Page 134 of An Inconvenient Marriage
“Natalie.” Zach’s hold on me tightened. “I—”
Whatever he wanted to say was lost when an officer grabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet. He shouted in pain and reached for his right side.
My limbs were frozen.
Zach was covered in blood. His hands, his arm, his chest. I reached for my cheeks where he’d held me, and when I withdrew my fingers, they, too, were stained red.
What the hell?
More yelling and cries of pain bounced off the walls.
My gaze snapped to where the officer and Zach were. The officer’s mouth moved, but Zach wasn’t listening. He kicked and twisted his body, trying to free himself from the officer’s hold.
I’d never seen him like this. Wild and feral, like an animal trying to escape captivity.
Until he roared, “I need to talk to my fucking wife.”
And just like that, everything came rushing back. The day’s events—well, most of it, because I still couldn’t remember anything after my father slapped me—slammed into me with the force of a freight train, shattering my heart all over again. If I searched hard enough, I would probably see the tiny fragments of it scattered around me.
Because I couldn’t bear to see him, I turned my attention away from Zach just in time to see a female officer drop to her haunches. Reaching out, she put her hand on my shoulder. “Where are—?”
“I’m not his wife.” Saying the raspy words out loud not only hurt my throat but it wrecked my heart.
The officer looked at me like I’d grown a second head. So I said it again, “I’m not his wife. I don’t want to talk to him.”
“You don’t have to talk to anyone you don’t want to.” She gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze, flicking her gaze over her shoulder at her colleague and Zach. “She doesn’t want to see him, can you take him outside, please?”
“What the fuck?” Zach yelled. “Natalie! Fucking let go. Natalie!”
His tone had gone from furious to broken in a matter of seconds, and I could have sworn I heard his voice crack the last time he called out for me. But then he was quiet.
That’s what I wanted, so why didn’t I feel relieved?
My eyes stung, and when I blinked, two thick tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Can you tell me what happened here?” The female officer’s soft voice forced me back to the present.
I shook my head. “I… I… don’t…” Taking a painful breath, I tried again. “My father, he wanted to sell me, I think. I’m not sure. And then Jack wanted to… And Zach… he…” I kept shaking my head. The words were there inside my brain, so why wouldn’t they come out in a coherent sentence?
“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything now. The ambulance will be here shortly.”
Sitting next to me, she took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m Officer Cambrook.”
She didn’t say anything else or ask any questions. I was grateful for that. Especially since my mind was still desperately trying to make sense of it all.
I realized then that I’d heard and seen Zach but not my father or Jack. Scanning the room, I tried to find them. And that’s when I saw him.
“My father’s dead.”
It was nothing more than a whisper intended for my ears only. But the female officer still heard me.
“The victim is your father?”
I nodded, the movement slow and heavy. “How… how did he die?”
“Well, we’re hoping you can tell us that.”
“I don’t know.” My gaze stayed locked on the lifeless body on the floor.
