Beyond the Screams ✔

Chapter Twenty Three

After our stroke of luck with Doctor Morris, I was running on a pile of adrenaline. Bryce, it seemed, to be experiencing the same thing. I could see the police building on the horizon. Like most buildings, it was brick. A musty grey colour. It was a small building, only one storey, but it seemed to go back into the property behind it. I'd never really been to the police department building. I never had the reason to or the need. And while the area I had grown up in wasn't safe or a healthy environment for two young girls, but the police couldn't do anything about our homelessness. So going in to see them would be completely useless. Where I was now was one of the safest places you could be living in. So really, I had no reason to visit the police anytime soon.

"Have you ever been to this police office before?" I asked Bryce, looking over his face as he took in the building.

He shook his head, leaning casually against the door of his car, "Where I live, we have a police station that's much closer than this one. On the rare occasion that we have a reason to go see the police, we wouldn't bother coming this far out. How about you?"

I shook my head as well, "Never had the reason."

Bryce let out a surprised whistle, "Lucky,"

My head swerved to him, "What has ever happened to you that requires you going to the police station?"

He looked at the floor, took a breath and then looked back at me, "We had a break in once, they didn't end up stealing anything. But my parents were busy dealing with that, so they told me to run down to the police station and try and grab an officer on duty. One of my dad's older brothers, he was in the military so he got sent off to Turkey. He came back with a few health issues but a serious case of PTSD. He would go out to have some fun, regain normality I suppose, and end up injuring people when he had a relapse of certain memories came back. He would always be at the police station. My dad would always make me accompany him when he went to pick up my uncle. I liked hearing about his war stories, and he was willing to share, so it made the pickup easier for both my dad and my uncle."

I smiled, "Seems you've always been a good samaritan."

Bryce let out a sparse chuckle, "Yes, it would seem so."

"Your family," I started, "Do they know that your current job is protecting a girl with a death threat?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Yeah, Every Sunday I'll go to church with my mother and then we'll have lunch with my dad and whatever family member is in the area. My mother would have a heart attack if I refused to tell her what I was working as. Dad seems to think that being a bodyguard for someone as famous as you is quite an honourable position."

I turned away, hoping that Bryce didn't see the red blush that was now creeping its way up my neck and spilling onto my cheeks.

"Don't be embarrassed," Bryce laughed, I still refused to turn back, "Do you want to head in now? It seems that we have wasted quite a lot of time talking."

I took a deep breath, hoping the stark red colour had faded from my face. "Yes. we should head in." I started walking forward, "When we go in, let me do most of the talking. If you need to say something, signal me and I'll stop talking at the most convenient time. We need to put up an extremely professional front. Everything needs to be cues, we can't allow him to think less of us or give him a reason to cast us out."

Bryce put a hand on my shoulder, "Take a breath and calm down. Now, are we husband and wife again?" He asked cheekily.

"It depends, do you want an elbow in your ribs?" I asked, pausing and turning around to face him.

"Noted.  And what do we say if anyone asks?"

"Friends. In an emergency, draw the sibling card. Got it?" I warned, before turning around and beginning to walk again, "Now lets head in. As long as we stay calm, this should be a piece of cake."