For the Love of the Law

Chapter Thirty Six | Make You Choose

"...They're nearly finished with the questioning, Alex. You can take him home soon, we're not going to hold him for the night." Stan's voice was soft and low in the room we had all been sitting in for the past hour and a half. Archer and Jag were still here, even though we'd told them they didn't have to stay a while ago.

They had just smiled and shook their heads, and Jag had muttered something about 'never leave a man behind', which I had felt my mouth twitch at, before they had started channel surfing and I had watched the TV from my seat blankly, feeling a little bit numb and sensitive at the same time.

The look that had been in Flynn's eyes had me reeling. He couldn't love me, could he? I'd kind of wondered, well, I had hoped, but the thought of him actually being in love with me? It seemed too surreal.

But he was. I could feel it.

Flynn Morgan was in love with me.

Why was I so panicked about this? Everything about the situation was a dream come true to me. I'd fallen to far into the deep end to be okay when I thought he would eventually break it off with me, but I'd never fully stopped for a good minute and wondered maybe, maybe he wouldn't break it off.

The man was intoxicatingly good looking, but frustrating.

He was exceptionally sweet, but a tease and a jokster.

He had the confidence of three men, but could still act sheepish.

He was annoyingly hard to be mad at, and incredibly sexy, knowing it too.

He was flawed, yeah.

But to me, he was perfection.

I had just thought that in my mind when the door creaked open, and my definition of perfection walked in.

Our eyes locked, his wary but warm, and mine startled but open, and I just knew that there probably wouldn't be another guy like him out there, especially one who was interested in me. He was that guy, the one girls thought of briefly before the day of their wedding to another man, the one who still held a tiny, unretrievable piece of a girls heart no matter how hard they tried to get it back, becuase they just were that guy.

And then I remembered a few hours earlier, when he stood on my doorstep, taking my brother away for questioning. Telling me he had to believe the facts, the evidence that Marley had had the drugs in his locker, and I got that, I really did.

But at the end of the day, it was him versus Marley to me.

And I was going to pick family. Every time.

That would never change. No matter how heartbreaking the outcome could be.

"Marley's just being checked out." Flynn murmured into the half dark room, his voice sending shivers bouncing over my skin. "He'll be ready to go in a minute."

"Thanks Flynn." My dad replied, even though Flynn was still holding my eye contact and I just couldn't squeeze down that small flare of panic again the longer I looked at him.

Getting close had never been my plan, right? In fact, I recall a time where I tried to avoid him.

Looking back, I realised I was always going to fall into this trap of being in love with Flynn. Ever since that first night, when he put those handcuffs on me and I felt the touch of his fingers on my wrists, I was a goner.

We all stood up, heading out the door as Flynn sidestepped and waited until I was walking towards him, a closed off, tight expression on his face.

"Harlow," Once I reached him, his hand reaching out, but he stopped at the last minute and pulled it away, looking around the room once before settling those eyes that were so out of this world back on me. "Can I talk to you?"

"You can always talk to me." I said in a small voice, and I cringed at how pathetic it sounded.

His face morphed into another sort of frown, one where he was thinking hard about something. "I need you to understand my side of this situation."

I mimicked his expression, but mine was more of a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Marley's not off the hook, Harls. Even if-"

"Even though." I emphasised the 'though', a little anger crossing my vision.

Flynn sighed, trying again. "I'm trying really hard to show you where I'm coming from here," he started, running a hand through his hair, and I wanted to smooth it back down. "The evidence is against Marley, and even though I might believe he didn't do it, that doesn't matter. It's his word against proof. Proof always wins."

"You don't seriously think he did it, do you?" I asked, bracing myself for the sting that could come with his next sentence.

"No, I don't Harls. But I have to do my job here. Do you see what I'm saying?"

I did, but protecting my brother was far more important at the moment. "So you'd rather see him locked up in juvy instead of having a little faith in him." I deadpanned, feeling like a bitch when his face screwed up a little at my harsh words.

"I'm going to defend him, I'm going to say he didn't do it. I already have, many times over the past few hours. But please don't make me choose, Harlow. Don't make me have to choose between you and my job. I love my job, but I'd pick you."

His words were making me emotional. How could I make this man choose? if I even thought for a second I had any right to force him into sacrificing his job for me, I didn't deserve him at all. Insecure people did that. They felt the need to be constantly proved to that their man would do anything for them.

I worried a lot, yeah. That's just me. But I'd rather lose Flynn fairly than make him choose me and have him resent me later on.

I felt the tears in my vision before I could force them away. "Flynn, I'd never make you choose. Don't ever feel like you do." 

He cleared his throat, his adams apple bobbing up and down a little before he glanced over his shoulder. A few seconds later, those eyes met mine again, and the world dropped away a little. 

Where were we? In a police station. That's right. 

"I want you to come over tomorrow night." Flynn said after a few moments of us just staring at each other. I felt my mouth quirk as he leaned closer, his feet moving forward slowly as I waited, stock still, his approach increasing the rate of my heart beats. 

"I-I can't." I breathed out, watching his face drop in disappointment, before he recovered and nodded. "I have work." 

He smiled, stepping closer yet again. "Shelley would give you the night off." 

I shook my head in half panic, remembering the moment a few hours ago when I figured out just how Flynn felt about me. 

I was freaking out inside. I needed time to sort through exactly what this meant. If Flynn loved me, really loved me, then I needed to take time to think about this. 

Flynn was supposed to go on and follow his career, and staying with me wasn't going to let this happen. I was stuck in this town, my future was dull in comparison to his, and he just...I felt like if he stayed, I'd drag him down.

He hadn't even told me he was in love with me yet, and I was already stressing. 

Maybe I read him wrong. Hopefully, I did. 

Because feeling guilty about holding Flynn back was more painful than anything I could think of right now. 

"I need the money." I muttered quickly, breaking our eye contact as Flynn frowned, his watchful eyes following me as I stepped away from him, about to go around him. 

I ducked around his body, but I wasn't fast enough. A hand shot out, grabbing my forearm, and I looked up to see a frowning Flynn. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing." I stammered, my heart beating to loudly in my chest. "I have to go." 

"Harlow-" Flynn started, but I quickly pulled my arm away from him, watching more hurt flash across his face.

"I have to go." I cut him off, repeating my words. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" 

"Wait-" 

I was gone before he could finish. 

* * * * 

Sorry this is so short! The next chapter will be bigger, promise (: 

Comment, vote, you know what to do (; 

x