BOUND TO HIM BY FORCE

14. SAFETY FOR THE NIGHT

“Help, help. My boyfriend locked me out of the house and wants to beat me.” I said, heaving and stumbling up as I turned. My eyes fell on dark ones with the lady that was behind the reception desk placing the papers she was reading, wearing a wary look. I walked towards her, falling into her embrace with her holding me up.

“Come here,” She politely said, her arm falling around my waist to pull me through the reception area. She took me to a room I would say was an interrogation room, before leading me to a chair.

“I will be back, let me get your clothes first.” She kindly said, with me nodding my head, the tears still streaming, my shaking hands wiping them away.

I had escaped, I had actually escaped.

I could not believe it, the fear was still too much. Anything could happen but for that night I was safe, for that night I would be okay. I just needed to get my thoughts together before making any moves. Where would I go, how would I get to wherever I decided to go? Would the boss search for me? My name was tied to his, but was I worth the trouble? He could just tear the papers and find someone else. I would never speak and I was sure he knew that, but he would just hunt me down to make an example out of me. By the way he killed people, he sure did not like being played. I had just played him and lord, I did not even want to imagine what he would do to me if I was found.

A t-shirt and leggings were held out for me and I thanked the lady, taking the clothes and pulling them on my body. They were surely her workout clothes. She gave me a thin blanket, after which I took it and thanked her.

“An officer will be with you to take your statement.” She said as I nodded my head at her.

“Thank you so much.,” I thanked her, baffled by her kindness and her beautiful smile. She smiled back at me. And I thought everything would be okay. I understood why they had placed her at the front desk. Her smile was just too beautiful and she immediately made you feel safe and as if you could just tell her exactly what had happened.

She left, taking away her warmth and leaving me cold where I was. I stared around the room with wide eyes, my arms clenching the blanket with its warmth wasted on me. I shivered, scared of even the walls turning to grip me and throw me to the boss.

What would I say if the door opened and Azrail walked in all his glory, his soulless eyes falling on me with his gun raised before I could even blink? My heart just drummed thinking of it, my eyes turning to the closed door. That would actually be better than if he dragged me out of there kicking and screaming. He had warned me of the things he could do to me that I had not even imagined in my head. A shiver ran down my spine, followed by a shudder, my teeth chattering for that second from the fear.

The door opened as I stared at it with my head picked up and, for a second, I thought I saw Azrail but that was just my mind playing tricks on me. The door closed, a male officer that looked like he spent all his free time at the gym walked in.

As soon as our eyes met, he flashed me a smile and, I don’t know, a part of me felt a bit relieved.

He walked to the table, pulling his chair back to sit down. In his hand, he had a pen and a pad where he would write, I guess.

“A good night miss…?” He asked as I shifted in my seat.

“Miss Vasiliev……”

Sh*t.

“Sorry, I mean, Miss Collac. I am an actor, so, sometimes I mix the names if I get in too deep in a character.” I covered up with him nodding his head and smiling.

“Oohh, would you be in anything I have watched? I do spend more time than I should be in front of the television.” He said with me awkwardly smiling, shifting in my chair again.

“I don’t know, Uhm, I was an extra in a show called ‘The dark ones’. And I finally got a role in a movie coming out at the end of the year. It's titled Bruised Child.” I said to him as he nodded his head, his pen and pad between his arms that were on the desk, giving me his full attention.

“I will keep an eye out for it. You do seem familiar, I guess you have that superstar face.” He said with me awkwardly giggling, wanting him to stop asking me questions. I just wanted a place to hide and I was so deep in the lies that I knew it was time before I contradicted myself at that point.

“I guess so,” I said back as he nodded.

“Can you tell me what happened tonight?” He questioned with my heart drumming. My hands were hidden under the table, my nails literally digging into my skin. The room was suddenly so cold, everything just too closed up, the walls too close.

“Uhm, my boyfriend threw me out of the house. I was taking a shower and he pulled me by my hair to drag me outside. He wanted to assault me but I was able to run off before he could do much more than throw his hurtful words at me.” I said, with the man writing something and nodding his head.

“Is that where you got the bruise?” He asked, pointing at my forehead, reminding me of my fall.

“Yes, when he threw me from the house.”

“And has this happened before, has he physically, emotionally, and verbally abused you before?” The man asked as I nodded my head, the tears filling my eyes with one slipping.

I sniffled, my shaking hand coming to wipe the tears away from my face.

“But, I do not want to press any charges or open a case on him. He is a good guy; he just gets frustrated when he is too stressed. I just need a place for the night in which I would be safe. It's dangerous out there.” I said to the police officer who sat his pen on the desk and looked up at me with his blank face. I was shaking, hoping he was buying the story.

“Miss Collac. No matter how frustrated or stressed he is, no one is allowed to take it out on someone else. He could do it to you or do it to someone else in the future, it getting worse to a point where that person dies.” The police officer said, with me nodding my head.

