Twisted Mercy~ JJ

downward spiral

"It's okay. It's okay. We have no idea where they are. They're probably long gone like Mady said. This doesn't change anything." Kie rambled. It wasn't clear if she was trying to calm the others or herself more.

"Stop talking." The officer in front of them hissed.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Pope agreed, nodding, while completely ignoring the words of the law enforcer before them.

Mady and JJ made eye contact, and sent eachother weary glances.

"It's gonna be fine." Kie reiterated.

"I said, stop...talking."

Mady took a deep breath, and despite her nerves, worked to control her heart rate.

The officer that stood before them bounced on his heels, and it was clear that he wanted to join in on the action.

"Hey," Mady asked aloud. "Hey, you."

She eventually got his attention and he turned away from the activity with his eyebrows raised. "What?"

"Are you the babysitter or something?" She taunted, catching Kiara's side eyed glare but choosing to ignore it.

"Excuse me?" He spat at her, self consciously standing up a little taller.

"You heard me. Do they not trust you to help them look? Is that why your watching us?"

"This is an important job, and I was trusted to do it." He retorted back robotically, turning his back on them.

Mady was aware of the shouting around them while officers discussed the location of their best friends, but having a watchdog was making their much needed strategic dialogue impossible to carry out.

She looked over her shoulder dramatically, holding both hands out to show the restraints. "Yeah, man. It sure looks like I need to be watched. I've got an easy escape here."

The officer scoffed and turned to the side, but Mady could tell she'd hit a deep seeded insecurity. And if she was good at one thing, it was using and exploiting that to her advantage.

"Just admit you're the babysitter." She pressed again. Pope sent her a glare, silently trying to tell her to shut up and JJ elbowed her sharply in the ribs, but she suppressed a whimper.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or the stress, or the PTSD from having guns to her head, or the constant and still building anxiety, but Mady still felt like this was what she needed to do.

"I'm not the fucking babysitter," He spat, balling his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

His explosive reaction surprised even Mady, and she widened her eyes slightly.

"Prove it." She dared, ignoring the rush around her.

She watched the muscles furrow and contract in his forehead as he battled with himself.

He was a young man. Blonde and tall. His shoulders were wide, but he was fairly lean. He was probably in his twenties, and still waiting for his muscles to bulk up. Mady assumed he was just starting out on the job, which made getting into his head that much easier.

"They must not think you're good enough." She shrugged innocently.

The officers face dropped for a split second, before returning to his stern look. He ignored her words, and stood frozen in his place.