Chapter 142

Almara’s Pov

How did we end up here, again? The car rolls up to gray building that looks like it’s about to be knocked over with one final strong gust of wind. If only we could be so lucky. Granted, we haven’t been in this part of town yet but nonetheless were still in vampire territory.

Never in my life did I expect to have seen so much of this town. I suppose, much of my life wasn’t what I expect- for better or worse. As if on the lookout, three more guards emerge from the crippling cinderblock building as soon as the car goes into park.

The doors are swung open and bone hands are prying us out of our seats. Arthur gives a growl and one instinctively pulls his hand back, causing Arthur’s lips to curl in smile that I find incredibly sexy, the guards on the other hand handle him much rougher now- not that he can’t handle it.

Once inside were immediately walked to a holding cell. The cell is just past the entrance waiting room, if you can even call it that. There are no chairs, only yellowing walls and a carpet that hasn’t been replaced probably since the building was first build, and given by the smell that must’ve been long before Bess was born.

Through that room is a slightly bigger room with bars protruding out from the wall to make a rectangular jail cell and a unoccupied desk across the room.

Only Robert is barking out questions and demanding someone explain what’s going on. Of course, no one does. Even Cathy tells him to be quiet. Eventually the only answer that comes is the slamming of metal bars in our face.

“Wait here.” The one guard tells us and makes a show of tucking the keys into his pocket before walking away.

“Where else would we go?” Arthur says under his breath and takes a seat on the skinny bench bolted into the wall.

At least we’re all kept together, even if that does cram up the space. Cathy wraps her manicured fingers around the bars and rests her forehead on the door. Robert watches in stunned silence as the man leaves, unbelieving the disrespect. I can’t help but wonder if he’s getting a taste of his own medicine, though I shake that thought away. I’m trying to focus on this ‘new’ Robert instead.

In fact, even Lily is in agreement with the Robert’s anger. She hates being in a cage. A box in chains is no place for a dog. I sit next to Arthur on the bench.

“Hey.” He says with a sad smile. I laugh at his attempt to be nonchalant at the whole situation.

“Hi.” I play back.

“Come here often?” Arthur jokingly flirts. I laugh and roll my eyes at the irony.

“Well, not to this part of town but to this town in general, yeah, apparently.” I sigh. “I thought the point of Bess’s death was to absolve everything.” Arthur brings his shoulders to his ear.

“Never trust the greedy blood suckers.” He says with the hatred thick on his tongue. “They don’t actually have anything on us, they probably just want money.” Arthur says. I nod in agreement, but I’m not so sure. The vampires hate us just as much as we hate them, I think we’re alike in what we both want: death of the other.

“What were the charges, again?” I ask trying to remember what the agent had said when he put us in handcuffs.

“I don’t know.” Cathy says still resting her forehead on the metal bars. “It all happened to fast.”

“Attempted murder was the one that stood out to me.” Robert says. “Who is he talking about?”

“I have no idea-” I start, but stop as the heat drains from my body.

“What?” Arthur says pivoting his body closer to mine. It must be the concern in his voice that causes Cathy to also turn around because for a moment I can’t say anything. I shake my head trying to get the words to fall from my mouth.

“Claire.” Is all I can manage to say. She was waitress that I impersonated and left nearly dead in the bathroom.

“She never saw it was you.” Arthur says as if that erases the fact that I might actually be guilty of this crime.

“Stop talking.” Robert hisses just as the door opens again and a guard walks in, following right behind him is Roman. We all rise to our feet and press up against the bars.

“Dad.” Arthur says, half in statement and half in question.

“Be quiet son. Not until your lawyer is present.” Roman says keeping his voice level.

“How did you know we were here?” Robert asks.

“Quiet.” Roman repeats once more and makes it clear he won’t say it again. One of the officers or even one of the councilmen must’ve called and they would only do that knowing Roman would come to bail us out. Maybe Arthur is right, maybe all the vampires want is money.

The guard who let Roman in stands tall against the wall like a towering shadow. His face is expressionless, even is bleak uniform gives no indication of any individual identity. He remains so stoic, I’m beginning to believe he can’t even hear us.

“Leave us.” Roman says to the guard.

“No.” The guard says still facing forward, his voice deeper than I expected. For whatever reason Roman sees no point in arguing. Instead he moves closer to us and begins speaking quickly in a hushed voice.

“I’m working on getting a lawyer out here. Given the press we’ve had recently and the fact I’ve only just started to recover, many of the lawyers I know aren’t wanting to touch this case.”

“What are you saying? How long are we going to be in here? Why can’t you just bail us out?” Arthur shoots back, each question burning him more than the last.

Roman answers in order. “I’m saying this isn’t looking good. I don’t know, yet. A few days at most. Bail hasn’t been set.”

“A few days!” I nearly press my entire body up to the gate, hoping with enough force I can bend these bars. “I can’t leave Grace alone for that long.”

“She’s safe, at least.” Roman says as if that makes it all better. He doesn’t understand the importance f a mother-child bond, how could he possibly given how cold he is even to his own illegitimate son?

It’s that last thought that causes me to freeze and stop talking. Did I just have sympathy for Robert?

“I was able to get one lawyer to at least start the case. He’s a friend of a friend, I don’t know him personally.” Roman says and I can tell by his displeasing introduction that whoever he sends isn’t going to be the best of the best, of at least Hurricane Pack worthy.

“What’s his name?” Cathy asks.

“Calvin Claws.” Roman says leaving no opinion in his voice. Cathy gives a bleak laugh.

“Do you know him?” I ask.

“Unfortunately.” Cathy says reluctantly. “He’s my ex.”

“Please tell me it ended well.” I practically whine.

“Nope.” Cathy says, putting her forehead back on the bars.

Great. So far our only chance of getting out of this cage is dependent on a ex-boyfriend. Let’s just hope this Calvin guy can separate pleasure from business.