Page 1 of Saving You

CHAPTER 1

Caleb

Fuck!

My radio continues to squawk as dispatch relays more information about the domestic violence call I’m being routed to. These are my least favourite calls. Not that any are really my favourite.

My knuckles turn white as my grip on the steering wheel tightens. I wind my way through the streets of Vancouver’s west side, lights flashing and siren blaring. Dispatch reports that a child made a call saying her daddy is hitting her mommy. Anger radiates through me. Hitting a woman makes you the lowest of low, but to do it in front of children, especially your own, makes it so much worse.

I’ve barely thrown my car into park before I jump out and rush up the front steps. With one hand on top of my gun, I bang on the door hard enough I feel the vibration up my arm.

“Vancouver Police,” I yell.

Raised voices on the other side of the door come through unintelligibly. No one answers.

Again, I bang my fist. “Vancouver Police, answer the door.”

The raised voices quiet, and heavy footsteps make their way to the front door. The door is thrown open forcefully, and an angry-looking man stands on the other side.

He’s got nothing on my six-foot-three frame, but he puffs out his chest, making himself appear as big as possible before saying, “Can I help you, officer?”

“Good evening, my name is Officer Sutton. We got a call about some yelling at this location. Can you please step outside with me?”

The guy looks me up and down, assessing me, before he nods, stepping outside and closing the door. I lead him into the front yard.

“What’s your name?” I ask, grabbing my notepad out of my belt.

“Derek,” he says.

I look up from my writing and stare at him. “Got a last name, Derek?”

“Porter.”

“Okay, can you tell me what’s going on?”

“My ex-wife and I just got into a little disagreement. Everything’s okay.”

The sirens of my backup are getting closer, and the sound causes Derek to look over his shoulder. He stiffens slightly. It’s small enough that if you aren’t trained, you may not notice it.

“Man, is this all really necessary? It was just a small argument between me and my ex. Everything’s all good,” Derek pushes.

“Well, I have to check on all the occupants of the house. You’ll need to stay here with Officer Collins and Officer Macky while I go inside.” I step around him as Collins makes it to my side.

I cautiously swing open the front door, calling, “This is Officer Sutton of the Vancouver Police Department. I’mcoming in.”

Silence greets me on the other side. I methodically make my way through the rooms on the first floor. Once they’re all cleared, I slowly make my way up the staircase, taking in the family photos that line the wall. The photos all seem to be of a stunning blonde and a little girl who has the same blonde hair and freckles. I assume it must be mother and daughter and they’re the ones that reside in the house.

When I get to the top of the stairs, I still, and my body goes tight as the sound of muffled crying reaches my ears. I deliberately make my way down the hall, following the crying. As I do, I check the rooms to ensure they’re empty. I stop when I’m at the last door on my right. As soon as I start to open the door, I hear a scream—the scream of a child.

When the door is fully open, my heart is ripped from my chest. The blonde woman, from the photos, sits on the floor in the corner, holding her daughter to her chest as she rocks and soothes her. The woman’s face is covered in red spots I know will be severely bruised by tomorrow. She has a split lip and a cut above her left eye. She sits there stoically, not a single tear running down her face as she holds her daughter’s small frame like her life depends on it. She continues to coo to her, telling her, “Mommy’s okay.” The little girl can’t be any older than five.

The girl spots me and wipes at her tears as she slowly takes me in.

I click my radio and say into it, “I’ve got the mom and daughter in the daughter’s room on the second floor. Last door on the right. Hold the father outside.”

Collins acknowledges my instructions, and I turn down the volume of the radio and crouch, wanting to get closer to their level.

“My name’s Officer Sutton, you guys are safe now.”

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