Page 128 of Believe it or Knot

I frown and use my hand on his side to push him out of the way, moving forward and ignoring all the hands that try to keep me at their center. “Of course, Detective. Whatever you need.” My smile is back in place, the one meant to make everyone else comfortable.

“No, sweet thing.” Gray steps up on my other side. “You need rest.” He pins the police officer with a look. “She can come in tomorrow to give her statement.”

My smile doesn’t falter as I look up at him. “No, I can give my statement now.”

Detective Banks slides his gaze between us. “If your pack thinks it’s-”

“They aren’t my pack,” I say as matter-of-factly as I can while the words choke me, make a sharp spike of pain stab my chest. My smile never wavers. “They have no say over what I do.”

“Biscuit,” Gage growls.

“Sweetheart, please,” Liam urges. “Let us take care of you.”

I glance over my shoulder at him, meeting his green eyes with mine. I could say something petty like, ‘oh, you mean how you took care of me before?’ or ‘why would I do that when you’ll just throw me away tomorrow?’ but I don’t have the energy to deal with that right now, so all I say is a firm, “No.” His face crumples and the scent of burnt cheesecake fills the air, but I don’t let it stop me from turning back to the detective. “Do you want to do it here? Or back at the station?”

He flicks his gaze from me to the alphas bristling around me, the omega giving off wounded vibes like I somehow injured him with my refusal.

Maybe I did, but I can’t bring myself to care right now.

“We can head to the station. It will be more comfortable there than standing around here.”

I nod and fold my arms over my chest. “You’ll give me a ride?”

“Sorrel,” Rafe tries. “We can take you.”

“I don’t want you to.”

Detective Banks’ brow furrows, but he does his job and ushers me toward a police cruiser, opening the back door.

“You aren’t putting her in the back like a fucking criminal,” Gray growls at him. My eyes flick to the camera crews for various news stations. I really don’t want to be seen being put into the back of a cop car. It’ll only feed into what people are saying more. That I’m the villain, the criminal, the hateful whore. People will see this and say I deserve it, that I should be locked up for lying to the Cordova pack, lying to America’s sweetheart omega.

Wordlessly, I drop into the backseat and pull the door closed myself. The four men stare at me through the window, various expressions of hurt and pain and anger on their faces. I pointedly turn my face away from them, stare out the front window as Detective Banks rounds the car and slides in the driver’s seat.

His gaze flicks to me in the rearview mirror, considering. “We really can wait until tomorrow. If you have somewhere else, you’d like me to take you?”

I shake my head. “No, I’d rather get it over with. And I know the more time that passes between the event and the interview, the more memories get skewed.”

His brows jump in surprise before he nods. “That’s true.” The engine starts, and I can still feel the eyes of the men I thought loved me on the side of my face. They stay there until we pull away.

I doze off on the ride to the police station, but as soon as the car turns off, I jerk awake, my heart thundering in my chest and panic coursing through me. I relax only marginally when I see we’re in the parking lot of the GPD. After all, I am in the back of a police car like a criminal.

Detective Banks rounds the car and opens the door for me, reaching in to offer me a handout. I ignore it and push to my feet on my own, biting back a groan of pain as everything in my body protests.

Fuck. I hurt. Even with the painkillers the paramedic gave me.

I imagine I’ll feel even worse tomorrow.

Detective Banks looks down at my hands, at my white shirt smeared with dirt and dried blood. “Is any of that yours?” he asks as he ushers me into the building.

I shrug tiredly. “Some of it. Not all.”

His lips tighten. “We’ll find you a place to clean up a bit, yeah?”

I nod. “Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate it.”

He runs another assessing eye over me. “And maybe some other clothes?” I nod my agreement and let him guide me farther into the building, vaguely aware of the doors opening behind us, Liam calling my name. But I don’t turn around.

Detective Banks guides me to a ladies’ restroom and leaves me while I go inside. The harsh overhead light makes me wince, but I don’t waste time heading to the sink and turning on the water. My hands tremble as I shove them under the cool water, and watch as some of the blood and grit wash down the drain.

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