Chapter 21

Van

"You got it, seriously, that quick?" I'm fucking dumbfounded that Bre was able to do what I wasn't. I should have let her do it from the beginning and be the one to show up at the restaurant instead.

"Yep, I should really look into a new profession; acting, police work, who knows? Now get those legs moving so we can win back your girl and get the trash taken care of."

We rush out the door together. She's moving a mile a minute with purpose in each step.

"Where are we going?" I ask, out of breath when we finally reach the car.

"To the police station to give them their proof. Then we can sit back and watch as Barbi gets what she deserves. Once we show Olivia everything, she'll have no choice but to forgive you. There's nothing you did wrong."

Bre hits the unlock button on her key fob, just before opening the driver's door and sliding behind the wheel.

My stomach twists into knots. Is this it? Am I finally going to get the woman I love back.?

She rolls down the window and yells. "Are you coming or not?"

I run to the passenger side and get in. Bre doesn't even give me a chance to shut the door before she's speeding out of the parking lot.

"Alpha" by Little Destroyer plays on the radio on the way to the precinct, and she blares the song after telling me it's one of several on her War mix on Spotify. I cradle my phone in my hand, flipping through my photo gallery of the pictures of Olivia and me.

Each one is another knife in my gut. If I hadn't gone out that night, I'd never be in this situation. Olivia would never have thought I cheated on her, nor would she have fallen into the arms of those older men.

Please let me still have a chance of winning her back.

The ticking beat of the turn signal pulls my gaze up as she turns into the parking lot of the police station. Memories of the laughter and ridicule I endured the last time I was here flood my thoughts.

A sharp pain cuts through me, as fear seeps in that it'll be the same result this time. It doesn't matter that I have proof of Barbi's crimes. I'm still a man trying to accuse a woman of rape.

"STOPPPP!" Bre smacks me with her hand across my chest.

"What the fuck did you do that for?"

"You're in your fucking head. It's not the same as last time. It's not just a video of her having sex with you that we're showing them. But for the record, that was ample proof. It's clear you were fucking drugged. We have her admitting to the rape. If they don't do something this time, they're corrupt as fuck, and we'll escalate this shit higher."

I just shake my head. If the police don't believe me, then there's no way Olivia is going to. Bre pulls into a parking spot and shuts off the car.

"Who else would we take it to if they don't listen?"

"The governor, the news, fuck, anyone who will listen. Then we'll sue the fucking police for obstruction of justice, defamation of character, anything we fucking can."

"Fine. Let's get this over with."

I blow out a deep breath and open my door, seeing Bre do the same thing out of the corner of my eye.

We walk side by side to the front door. Taking hold of the handle, I pull it open, allowing Bre to enter in before me.

Bre heads toward the desk, shoulders back and with determination in her step. "We need to speak with Detective Fischer."

"And what is it pertaining to?" the older, fat officer behind the desk asks as he smacks on gum.

Fucking annoying as shit and all I want to do is gouge out his eyeballs as he's doing it.

"A rape. We reported it already, but we have more evidence," Bre snaps.

"Hold on." Officer Butts, according to his badge, stands and walks away, annoyance written all over his face.

I already know it's going to be just like last time. It was bad enough then, the way they looked at me when I told them what happened. How they laughed about a woman being able to take advantage of me.

"It's going to be okay. Just calm down. As soon as we're done here, we're going straight to Olivia's house. The two of you will be back together before the sun rises tomorrow."

I just smile. She says that's going to happen, but I'm not believing it until it happens.

Officer Butts heads back our way with the male detective from the last time we were here. Both of them look at me as they whisper and laugh.

This was a fucking bad idea.

"Detective Fischer will be with you shortly. She's finishing up something," Officer Butts explains as he takes his seat behind the desk.

"Mr. Michaels, as I told you before, I can't do anything with that video. Are you seriously back again to try it?" He crosses his arms once he's standing in front of us in an act of intimidation. It's working too.

God, he's a fucking prick.

"Sorry, whoever you are, but we're working with someone else now. If you could kindly disappear." My heart races with how Bre's talking to him, an officer of the law. If I don't reel her in, she's going to be sitting in a jail cell.

"Is there a problem here?" a female voice speaks up.

It's Detective Fischer. A small ounce of relief takes over.

"Yes. But now that you're here, we're fine. We have a confession from the perpetrator." I rub my sweaty hands along my pants.

"A confession." Detective Fischer's eyebrow raises at our words and the two men's mouths gape open.

"Yeah, we have a recording of her confessing that she drugged and raped Van. That, and the video, should be proof enough to convict her." She cuts her eyes to the detective who's still listening in. "Or do we need to take it to the press and let them know how you treated Van?"

Bre's a fucking wildcat. I'm barely able to contain my laughter at the look on his face.

"Follow me to my office." Detective Fischer covers her mouth with her hand. From the sound she's making, I know she's muffling her laughter. Turning, she swiftly walks away.

Bre and I fall in step behind her, only stopping when we're in her office. She shuts the door before taking a seat behind her desk.

"Let me see what you have."

