Chapter 8
Joanna
Fear lodged itself in my throat as I jerked my hands out of Bastian’s soothing grip. I rushed over to the bedroom window to see Sid and his partner, Joe, getting in Ethan’s face. They were both dressed in uniform and armed.
“Shit.” I gasped and turned to look at Bastian as he zipped up the last suitcase hurriedly. “What are we going to do? I didn’t think he’d come here first.”
“Roll that suitcase out behind me,” Bastian said. “We are going to load them into the SUV. That’s what we are going to do. He’s not going to do anything dressed in a uniform.”
I wanted to believe that calm air about Bastian, but the uneasy feeling in my stomach only grew as I followed Bastian out the front door. Sid twisted his furious gaze away from Ethan, who stood up against the SUV with an unperturbed look on his face. Sid’s eyes immediately landed on Bastian, who continued down the pathway without batting an eyelash.
“What the fuck is this shit?” Sid demanded hotly. “You call to tell me that you’re leaving me, and you’re leaving with this fucking prick?”
I couldn’t even think of a response as Sid stepped in Bastian’s path to stop the both of us. He glared at me from around Bastian’s shoulder.
“I see how it is,” Sid said darkly. “You figured that I’d go to your work first, so you were coming home for some morning delight. No wonder you got such a promotion, Jo. You were always good at doing things on your back.”
“She earned her promotion,” Bastian countered smoothly. “Excuse me. You can’t keep us here against our will. You’re a cop. You know all about entrapment.”
“Right,” Sid said, scoffing. “Entrapment? How about trespassing on you? You aren’t welcome in my house.”
“I was invited by Joanna to come help her get her things.”
“She’s not on the lease for this house, nor on any of the bills,” Sid said.
Bastian shook his head. “Even I know trespassing doesn’t work like that.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
My fingers were clutching the handle of my suitcase so tightly that it hurt. I knew Sid wouldn’t do anything crazy with Bastian unless provoked because it would make it easier to explain everything away to his supervisor. He was biding his time for Bastian to do something.
“I followed your phone here,” Sid said, as if it were the most obvious thing. “I pay for it, Jo. You think I don’t have something to follow you around with?”
I blanched at the realization. It made perfect sense why Sid knew where I was at all times. He had something installed on my phone to keep track of my whereabouts. The pit of my stomach churned with nausea. Things had gone too far. I needed to leave before Bastian was forced to leave me behind.
“I’m leaving you,” I said again. “I’m serious, Sid. I don’t want any more of this relationship.”
His eyes flashed dangerously as he took a step off the pathway to head in my direction. Bastian immediately put himself between us and shoved Sid back into the snowy lawn with surprising strength. It sent Sid skittering back in visible surprise. He orientated himself again and pulled out his gun to point it at Bastian.
Fear stabbed through my heart coldly and painfully. It left me breathless as I stared at Sid’s dark eyes, which were focused on Bastian in front of me.
“Sid,” I shrieked. I tried to move in front of Bastian, but he kept me pushed behind him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Arrest them, Joe,” Sid said calmly. “They’re trespassing. The driver and Mr. Burke here are not welcome on my property.”
Ethan protested as Joe immediately shoved him up against the back of the SUV to slap on handcuffs. Hot tears filled my eyes as Sid yanked Bastian in the direction of the squad car with the barrel of his pistol pressed between his shoulder blades. He waited for Joe to place Ethan in the back of the squad before releasing Bastian to let Joe cuff him, too.
The suitcase handle slipped from my numb fingers as Sid stalked up the pathway in my direction. He grasped my elbow tightly in his fingers. I couldn’t even squirm in pain as Sid wiggled his gun in my face.
“Remember what I promised you?” he said, his breath puffing out in front of my face. “You’re such a slut, Jo. It’s really a shame, because you were so good for a long time until you started working for that bastard over there.”
“Sid,” I cried out, squirming against the pinch of his fingers on my elbow. “You’re hurting me. There are neighbors out here to see what is going on.”
“I know the law, sweetheart. He’s trespassing on my property.”
I looked over to where Bastian was standing calmly alongside the sidewalk as Joe rifled through his wallet for a driver’s license.
“You’re making a mistake,” Bastian told Joe with a threat underlying his voice. “You have no idea who you are fucking with, man. Look at the card and picture next to my driver’s license.”
“Don’t listen to his bullshit,” Sid spat as he picked up my suitcase from the ground. He grabbed me by the arm again. “Just put him in the car, Joe. Don’t listen to him.”
Joe pulled out a card and a small photograph from Bastian’s wallet. The color in his face drained before he looked over at Sid with panic in his eyes.
“Sid,” he hissed, “this guy is friends with the governor.”
Sid scowled at his partner. “Your point?”
“His point is that I’m close friends with the man who can yank your badge the second I ask him to do it,” Bastian said. “Not to mention I go golfing with the mayor and the chief of police on a regular basis.”
