That's The Way Of It

11: Layer By Layer

Anita rolled down the driver’s side window a little more to try to hear exactly what her partner was saying on the phone. As she listened, her confusion turned to horror and shock.

*
“Yes Mr. Niragi. I’ll send over the pictures that we took of her as soon as I can get away from my partner. I know how important it is for you to find her.”

A pause.

“No sir, nothing. According to the doctor and to her own testimony, she doesn’t remember a single thing before waking up in the hotel, with her new friends.”

A pause.

“Yes Sir, memory loss, that’s right, that’s what the doctor’s paperwork says.”

A pause.

“The men? Two stayed with her when we talked to her. One of them as the one that found her. We had to talk to him for the investigation. There were five more besides those two.”

A pause.

“Yes sir. If she turns out to be one you’re looking for then I’ll let you know her exact location and the information of the pussy boys she’s with.”

*

Anita’s heart started racing as she listened in on the rest of the Hammill’s one-sided conversation.

'That bastard. That fucking bastard! It’s no wonder he wanted the fucking case. Working for the Niragis?!”

Anita knew immediately that this was bad news. Brenna was in some deep fucking shit.

Anita hurriedly rolled the window back up before she could be caught eavesdropping, knowing that she was in a very precarious situation, and she had to go about this extremely carefully.

Anita straightened up in her seat when Hammill climbed into the passenger side of the car, flicking his cigarette butt onto the ground. He grinned a sickening little grin at her and she felt bile rising in her throat, resisting the urge to cuff him on the spot. But she couldn’t, not yet. She had to have evidence.

“You ready?” he asked.

Anita just nodded and pulled the cruiser out of the parking space, trying to appear as normal as possible.

*

Niragi’s feral grin became predatory as he hit the end button on the call. A warmth surging through his veins.

He walked to the large bay windows that were on the wall behind his desk, hands on his thin hips, feeling victorious for the first time since before Brenna tried to run away…the first time.

He tilted his head to the side, popping his tense neck, relief radiating down to his tight shoulders. Oh the way he was going to make Brenna realize that she belonged to HIM, only him. He would make her realize how serious he was, that she would never leave him again. Oh the hell that he was going to rain down on the assholes that were holding her hands in front of the cops as if they KNEW her, as she BELONGED to them.

He rested his warm forehead against the cold glass and inhaled deeply, eyes closing in contentment at the thought of the blood that he was going to shed.

“Sweet Brenna. Be very careful or I’ll make you bleed.”

*
Once the hotel door had closed behind the officers, Brenna let out a shuddering breath, nerves overcoming her. She knew that the questioning had not gone as bad as what it could have, but she also knew that something was off about the male cop and it worried her immensely. She had felt sickly nervous since she had laid eyes on the man.

Jungkook immediately folded her into his arms, holding tightly to comfort the both of them. While he had tried to be brave in the face of everyone in the room, it was the first time that he had felt as though he really could be in trouble. When the officer started grilling him, he had even broken into a nervous sweat even though he knew that he had done nothing wrong. His tattooed hand came up to stroke Brenna’s hair gently as she laid her head to rest on his broad shoulder.