Nemesis
1644 Words
Annika's POV
The police took us from that mess in cuffs. Erica screamed and shrieked but none of them spared us a glance. Kade's final words stuck in my mind. "Those psychos deserve to be locked up to learn their lesson."
My heart ached and I foolishly glanced at Rowan. I didn't know what I was expecting, he didn't even look my way. He glanced at her with a tender look in his eyes. "Don't mind them, everything will be fine."
At that point, I stopped crying as something went cold in me.
********
Spending the night in jail was definitely not how I had pictured my vacation unfolding. The hotel had wasted no time reporting us. Between the live-streamed break-in, our screaming, the baseball bat swinging, Rowan’s bleeding head, and that vixen shaking like a frightened lamb in front of the officers, proving our innocence had been impossible.
The steel bars creaked open. The air inside smelled of stale piss, sweat, and bleach, making my stomach twist violently. Erica was a complete mess. She had been hysterical the entire ride, screaming Kade’s name, kicking at the seats, and clawing at the officers.
They had to physically wrestle her toward the cell, my head was pounding with a bad headache.“Let go of me! You can’t do this to us! You should be arresting that bastard instead!” she shrieked, planting her feet and refusing to move another inch.
Her face was flushed red, veins standing out on her neck. The officers’ expressions hardened with clear annoyance. I was too drained to even try calming her.
I watched her spiral with a bone-deep exhaustion settling over me. I hadn’t shed a single tear since they dragged us from the hotel room. It wasn’t that the pain had vanished but the tears simply refused to fall anymore.
“Stop struggling and get in,” one officer snapped. “You’ll be lucky if they don’t press full assault charges after the stunt you pulled.” He gave her a hard shove.
Erica fell face-first onto the filthy concrete floor. My heart ached for her but I wasn’t in any better condition. The same officer turned to me with a mocking smirk. “You want the same treatment?”I shook my head silently and stepped inside on my own.
The door creaked as it closed behind us followed by the clicking sound of the lock behind me. I turned around to face the officer. "Please wait," I called out before he walked away.
He stopped. His face scrunched up etched with irritation. "What do you want?" He snapped. I flinched at his tone, my fingers curled into my skin.
"Can I make a call? We are entitled to at least one phone call." I requested. The police officer was taken aback for a moment before he quickly recovered.
"You are entitled to one call per person, to a lawyer or a family member." He explained and I felt a wave of relief wash over me. "But I have to ask for permission first. " His gaze drifted to Erica who was still on the floor crying
"Keep your friend in check. She has caused a lot of trouble. " I shuddered at his words, fully aware of how difficult Erica could be when she lost control.
His footsteps echoed down the hall and faded away. We weren’t alone in the cell, but the other women barely spared a glance at the two wrecked girls who had just been thrown in. I moved over to Erica, crouched down, and gently pulled her to her feet.
"Sorry, it will be fine. He wasn't worth it." I said tiredly pulling her into a hug. She latched onto me, her body was trembling.
"I'm going to ruin him, Annie." She cried. "That bastard couldn't keep it in his trousers. " I patted her back. I just silently held her and let her cry. She and Kade had been married for less than 2 years and it was already falling apart.
"Do you have anyone to call?" I asked softly. I knew neither Kade nor Rowan was going to bail us out. They probably wanted to teach us a lesson and we didn't know anyone in the city. In other words, we were screwed big time
She quietly shook her head
A few minutes later, footsteps approached again. Erica’s crying had quieted into shaky breaths, she was still pretty devastated. I heard the cell lock click open, the officer's voice boomed .."You can make your call. You have just 5 minutes. "
My stomach churned with anxiety. I released Erica and followed the officer. He pointed at an old phone mounted on the wall. Under his watchful stare, I dialled the familiar number with trembling fingers. My stomach twisted into tighter knots as I waited. I knew almost no one in this city. This was my last resort.
After what felt like an eternity a tired deep baritone voice reached my ears. "Who is this?" Just hearing his voice made my eyes burn again..
I forced my mouth to open. My voice came out raspy. "It's Annika. I have been arrested, and I need someone to bail me out."
Silent drawled followed by a sharp intake of breath. "Annika," he said sceptically. "What are you doing in jail? Weren't you on vacation with Rowan, what did that bastard do?" His voice was sharp. I could feel his anger all the way here.
That's my brother, Dominic, for you. Hearing the concern in my voice the tears that refused to fall came rolling down and my voice came out in sobs. "Rowan cheated on me. I can't explain in detail but I need help."
A loud crashing sound like ceramic crashing against the wall rang from his side. "That bastard did what?" Dominic barked and I flinched instinctively crying louder
He was pissed. He drew in a deep breath to get himself under control. "What police station are you in? I'm not close by but a friend of mine is in the city and he would get you out."
The tears fell harder as relief washed over me. "Thank you. " I chimed and then described the address. He said a few more words to me before assuring me. "Just hang on a while help is coming and as for the Rowan guy he trash like that isn't worth your tears."
The call hung up. Honestly, Dominic was never a fan of Rowan but I was so in love with the jerk that Dominic accepted Rowan. I placed the phone back all I had to do was wait.
I trusted Dominic to handle this well.
******
Bang. Bang.
My eyes flew open. An officer was slamming his baton against the cell bars. Erica, who had been leaning against me asleep, stirred with furrowed brows.
She had cried herself to sleep.
"Hey, you two. Get up, someone is here for you." The officer snapped at us. Our eyes went wide, and every ounce of sleep in my eyes immediately disappeared.
The cell was pushed open. I managed to get on my feet and followed the officer down the hallway. Erica was clinging to me the entire time. "Do you have any idea who Dominic called? "She asked the same question in my mind. I silently shook my head.
It didn't matter who. I just wanted to get out of here as long as it wasn't one particular person but as far as I knew he would never help me out. He hated my guts.
We arrived at the police station lobby. The officer passed a small plastic bag to us containing our seized belongings. My eyes darted around the lobby. I couldn't spot any familiar faces
"Please where is the person who bailed us?" I asked. The officer looked confused, and the lady across the receptionist counter was the one who spoke up.
"The young man who came for you just stepped out for a phone call." She explained. I instinctively glanced at the door
Call it fate or if the universe itself was mocking me, the door opened at that exact moment and a face I knew too well stepped inside.
Our eyes locked. Those sharp emerald eyes that always seemed to know too much and had gotten on my nerves every single time we crossed paths. My fists clenched at my sides. Suddenly, spending another night in this hellhole didn’t sound so terrible.
A slow smirk curled up his lips and he casually strode towards me with one hand tucked in his pocket. He stopped just a step away yet his presence felt overwhelming and placed me on edge. "I heard you got into a fight, princess. " he snickered his voice was dripping with contempt
"If you wanted someone to babysit you there are way better ways to do it." He sneered and my jaw clenched so hard my teeth seemed like they might crack.
I glared a dagger at that annoying face. On a normal day, I was a sucker for a pretty face except for one face. Vaughn Draven, my brother's best friend and the one asshole I can't stand.
"Trust me you are the last person I want to see. " I hissed at him. He laughed. The sound was dry and humourless with a smile not reaching his eyes.
"Likewise princess. Next time you want to break your cheating boyfriend's head, don't do it in my city." There wasn't the smallest hint of amusement in his tone. He didn't wait for me to respond, he turned around and headed for the door.
“Either drag your feet and keep up, or find your own way out,” he said before disappearing through the door
My already awful day had officially turned to complete s**t. Perfect.
- Writer
