Page 66 of The Hitch
"I mean, you know he's important, right?"
"Well… yeah. Yeah, of course. Shit! Is this the same people who hacked our phones?" My head swims, and I lean into her, resting my cheek on the cold metal between our faces.
"Probably. Oh, fuck, I hear something! Shush!" She releases my hand and scuttles away from me, shakily getting to her feet.
"Good morning, ladies! How are we feeling?"
I furrow my brow and try to think. The voice sounds so familiar, but I can't place it. My heart pounds faster as their footsteps come down the stairs, inching closer by the second.
Click.
"Oh, fuck," I gasp and shield my eyes. Horrendously bright fluorescent lights attack my senses and overwhelm me in an instant.
"Stay away from her," Helena snarls. She deserves a raise. The biggest raise. I don't think I have that authority, but I don't care. She's beat to hell and still worried about me? What have I done to deserve her?
"Relax, momma bear. I'm just checking in on our distinguished guest." The person taps on the metal bars of my cage, and I squint into the bright light.
"Who are you?" I whisper.
"You don't remember me? I'm hurt, Melly-bean. I thought we had a really nice rapport going on." They laugh, and my eyes finally focus. Black boots tap impatiently before me below dark navy pants with bright blue piping on the outside seams. A black leather jacket embroidered with the police insignia on the breast tops off the look, and my mouth goes dry. Trembling, I focus on her face, and I know I'm completely fucked. Her bright red hair is, as always, swept back into a low bun. The fluorescent lighting makes the red practically glow.
"D-detective Ella?" I manage to stammer out.
"You do remember me! I knew you had it in you, kiddo. And wow, you sure are speedrunning life accomplishments, huh? Last we spoke, you'd just gotten married. And now you'repregnant!Congratulations on the little demon spawn, Mel." She lets out a sadistic laugh and stares down at me.
"Why are we here?" I squeak out and chance a peek over at Helena. She hangs her head and stares at the floor, mumbling something under her breath.
"What, you don't like my accommodations? Used to luxury hotels already?" She pops a squat and stares directly into my eyes. "I'msavingyou, can't you tell?"
"Saving me? From what?" My head throbs again, and I can't help but groan from the pain.
"From yourself, obviously. You're a danger to society. You've killed, what, three? Four people? There's no rehabilitating that. No, it's best to keep you sequestered away. You and your little accomplice over there." She jerks her head over at Helena.
"No. Helena didn't do anything. She hasn't even seen anything—I've never talked to her about… about that." I shake my head and wince again. Fuck, everything I do justhurts.
"About what, Melody? Speak up, now." Ella rattles her baton—god, where did that come from?—against the bars.
"About the murders!" I yell. "I never told her that I killedanyone!"
"So, you admit you killed people?" Ella smirks.
"Sure. Whatever. I killed Charlie, I killed Frank, I killed… shit, who even was that other guy?" My head swims in the blinding light. "I don't know who that was. But I did. I did it. Helena didn't doanything."
"Thanks ever so much, Melody. That's all I need—for now. Get used to this face, Mel-bell. You'll be seeing itallover the news." Ella clicks something in her pocket and abruptly turns away from me, practically skipping back over to the stairs. The stairs that stand between me and freedom.
Helena and I stay absolutely still, absolutely silent until we hear theclunkof the steel door locking shut. She breathes out a puff of air and scoots closer to me again. "God dammit."
"What just happened?" I rub my eyes and hide my face. Fuck, Ella left those god-awful lights on. I don't want her to comeback, but maybe I can throw something at the light switch. It's too bright. It's toomuch.
"I think you might have just confessed to multiple murders. To a cop," Helena says shakily.
Holy shit. I did. Idid. I'm a fucking idiot, and I freely, verbally,stupidlyconfessed to multiple goddamn murders to apig. "Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. Fucking hell. Shit!"
Helena whispers something, but I can't hear it. I can't hear her. I can only hear myself and my frantic breaths. The blood rushing through my veins. The skip in my heartbeat, pounding against my ribs, and the weight of my actions crushing my skull.
"Melody!" Helena jabs at my shoulder through the bars. "It's going to be okay. Really. The Consortium has the best lawyers, and if I know Dante like I think I do? He's going to retainallof them."
"But what if it doesn't work?"
