily cocked his gun to shoot, before his partner, Officer Park, slapped it away, bringing him back to his senses.

He filed a report but when nothing was done about it, he clearly understood that what they said about money being power wasn't a total lie. Because, the head district officer told him to file the case elsewhere as nothing could be done seeing as the guy was a rich man's son.

He did so grudgingly and swore to revenge– get justice. The hands of fate turned to his direction when few months later, the same guy was brought in for suspect of murder. The joy he felt superceded no other as his time had come.

He was going to do everything in his power to make this case null and void.

He blinked rapidly, bringing himself back to the present and saw them walk into the room ushered by Officer Trent.

***

As I and Zack walked behind Officer Trent, I had a feeling we were getting close to our destination, and the chill I had felt earlier returned, with me having a bad gut feeling.

We walked through some doors and entered a wide opened room, with two officers near a board and one leaning on the table. I surveyed the area and officers around, suddenly stopping and squinted my eyes at the one on the right, trying to remember where I had seen his face.

Suddenly, his nasal and pompous voice rang out as he barked an order and I stiffened, instantly recognizing him as the man(officer) Dominic had injured a couple of months back.

Great!