The Perfect Emma

Chapter Thirty

Once again, Grayson agreed.

"I have more reason to believe that you're working with Aaron than Grayson is."

The three officers stifled snickers, almost desperately. This was serious, no time for poking fun. But...it was always fun when IAB got shit, from witnesses especially. It wasn't like anyone in the police department could diss them to their faces. Thankfully, it seemed Emma's stubbornness on the matter steered Hannah away from it. Gray wasn't oblivious to the subtle glance that was cast towards the glass; and though she couldn't see him, he glared at the agent. He was an honest cop, he knew that, and he would prove that.

His expression changed however when the subject moved on. "Did Aaron ever mention why he did these things to you, or...?" That was a question they all wanted the answer to.

"'Cause he's a sick fuck," Sabrina muttered under her breath. And while that was certainly true, there was generally a reason people ended up that way. Something had to have made him snap. To have made him so immoral in searching for "the perfect Emily". Whatever that meant.

Gray frowned.

Had he called Rosie "Emily" too?

The silence between the three listeners grew solemn, as Emma simply explained that asking questions got her hurt, using her arm as an example. Sabrina was shaking her head angrily, and Grayson's frown evolved into a scowl. Zach's expression merely got more blank, as it did when he was trying to remain professional despite his feelings. They then shuffled a little and gazed at the door expectantly, as Hannah announced that she was exiting the room. When she did so, she blew out her breath slightly. "That woman's been through hell," she said, rubbing a temple. "We need to find Aaron and bring him to justice."

"We're already working on it," Zach replied with a nod.

The IA agent gave him a bit of a look. "Before he makes it to Mexico."

It was comments like that that made law enforcement dread Internal Affairs. Gray refrained from retorting, knowing that he was already in hot water with Agent Westbrook. He was lucky to still have his badge, and he knew it.

In any case, Hannah made a slight frustrated noise and shook her head. "Anyway. Living arrangements." Her eyes turned to Grayson, and he once again felt like his soul was being peered into. "Zach may trust you, and Emma may trust you, but until I've seen enough evidence that you're not as bad an apple as your partner, I do not trust you. Emma Mabel will not be staying one more night with you."

Beside Grayson, Sabrina looked more offended than he did. She put a hand on her hip and opened her mouth to defend him, but Gray shook his head, raising a hand to stop her. "Don't, Sabrina. Just leave it." He didn't like it either, mostly because Hannah had a terrible attitude, but he begrudgingly understood where she was coming from. He couldn't say he would feel much different, from an outside perspective such as hers.

"I understand," said Zach, bringing Hannah's attention to him instead of Gray. "There's an apartment we give to victims under circumstances such as this."

Hannah gave the captain a sassy, annoyed look. "Then why wasn't she there in the first place?"

"Do you think she would've agreed to stay there her first night back in society?" Zach countered, crossing his arms. "Our job is to serve and protect. I, and Detective Todd for that matter, would've been doing neither in sending her there first."

Unable to argue with that, Agent Westbrook merely squinted at him, before turning and beckoning the captain to follow her. "Fine. I'll let that go. But she's still going to that apartment tonight."

Grayson and Sabrina were left alone then, watching the other two enter the interrogation room. It was silent for a moment between them, before Sabrina broke it. "Hey," she murmured, nudging him. "How're you holding up?"

He glanced down at her and sighed. "Barely," he replied honestly.

She frowned sympathetically. "I can't even imagine....Just...being betrayed like that....Well." She nudged him again, this time with a hopeful little smile. "At least you know I'll never betray you~."

Gray offered her a small smile of his own, but it was only half genuine. He didn't know that. He'd trusted Sabrina when they were partners on patrol, but now he barely trusted anyone. There was a reason he fought to keep himself distant. There was a reason his friends weren't many.

Having four years of precious hard-earned trust thrown back in his face had set him back to square one with everyone.

Thankfully, he wasn't allowed to think of that any longer. Hannah and Zach came out of the room with Emma in tow. She looked at him nervously as Zach was leading her away, to his office as he'd said. Hannah, instead of following, stopped to face Gray. "Detective," she said, eyeing him. "Emma is officially no longer in your care."

Thus far, Grayson had been pretty good about not arguing, but this time he spoke up. "She's my witness. Whether she's staying with me or not—"

"She was your witness," Agent Westbrook corrected. "Don't forget, Detective, every case you ever worked on with Aaron is under review. Whether any of them unrelated to his own activities were tampered with is yet to be seen, as is how involved you may or may not have been in such tampering. You will be taking on no further cases until review is complete, and your current cases will be reassigned. The only reason I'm allowing you to keep your gun and your badge and continue to come to work is to keep an eye on you."

Grayson scowled at her, a muscle in his jaw working as he fought to call her out on her utter bullshit, but thankfully Sabrina stepped in and grabbed his arm. "It's alright, Gray," she said calmly. "Look at it this way; paid vacation?"

Real reassuring. He sighed a calming sigh. "Understood, Agent," he replied, struggling to keep his cool.

The woman nodded. "Then we have nothing further to discuss."

She turned to go, but Gray called her back. "Emma told you she doesn't trust anyone else. How do you really expect her to react to this?"

Hannah glared at him slightly. "True safety and perceived safety are two very different things, Detective. She may feel safe with you, but I do not feel safe leaving her with you at this time. She is safer where we put her. And that is final. She'll learn she has nothing to worry about the longer she stays there. Your concern is unnecessary. Good day, Detective."

As Hannah walked away, her heels clack on the floor, Sabrina muttered next to Grayson, "Man, she is the biggest bitch."

Unfortunately, that bitch had Grayson on a tight leash, and there was nothing he could do about it.