For the Love of the Law

Chapter Thirty Five | I'd Believe In You

At first, Flynn's words didn't even register. 

It was like I was watching this situation unfold from another part of the room, watching myself as my face screwed up into a frown and the grim look of Flynn's expression started to register in my mind. 

And then I was back, his sentence hitting me as I opened my mouth, glancing over at Marley before back at Flynn. "Is this some sort of joke you two are playing on me?"

Neither spoke. I took that as a negative. 

"Marley doesn't have drugs, Flynn. He'd never touch that stuff." I was in full defense mode now, but a small part of me was starting to panic. I could feel it welling up in my stomach, my pulse picking up as my heart thudded harder in my chest. "He would never." 

"Harls," Marley's voice was calm, but quiet behind me. Hands met my shoulders, and I flinched, turning to stare at my brother with wide, startled eyes. 

"Marley, tell him."

Marley kept his mouth shut. 

Jag and Archer appeared behind him, their faces just as serious as Marley and Flynn's. They knew the truth as well. I felt like I was on the outer of some sort of secret group, knowing I wasn't getting the full story. My eyes swung back to Flynn, and I could feel myself getting even more wound up. 

"Flynn, what's going on?" I asked in a low voice, because he would tell me. Right?

Flynn sighed, glancing away over our front yard before looking back at me. "We can discuss this at the station. Marley, can you-"

"No!" I half yelled, stepping into the doorway to block it. "Someone tell me now."

When Flynn met my eyes again, the tension in the room increased. "Harlow-"

"I have to go with him, Harls." Marley spoke up, stepping around me as I stood frozen on the spot. "There was an incident at school today. We just have to sort it out." 

I didn't say anything as Marley looked up at Flynn, that all too familiar expressionless mask he wore taking over all his other emotions. It hit me that I hadn't seen that mask so much lately. I thought he had been healing, getting better. "Do I have to be handcuffed?" 

Flynn shook his head as his eyes, full of regret, and met mine again. 

"Flynn," I whispered, staring at him with wide eyes. I was asking him to stop, to just stop and talk to me for a second. To slow down and to not take my brother away in his squad car. To just come inside and hang out with me for the night, just like we'd planned. 

But he closed his eyes for a second, breaking our eye contact, and by the time they were open and locked with mine again, there was a sort of hardness to them that made my heart sink in my chest a little, a heavy feeling settling in my stomach. 

"Call dad, Harls. Let him know what's going on." Marley said calmly, acting more like the older one right now. I snapped out of my stare with Flynn, the sound of a car driving past sounding too loud in my ears.

And then Flynn was putting him in the back seat like police officers do, hand on the top of his head, gently pushing him in. I watched with a sort of numbness that was filling my body. Flynn walked around to the drivers side door, pulling on the handle, sliding in smoothly. I could feel Jag and Archer behind me, their presence strangely more comforting than I was expecting. 

As they pulled out of the driveway, I tried to calm down a little. I wasn't about to freak out in front of Jag and Archer, but at that same time, this situation was so similar to a year ago, when Marley was taken away because of the accident.