Jasper rubs the stubble on his chin, sadness glittering in his eyes. “Gracie—”
“It isn’t mine!” I say loudly, the words wobbling. “I swear, it isn’t mine.”
Both the officers step forward, and one takes the little baggies from my hands, dropping them into a bigger one used for evidence.
“Please turn around and put your hands behind your back,” the stricter one commands, and I do as I’m told, biting my tongue when cold metal bites my wrists. “Gracelyn Walker, you’re under arrest for possession. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”
He shoves me towards the door, and I stumble, feeling the floor slip beneath me. I’m reminded I’m completely barefoot, but at this point, I really don’t care. I whip my head around to look at Luke and Jasper. Jasper is looking anywhere but at me and Luke is still glaring at me, seething in anger.
“I swear it isn’t mine. It wasn’t there last night. I’m sober. I promise I’m sober. I don’t want to ruin my life again; you have to understand that. You have to believe me.” I’m pushed to the door and stagger but relentlessly try to get the men to believe me. “It isn’t mine. Please!”
Jasper’s eyes snap forward and catch mine. Something sparks in them, and I almost convince myself that he’s about to cave and believe my words, but I am thrust out the door before I can be sure. We make our way down the porch and across the gravelly yard, sand and rocks nipping at my bare heels. I try to ignore the sting of pain as the cop puts a hand on my head and helps lower my body to get in the car. When he slams the door shut, I look up at the house. Luke and Jasper stand in the doorway, and all I can do is lean my head against the cool window. I can feel the warm snake of tears as they roll down my cheeks and my shoulders shake violently. I don’t even try to stop them this time. There’s no point.
Nobody believes me. Nobody ever will after this. My record is going to be tainted even more, and there will be no hope of getting it cleaned up. I’m doomed.
I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to do this anymore. If nobody’s going to believe me, I might as well do what they all accuse me of anyway. I am so fucking done with trying.
Chapter50
Luke
“You mother fucker!” a voice bellows, and my head jerks to the side right before I’m slammed against the wall. “I’m going to fucking kill you!”
“Owen!” Devon’s voice sounds as he appears behind the guy pinning me against the wall. “Let him go!”
The man, who I assume is Owen, is seething at me. His teeth are bared, nostrils flaring as he presses against me. I can feel his hands shaking despite his fingers being wrapped tightly into the fabric of my shirt. He has a fat lip and bruising down his chin, and I can’t help but wonder who else he’s gotten into a fight with this morning.
Devon reaches in front of his friend and pries the guy’s hands off, tugging him backward. I see his fingers tighten around Owen’s arms, holding him tight from attacking me again. It doesn’t stop Owen from snarling at me with his lips peeled back from his teeth like a rabid dog. If he’s let go, I’m sure he will charge right at me.
“You gave her fucking drugs!” Owen yells, his eyes misting over. I can’t tell if it’s from anger or tears ready to explode. “You took her sobriety away! This is all your fucking fault!”
It clicks, and I roll my eyes, straightening myself up. “I’m a fucking lawyer. Why the hell would I jeopardize my job by giving her drugs?”
Owen juts his chin up, shoulders tensing. “Not for you. For your fucking sister.”
I flinch and furrow my eyebrows together. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Owen jerks out of Devon’s hands, squaring up in front of me to remind me what he’s obviously capable of. “She and Devon broke up. That’s motive enough for her to go after Gracie.”
I stare at him as if he has suddenly grown two heads. “Kate isn’t like that. She wouldn’t do that.”
“She’s friends with Donna. Of course she fucking would,” Owen tells me.
I blink, the name not registering in my mind. “Who’s Donna?”
It's Owen’s turn to look at me like I’m fucking crazy. “My ex-girlfriend. She and Kate are friends.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know a Donna.”
Owen shrugs. “Guess you don’t know your sister as well as you thought you did. But that’s not the fucking point. Your sister gave you drugs to plant on Gracie, didn’t she? Just fucking admit it.”
Owen steps forward, and I press harder into the wall, the only distance I can get to stay away from him. My fingers curl into the wall behind me, keeping me from trying to run. Right now isn’t a good time. I don’t say anything and stare at him a little longer. He looks oddly familiar, but I can’t quite place where I know him from. Owen curls his fists at his side, ready to knock me the fuck out.
“You took her sobriety away. You picked her up last night and gave her drugs!”
I glower at him. “For one, Jasper picked her up. Two, I didn’t give her shit. She went to bed almost right after she got to my house last night. She was extremely upset about something that she just wouldn’t talk about.”
His fist flies forward, but before it can hit my face, Devon jerks Owen back, his fingers latched onto Owen’s wrist. Owen squirms in his arms, livid, ready to rip my head off my neck. He wants to murder me. A cop wants to fucking kill me. That’s it! That’s where I know him from, the police station. He’s a goddamn cop who wants me dead. I’ve seen enough shit in my life to know that a murderous cop is the most dangerous person there is, even worse than a damn serial killer, and those fuckers are psychotic.