“Don’t undo those cuffs,” Sid snapped as Joe reached behind Bastian’s back. “Who the fuck cares about who your friends are?”
“I do, man,” Joe snapped back. “I have a wife and a family to care for. I can’t afford to lose my job because of your fucked-up temper. Just let her go.”
Joe undid the handcuffs, and Bastian rubbed at his wrist while he grabbed his wallet and things back from Joe. He started up the sidewalk to pick up the suitcase Sid had dropped to the ground, Joe on his heels.
“Put the gun down,” Joe said, placing a hand on Sid’s shoulder. “Come on, man. This ain’t the way to do shit. Your neighbors are looking out the windows.”
Violent shudders went through me that had nothing to do with the icy blast of cold winter air that pushed against us. Sid released my elbow when Joe pulled him away from me, but I didn’t mistake the promise in his eyes. A promise of revenge.
“Get in the car,” Bastian told me quietly. “Don’t get out no matter what happens.” He turned to Joe. “Can you release my driver?”
Sid stood motionlessly in the middle of the pathway with his eyes burning into my back while I stumbled forward on wobbly legs. I didn’t hesitate to slide into the warm SUV as Joe released Ethan from the back of the car. Ethan opened the trunk to place the suitcases inside as quickly as possible.
“I’m only going to make this clear once,” Bastian said in an even voice. Rage sparked in his eyes, though, when he glanced over at me. “She doesn’t want to be with you. She told you she was leaving, so you better let her go. For your best interest, let her the fuck go. Don’t contact her. Don’t track her down. I’ll be personally informing the governor, the mayor, and the police chief that he needs to open an investigation into your unit, but also into your personal career as a police officer.”
“Fuck you,” Sid said coldly. “You think I care about what anyone tells me to do?”
“You like being a police officer because no one questions your authority,” Bastian said, shrugging his shoulders. “You don’t want to lose that sense of power, so I wouldn’t suggest crossing me further. I’ll have your badge and gun by the end of the week, along with several lawsuits against you and your partner here for an illegal arrest and assault.” He turned to catch Ethan’s gaze. “Let’s get out of here.”
I kept my gaze on the floorboard as Bastian quickly climbed into the passenger seat with me. He shut the door, blocking out Sid’s loud swearing in the morning air. Ethan didn’t even bother with his seat belt before he floored it away from the curb in the direction of the freeway. He let out a shaky sigh as he looked in the rearview mirror at Bastian.
“You’re lucky that I love working for you,” he said. “I nearly got fucking killed by two corrupt cops without knowing what the hell is going on.”
“Make sure to ask questions next time,” Bastian replied, a ghost of a grin tugging at his lips. “That goes against your job description, though.”
Ethan let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, well, duly noted for next time. I’m just glad we’re driving away from that crazy son of a bitch.”
Numbness washed over me as I stared out at the wintery landscape while Ethan pulled onto the freeway. Free. The word repeated itself in my mind. A wave of emotions crashed over me as I glanced at Bastian, who was busily texting on his phone. He was the image of perfect calm despite just having a gun pointed directly at him.
My phone buzzed from inside my purse. I reached for it out of habit and found Sid’s name flashing on the screen.
“Can I see your phone?” Bastian asked.
I looked up in surprise at the question. Slowly, I handed it over while Bastian glanced down at the caller ID with a humorless laugh. He rolled down the passenger window and tossed my phone right out.
“Hey,” I exclaimed, twisting around to watch the phone shatter into a million pieces, followed by a car driving over it. “That’s my phone, Bastian. My parents call me, and if they—”
“He’s using that phone to track you, remember? He would have used it to follow us. I can guarantee you that.”
I sat back in the passenger seat because he was right. Sid had used my phone to track my whereabouts, but I needed a phone to at least call my parents. They needed to know that I was going to be okay. I had to warn them, too.
“I need a phone to warn my parents,” I said. “If he calls them—”
“It’s going to be fine, Jo,” Bastian said, and he reached across to lay a hand on my bouncing knee. “Your nerves are shot. I’m going to buy you a new phone to use. That way he can’t track you and there’s no way to get ahold of you.”
“You’re going to buy me a new phone?”
“Yes,” he said. “A new one with only a few numbers in it. Ethan, pull off on the next exit to go to the Apple Store. Might need a new computer while we’re at it.”
He didn’t give me a chance to argue against it. Ethan parked in front of the Apple Store, and both of us waited inside the SUV while Bastian went inside. He emerged from the store fifteen minutes later with a large bag tucked under his arm.
“New phone,” Bastian said as he handed a small box to me with the newest iPhone model inside. “There’s also a new computer and iPad in there, too. I don’t know what he has placed on your computer, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it tracks you the second you turn it on.”
I stared down at the new Apple products in the seat between us. Tears prickled my eyes when I looked up at Bastian’s smile, and I finally succumbed to the emotions bubbling inside me.