Bre pulls out her phone and begins playing the recording. She places her hands on the desk, clasping them together as she listens. Clearing her throat, she finally speaks. "Can you email that and the video, please?" She provides her email and Bre quickly fires them off to her.

"Is that enough proof?" I ask.

"It is." She reaches into her desk and pulls out some paper. "Can you write all the information you have for her down here? I'll be right back, and we can start the paperwork."

Detective Fischer stands and leaves the room. Bre and I don't say a word until she's gone.

"It worked," I finally say in disbelief.

"I told you it would."

I write down all I know about her and my recount of the events just in case she needs that. I'm so caught up that I don't realize Fischer has returned.

"Okay, let's get started. I contacted the DA and we have suitable evidence to issue a warrant for Barbi Johnson's arrest. As soon as we have it in the system, she'll be picked up."

It takes another thirty minutes to finish up.

"Okay, you're free to go. We'll be in contact."

"What about Barbi?" I ask.

"As soon as the warrant is typed up, an officer will head to her home. She'll be in custody within the next hour. There's nothing more for you to do tonight. I do suggest that if she tries to reach out to you, avoid all contact with her."

"I will, and thank you." I'm so happy that she handled my case and not the other detective.

Bre and I exit her office and leave the station.

"Let's get your girl back."

I'm balls deep in Grady when my phone starts going off. Fuck if I'm going to leave my man to speak to whoever it is. That's why voicemail was invented. You leave a message and if the person wants to call you back, they will.

But when it doesn't stop, I begin to worry.

Is someone hurt?

Is it Olivia?

Maybe she changed her mind about needing a break.

My thrusts increase, my body on fire about the possibility until I'm shooting my load in Grady's tight ass.

We're a heaving, panting mess as I slowly pull out of him, my cum dripping from his hole.

"I don't know what happened, but fuck baby, that was hot. The way you sped up like that at the end."

We haven't even been able to clean up before my phone goes off again.

"Who's that?" he asks, reaching down to the floor, picking up his discarded shirt. He cleans me up and then himself.

"No clue. Let me check. Maybe it's Olivia." Grady's face brightens at my words.

"We can only hope," he says.

Even if it's not, we're already firmly on board the let's win her back train.

I get up from the bed and head to the dresser where my phone is charging. When I pick it up, my smile fades, the corners curving down.

"Who is it?" Grady asks anxiously.

"Jessica," solemnly falls from my lips.

"What does she want?"

"I don't know."

As soon as the ringing stops, it starts back up again. Reluctantly, I swipe up.

"It's about fucking time you answered. What the hell were you doing? Fucking that homewrecking man again?" Her screeching voice comes through the line so loudly, I have to hold the phone away from my ear.

"Shut up, Jessica," I bark at her. "You will not speak about my husband like that. It's none of your business what we do. What are you calling me for, anyway?"

"It's Barbi. My sweet baby girl has been arrested."

"What!?" I shout.

"I just told you. She's been arrested. They're charging her with rape. You need to get down to the police station and bail her out. We need a lawyer, and I can't afford one, so you need to do that. We need a good one, the most expensive one you can get to make these accusations go away."

The boy must have gone to the cops. Good for him. Not that I enjoy the thought of my daughter being behind bars, but maybe this is what she needs to teach her a lesson.

"No," I tell her bluntly.

"What do you mean, no? She's your daughter, for christ's sake."

"I don't need to tell you why I said no. If she's been arrested, then there has to be concrete evidence." I can't let her know that I know about the video Barbi sent Olivia. Grady watched it and said the guy looked out of it. If he truly was, Barbi needs to be held accountable.

"How can you treat your daughter this way?"

"Easy. You poisoned her against me, turning her into the woman she is today. You made her a cruel person who goes out of her way to hurt everyone and anyone. All Barbi cares about is herself and what she can get. So no, I'm not getting an attorney and I'm not bailing her out."

I can hear her seething through the line.

"Kipp. Our daughter is in jail. She's our flesh and blood and you're just going to let her sit there."

"That's exactly what I'm doing. I had a long talk with our daughter at lunch not long ago and she made her choice. She insists that Grady is a homewrecker which we both know isn't true, but you insist on telling people. And she only contacts me when she wants money, which is what you're doing now. So I'm done with both of you. While I'd love to have Barbi in my life, until she changes, it's not happening. If she's innocent, the investigation will prove that. Let the police do their job. Barbi's an adult. She can clean up her own mess. I'm not doing it."

I know the fireworks are about to happen. Jessica is the biggest cunt of them all and she's molding Barbi in her image.

"How fucking dare you! Barbi's innocent. The boy that accused her is obsessed with her. He just so happens to be her best friend, Olivia's boyfriend. He had sex with our baby girl and when Olivia found out, he cried rape. It's laughable. A man, raped. Really."

"Jessica, I'm done. Don't call me again."

I hang up the call and turn off my phone. I don't want to deal with her or my daughter tonight.

"So he did it?" Grady slips his arms around my waist, pulling me tight against him.

"Yeah, looks like he did. They've arrested Barbi for rape."