Birds Of A Feather

Chapter 7: Interrogation

"She needs medical assistance, too," I added begrudgingly as I started walking. "Broken finger and a head injury."

"Got it," my partner said, pulling out her phone. "I'll tell one of the medics."

"Thanks."

I opened the door to a holding cell and put my mother in one of the chairs. She was just starting to regain consciousness.

Her eyes opened. They were unfocused and filled with fear.

"Ozzy? What's going on?" she asked after a few moments. Her gaze darted anxiously around the room.

"You're going to answer some questions after you get some medical attention," I replied.

I left the cell before she could say anything else. I noticed my hands were trembling, and I drew in a shaky breath.

"Hey," Ebony Lynx said, walking to me. "You okay?"

I hesitated before answering. "No, not really."

"Do you want a hug?"

Slowly, I nodded. Physical touch was one of my love languages, and I'd spent the last few years touch-starved. "Yeah. That would be nice."

She wrapped me in a gentle embrace, and I hugged her back. I was thankful that my mask hid the tears that were rolling down my face.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Even though she was wearing a mask, I could tell she was smiling. "This is what friends are for, Feathers."

"I appreciate it," I said as I gently pulled away.

"No problem," she responded. "Let's go talk to Kellen."

    We headed into his office, and our boss grinned when he saw us. The smile quickly disappeared when he saw how grim I looked.

    "What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

I paused for a brief moment and inhaled deeply before answering his question. "I brought my mother here for interrogation. She's..."

My voice faltered, and I glared at the floor. Kellen approached me, and I looked up at him.

    "I'm here for you, kid," he told me softly, pulling me into a warm hug. "If you ever need any kind of support, don't hesitate to contact me."

    I nodded and tried to stop my voice from shaking. It didn't work. "Thank you. It means a lot to me."

     Emotional vulnerability was usually a weakness of mine. The number of people I trusted enough to be open around could be counted on one hand. Kellen and Sierra were both on that list.

    "Of course," he said with a small smile.

     I took another deep breath. I needed to focus on the important things—namely gaining information about the Warhawks—before I turned into a sobbing mess in Kellen's office.

     "We should go interrogate my mother," I said after a moment spent trying to regain my composure.

"I'll have Specter go with you," Kellen said.

I nodded. "Okay."

Kellen sent a quick text to Bleeding Specter. A few minutes later, he joined us in the office.

"Your mother, huh?" he asked me quietly.

"Yeah," I muttered. He put a hand on my shoulder for a moment without saying anything else on the matter. It was a comforting quiet gesture from my mentor figure.