“I know, I am sorry, but he could lose a lot. I don’t want to open a case.” I said with the officer sitting up in his chair.

Just in that tense situation, the door opened.

“Sorry to interrupt sir, but I made some tea for her.” The woman who had attended to me said. I looked up at her, grateful for the interruption along with the tea. I could use something hot as of that moment.

“Thank you, Emily.” The officer said, with Emily walking in and placing the cup before me.

“Thank you,” I said to her, grabbing the cup. She smiled back and turned to walk away.

The door was closed and immediately the officer stretched his arms.

I turned and his face was just before mine, having me jump and nearly spill the tea.

“Sorry. It’s just that officer Emily tends to put too much sugar in tea, your tongue will burn from the amount of sugar in that tea.” The male officer said with me placing the cup down. He took it and brought it to him.

“I will just drink it and bear through it. She does it with such love and I just can’t bring myself to tell her to tone it down.” The officer said, with me nodding my head.

“Let me get you a cup.” He said, pushing his chair back to stand up and walk away, leaving the cup on his side of the table.

I did not care what was happening, but I was just happy with the distraction from the questions that I had no answers to, that I could not even justify.

The door closed, the silence deafening in the interrogation room.

My mind was in too much chaos, trying to come up with a plan, but I just could not seem to concentrate. I was drained in all aspects. My hands fell on the table with my face falling on them, my eyes closed.

The door cracked open with my head shooting up, my eyes aching and needing rest. My body picked up, the man walking in with a cup filled with tea to the brink.

“Thank you,” I said to him.

“I did not pour sugar, decided to bring these sachets since I had not asked how many teaspoons you liked.” He said with a smile on his face.

“Thank you, sir,” I said again, the sachet of sugar shaken and then torn to pour it into the tea. I actually did not take sugar that much. I hated overly sweet things, which was why I was thankful for my tongue not burning from too much sugar.

The cup was brought to my lips, taking slow sips with the warmth having some of my stress melt away just a little. The man went and sat in his chair.

“We have bunkers for overnight officers. We are understaffed tonight, so no one will be using them. You can stay there for the rest of the night. If you don’t mind, then in the morning, we can take you where you want to go.” The man said with my heart skipping a thousand beats. I had hoped for it but lord, I was not expecting it to be that easy.

The cup was placed down, relief washing over me.

“Thank you,” I said to him, with him smiling at me.

“Do you have anyone you want to call, parents? Siblings?” He questioned, with me frowning.

Kane just came to mind, but did I really want to involve him in this? He could come to get me and help me get away, but involving him could just lead to his death. I could not do that to him.

My head throbbed as I thought about it. I was emotional. I never make sound decisions when emotional. I would sleep and, in the morning, if I still thought of calling him, I would do it.

My world was already turned upside down, I did not want to turn his too.

“No, I don’t want to worry them,” I said, with the man nodding his head.

“Okay, finish your tea so I can take you to the bunkers. Let them torture someone else than us. The beds are really thin.” The male officer said, laughing, and I tried to act as if I was giggling.

He was really nice. I would never forget such kindness.

I sipped my tea, going even faster until there was nothing there. I placed the cup down, pulling a smile for the officer. He smiled back and stood up.

I did the same, ready to go and hide in that bunker until the morning came. I felt as if the police station would come under attack and the interrogation rooms would be the first place they would look.

The door was opened, the man stepping aside for me.

“Thank you,” I said, with him smiling even wider. He wore a grin I did not even want to analyze on his face.

The door was closed, him leading me out of the hallway.

“Emily, I am taking her to the bunkers, and, in the morning, I will take her home.” The male officer said, with Emily smiling and nodding her head. I smiled back at her, thankful.

We walked around the reception, then through a door that had offices left and right of a thin corridor.

Steps down were taken until we stood before a door written ‘Bunker’. The door was opened, bunk beds filling the room. It seemed there was no one in that police station except for them two. He had said that they were understaffed that night.

“You can take that one, it's mine, we don’t want anyone getting angry for sleeping on the bunk bed.” The officer said with me thanking him.

His bunker was by the wall and on the lower bed, which was better than the one on top.

There was a pillow with a thin blanket. I sighed, sitting on the bed and shaking my head, not believing the days I had just had.

“The bathroom is through that door.” The man said with me looking at the door he mentioned, it written bathroom.

“Thank you for everything,” I said politely.

“No problem, rest, you had a very stressful day.” He answered. If only he knew how stressful.

He turned as my feet pulled up from the floor, my body lying on the bed, the thin blanket still wrapped around my body. My head hit the pillow just as the man stepped out and closed the door. The lights were turned off.

My head and body suddenly seemed so heavy, suddenly so tired, with my eyes fluttering closed with the darkness taking me away.