Page 69 of Between Brothers

“Can you tell me what happened here?”

Hayley sniffed and nodded slowly. “I served them and then that one,” she pointed at the dude in the red polo with the fork sticking out of the back of his hand. “He grabbed me and pulled me down into his lap.” Her face crumbled and she scrunched it in an effort not to cry. She took a deep breath and couldn’t keep from breaking down, but pushed out in a warbled voice, “He stuck his hand up my skirt, and grabbed me by the vagina… That’s when my boyfriend came in and stopped him from doing anything else.”

“You the boyfriend?” he asked me and I opened my mouth but Hayley clung to me and stopped me with her own voice.

“They both are. Judge me if you want, but he was just trying to protect me!”

“I see,” the deputy said and his mouth turned down at the corners.

“And what did you do?” he asked me.

“I just kept Hayley out of the way.”

“Uh huh, so you’re telling me that one,” he pointed at Cell, “did all the damage?”

“Wouldn’t you if it were your wife or daughter?” I asked evenly.

The deputy looked at Hayley who was huddled miserably in my arms and back at Cell whose face was painted in a thick layer of seething hatred as he bored holes in the rich kid with his gaze. He looked back over his shoulder at Hayley’s dad and said, “Jake, where were you?”

“Kitchen, and I came out as soon as I heard my little girl scream. Paul just got to her before I could, and it’s a damn good thing, too. I would’ve killed the little bastard. Since he had them, I called you.”

The deputy raised a hand to cut Jake off and made several notes in his notepad. More deputies had arrived and were standing around waiting for any cues from their coworkers on who was getting locked up.

“Ma’am, you want to press assault charges?”

“Absolutely,” Hayley said.

“Alright, hook that one up, take him to the hospital…” he said indicating red polo.

“Unfortunately, I’m going to have to take your boyfriend in, too.”

“What? Why!? He stopped him from hurting me then that one attacked my boyfriend!”

“Their buddy says that’s not how it happened, and until we get this cleared up, it’s best if all of them come down to the station.”

“Take it easy, baby. Blue, get her the fuck out of here and take her home. Call Dragon and see if he can’t get me a lawyer.”

“You’re sure you want to do that?” one of the other deputies called to Cell.

“Fuck yeah, only thing I don’t trust more than pigs is fuckin’ rich little twats. I ain’t stupid, I know my rights – lawyer!”

“Right,” the deputy talking to us sighed. “Get him the fuck out of here.”

Another deputy, a woman with long, light brown hair in a ponytail went up to Cell and heaved on his arm. He stood up and let her march him out the door and into the night. Hayley burst into a fresh round of tears and I held her tight, shushing her and reassuring her it would be alright when on the inside I felt just as bleak… I fucking hated that Cell was going on the inside without me, even though I knew the inside in this case wasn’t like the inside last time.

These were just a bunch of rich little fucks, and probably would get off scot-fucking-free… Cell on the other hand was an ex-con and was probably looking at felony assault. Not to mention a second strike with this. Goddammit…

“Jake…” I said and he looked over to me. I dipped my chin to indicate Hayley and he nodded.

“Take her home. I’ll close up and clean up here... and thanks, the both of you.”

I nodded and looked to the deputy, “You can go. If we need anything else, we’ll call you. It’d be nice if you’d come down in the morning and file official statements and complaints. Might help your… friend.”

“Thanks,” I muttered and took Hayley out front.

I helped her into the passenger seat of her cage and got into the driver’s seat. She handed me the keys from her apron pocket and huddled miserably, gripping my free hand that wasn’t on the wheel the whole way back to her place.

I guess we knew why girls had been quitting left and right, I guess we also knew why they wouldn’t talk about it… fear and money were both pretty fucking powerful motivators.

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