The entire building was a madhouse, and I was frozen, sitting on the dirty, stained couch, feeling like I was watching a movie. Hank had started screaming, the sounds scaring him. I held him even closer and picked my feet up so a cop could hurry by to grab Mac, who was running, and throw him down.
“Move, motherfucker!” Julian’s voice shook the place as he shoved past a cop and charged in. His eyes scanned the room and found me immediately. He looked like an avenging angel as he charged across the room, leaping over a chair and shoving past more cops. He saw Mac on the way, and his course changed.
I watched in horror as Julian shoved the cop off of Mac and yanked Mac off the ground. Holding him in the air by the neck, he screamed. “My woman and my kid are not your fucking bargaining tools! You’re done. You’re lucky I don’t kill you right here, you worthless piece of human excrement!”
A cop tried to get Julian away from Mac, but Julian shrugged the cop off and threw a punch that broke Mac’s nose. Mac went down, crying, but Julian grabbed him up again and threw him into a wall.
“Did you touch her? Did you fucking touch her?” He slammed his fist into Mac’s stomach and then kneed him in the face when Mac doubled over.
“Baby, don’t look. Don’t look. Come here.” Blake’s voice was suddenly next to me, and I jumped as he pulled me into his chest. “We’re here. Let’s go.”
Isaac was there, too, stroking my face and looking me over. “Did anyone touch you? Are you okay? Is Hank okay?”
I looked back at Julian and saw several cops pulling him off of Mac. He was pushed to the ground and handcuffed, his face a mask of rage as he still fought to get to Mac.
“We’ll take care of him. He’s okay for now. Let’s just get you out of here.” Isaac wrapped his arm around me and led me out of the smoke-filled building.
The moment fresh air filled my lungs, I uncovered Hank and handed him to Blake. Mind reeling, I doubled over and threw up all over a set of shiny black shoes. Wiping my mouth, I stood up and saw the shoes were attached to a scowling older man.
“Thank you for that. I was coming over to get your statement, but maybe we should wait.”
“That’d be best, Detective Crane. Why don’t you come to the ranch tomorrow?” Isaac pulled me into his chest and held me with shaking hands.
“Yeah, sounds good.”
I looked up at Isaac and shook as my adrenaline started to wear off. “I want to go home.”
Julian was brought out at that moment, handcuffed and still struggling against the three officers holding him. He saw me and instantly stopped fighting. “Red. You okay?”
I nodded through tears. “I think you need a new job.”
He blinked, his own eyes wet. “Is Hank okay?”
“They would’ve had to kill me to get to him.” I tipped my chin up, too proud to let my tears fall in front of him. I was still hearing his harsh words at the cabin. He didn’t want Hank or me.
The cops pushed him forward, and he was swallowed up by the madness. I sank into Isaac’s chest and groaned.
“I just want to go home,” I repeated again, the same mantra I’d been chanting in my head since I’d arrived at their clubhouse. “Please.”
Blake growled at someone walking by too closely and passed Hank to Isaac before scooping me into his arms. “Come on. We’ll take you home. I’ll have someone else drive your car home tonight.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him carry me to his truck. Hank’s car seat was already there, and Blake put me in the back with it, knowing I’d want to be with Hank. Isaac handed me Hank, and I buckled him in before they navigated the truck past rows of cop cars and people getting arrested.