“It’ll save gas,” he says dryly. He flashes a half-smile, one that reminds me of Lo.
My brother, Lily, Connor and Rose just stay and witness the disagreement, waiting for me to make a f**king decision.
I don’t think long about it. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to call a f**king cab.”
But I have no real time to even take out my cellphone. At that same moment, another car drives up on the runway. As soon as I get a good look at it, my face hardens, my shoulders lock, and my heart f**king drops.
“What…” Daisy’s voice pitches with fear.
The vehicle rolls to a stop beside the Escalade, blue lights flashing silently on the roof. A police officer emerges, his eyes locked on me, confirming my gut feeling.
I’m about to go to jail.
“What’s going on?” Lo asks, looking to our father for answers.
My dad’s brows furrow, and I see the confusion all over his face. He didn’t know about this. The officer approaches me with a stern gait, and Daisy holds tightly onto my hand, refusing to let go.
“Daisy,” Rose calls, stepping towards her, but Connor forces his wife back with an outstretched arm.
“Lily, keep Rose here,” he orders.
“Richard—” Rose refutes.
“Let me handle it,” Connor says calmly. Rose backs down, and Lily does as she’s told, grabbing Rose’s hand and keeping her by her side, away from whatever the f**k is about to happen.
“What’s going on?” my brother asks the officer again.
He answers by stopping right in front of me. “Ryke Meadows?”
“Yeah.” I don’t know why he f**king asks whether it’s me. He knows it is.
Then the officer takes out handcuffs, and I hear a car door shut. I look up, and a second police officer is coming as back up.
I immediately shake off Daisy’s hand. “You need to go with Connor,” I tell her. He’s already walking towards Daisy to take her home.
“No.” Daisy shakes her head repeatedly, and I think we both know what this is about and where this is headed.
“Yes,” I growl. “This isn’t up for f**king discussion. You’re going home with them. I’ll see you later.”
“You did nothing wrong,” she tells me, tears welling. Connor puts a hand on her shoulder and starts guiding her backwards towards his limo. “You did nothing wrong!”
Doesn’t f**king matter.
“Ryke Meadows,” the first officer says, ignoring Daisy, “you’re under arrest for statutory rape—”
Daisy bursts into tears. “No!” she cries like someone stabbed her heart. My face contorts in pain as I watch her, knowing she’s blaming herself for putting me here. But it’s not her f**king fault.
“You have the right to remain silent….” I can’t hear anything else. My ears buzz. All the happiness that I saw in Daisy just completely snuffs out in a f**king instant. She tries to rush over to me, but Connor grabs her around the waist, forcing her back. She sobs, and I can’t do a f**king thing. I just have to stand here and watch.
I clench my teeth so hard that my jaw f**king aches. The officer comes behind me and aggressively pulls my arms to my lower back. My strained muscles burn as he cuffs one of my wrists and then the other.
I’m fairly certain I know who called the cops on me. The woman who couldn’t meet my eyes for the last half of the flight. The woman who threatened me with this very f**king thing in Daisy’s bedroom.
“…in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney—”
“He didn’t f**king do anything!”
That’s not Daisy.
That’s my brother. He’s defending me. My stomach twists, filled with too much emotion to speak, to move just yet.
“If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you—”
The officer doesn’t stop, not even for Lo. The second one comes forward to steer me to the police car.
“HEY!” Lo shouts, about to f**king lose it. “Did you not f**king hear me?!” He steps between the second officer, blocking him from the cop car.
“Lo,” I cut in, my heart hammering. I’m more f**king scared for him even though I’m the one cuffed right now. My brother doesn’t need to be thrown in a jail cell with me.
The second officer glares at Lo. “You need to step out of the way or we’re going to have to take you in too.”
“He’s a good person!”
My father is still here. “Loren, don’t be an idiot.” He motions for Lo to join him by the Escalade.
“Off of what evidence are you taking him in?” Lo sneers at the officer.
“You need to step out of the way, sir,” the second officer repeats.
“Lo,” I say, instinctively trying to walk over to him, to reach him, to pull him in the right f**king direction. Which would be very far away from me. I jerk to a stop, being held by the first officer, his hands on the cuffs that detain me.
“I guess you’re just going to have to take me in then,” Lo says, his eyes pulsing with rage. “Because I’m not f**king moving.”
Fucking hell. I rip out of the first officer’s hold. “Lo, f**king stop!” I shout. Our dad reaches him before I do. He takes Lo by the arm and tugs him to the side, out of the way.
And then the first officer forces me to the f**king ground, my face hitting the pavement hard. Pain shoots through my body.
“Resisting arrest,” the first officer says.
“Don’t be so stupid!” our dad yells at my brother.
I grit my teeth, and the police officer puts his knee on my back. He says something to me about settling down, but I’m not even f**king moving anymore. Loose gravel embeds in my cheek, and I look out and see Daisy on her knees, Connor crouched behind her, whispering in her ear.
She’s crying like this is the end of us. Her grief is like a thousand knives inside my stomach. The police officer jerks me to my feet with unkind force, and he pushes me towards the car. I pass my father and my brother.
Lo takes a step forward to intervene again.
I shake my head at him.
“You didn’t do anything,” he says, his eyes reddened, his cheekbones sharpened like f**king ice.
I nod at him, forced to keep walking to the white and blue vehicle. I can’t speak. I can’t say a f**king word.
Not until I climb into the backseat of the car, not until the door slams and the tires roll down the road—do I scream.
All the emotion I restrained for my brother, for Daisy, comes pouring out of me. I could kick the door. I could punch something if I had use of my hands. But instead, I just scream, releasing the anguish that rips apart my insides.
I just completed the Yosemite Triple Crown.
I just accomplished a lifelong dream.
I had Daisy.
I was f**king happy.
And now I’m here.
Cuffed.
Arrested.
Going to jail.
I’m going to jail.
59
RYKE MEADOWS
They haven’t booked me yet. I sit alone in a holding cell, my nerves jumping every time a cop walks by, expecting them to usher me out for a mug shot and fingerprints.
Statutory rape.
Rape.
It’s something that makes me physically ill. I’d rather be falsely convicted of murder. My throat burns, and I rest the back of my head against the cement wall, silent and trying to be numb. I don’t know what happens from here. I don’t know how much evidence Samantha could try to use against me. What witnesses can she pay to lie for her? I’ll be tried criminally. It’s not like I can settle this f**king case by paying someone off. I’m looking at f**king jail time.