Frayed Edges

Missing Pieces

Mia found it hard to say a word the whole ride there.

Drew was right. He had told her the truth for once, something she didn't think he was still capable of.

If he was right about this he could be right about everything. Was she really free? Was Olivia out of her life?

With her gone Drew was free to take her place as the head of Brooklyn's crime syndicate. Something he had seemingly always wanted.

Maybe that would be enough for him to leave her alone, he had done it before. A taste of power was enough for him to throw her away once, maybe he would find another pretty blonde to take her place.

No more seedy trips downtown. No more lying. No more living in fear.

She didn't want to believe it was real. Not until he was out and home and safe with her. Her heart had been broken too many times to get her hopes up.

Jake didn't question her silence. He was sure this was a lot for anyone, especially someone who had been through so much.

He told her about the confession, how it exonerated her. At worst she could be looking at probation, but it didn't filter through her glassy eyes. He couldn't blame her, the shock would be enough to stun anyone into silence but it didn't stop the niggling itch that told him something was going on.

He had been sure that he heard a second voice outside the church but now wasn't the time to point fingers. He knew that the confession had to come from someone and he was pretty sure he knew who was responsible. Behind every twist and turn of this case it seemed the same dark figure loomed around the corner.

Jake couldn't help but feel that she was keeping more secrets than she let on. If Drew was still pulling her strings there was no way he could keep her safe, not completely at least.

Yet when he watched the way her wistful green eyes glimmered in the midday sun he knew he'd move heaven and earth for her.

The high gates were familiar to them both. The tangle of barbed wire that ran along the edge glinted dangerously causing a small lump to form in Jake's throat. He remembered what it was like to be on the other side of those gates, trapped like a bird in a cage.

Getting released felt like waking up from a coma or getting resuscitated on the brink of death. It was a sensation that felt better than any drug - he assumed at least - and he had only lost months.

The car came to a halt but Mia kept still. He could barely even hear her small breaths as her mind remained lost in thick, swirling thoughts.

"Mia?" he asked softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She immediately snapped out of whatever train of thought consumed her. She tried her best to give him a reassuring smile but Jake saw straight through her nerves. "He'll be out any minute, you ready?"

All she could do was nod, but when Jake's hand went to open his door she stopped him with a gentle grip on his thigh.

"I think it's better I do this alone" she began meekly "this is gonna be a lot for him as it is, I think my cop boyfriend might throw him over the edge." She tried her best to keep her voice light but they both knew she wasn't joking.

Still he agreed. He knew she was right plus this was her moment, not his. He had waited months, she had waited years.

Her trembling fingers found their way into her mouth as she chewed her weak chipping nails. Seconds dragged like hours as she anxiously checked her phone for the time. They said he would be released at noon and as the clock hit ten past she was as beginning to worry.