Chapter 12: The Accusation

"Everyone inside. Now." Cole's voice was loud and clear.

The back door opened. Pack members came out. All of them looked ready for trouble.

"What's going on?" Alex ran over.

"Police at the front gate. With Brian." Cole showed him the phone.

Alex cursed. "What's he telling them?"

"Nothing good." Cole turned to me. "Did you tell him anything? About what we are?"

"No. I didn't know what you were until yesterday."

"Then what's he doing here with cops?"

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out.

A text from Brian.

You have one hour to come out or I tell them everything. About the fights. The illegal gambling. All of it.

"He's threatening to expose the gym," I said.

"Let him try," Stacey said. She'd come outside with the others. "We're legal. Everything we do is legal."

"The cage fights aren't," Andres said quietly. "The ones where we fight as wolves. Those are very illegal."

"He doesn't know about those," Alex said. "He can't. He's human."

"James knew," I said. Everyone turned to look at me. "If James told him anything before he died, Brian might know more than we think."

Cole's face went hard. "Alex, get the security footage from the night James died. All of it. Andres, check the files. Make sure everything illegal is hidden."

"On it." They both moved fast.

Cole turned to the others. "Act normal. If cops come in, we're just a gym. A training place. Nothing more. Got it?"

Everyone nodded.

"Stacey, take Lita upstairs. Keep her out of sight."

"What? No." I stepped forward. "I'm not hiding."

"You are if I say you are."

"This is my fault. I should deal with it."

"And say what?" Cole's eyes flashed. "That your ex killed your brother and you're hiding from him? They'll want proof. Evidence. Do you have any?"

The journal. But that wasn't real proof. Not legal proof.

"That's what I thought." Cole's voice got softer. "Let me handle this. Please."

I wanted to argue. Wanted to fight.

But he was right. I had nothing but a dead brother's words.

"Fine. But if anything goes wrong..."

"It won't." He touched my face. Quick. Gentle. "Trust me."

Then he was gone. Walking toward the front.

Stacey grabbed my arm. "Come on."

We went upstairs. Into the common room.

Half the pack was there. Watching monitors that showed the front gate.

Two police officers stood with Brian. One talked into a radio. The other looked at the gym building.

"What do you think he told them?" Marcus asked.

"Probably that his girlfriend is being held here," Andres said. He'd come back upstairs. "Classic abuser move. Blame the people trying to help."

My stomach hurt. "He's that smart."

"He's good at manipulation. They always are." Andres sat at the computer. Started typing fast. "I'm deleting the cloud backups of the wolf fights. Just in case."

On the monitor, Cole walked to the gate. Opened it.

I couldn't hear what they said. But I could see Cole's body. Calm. Controlled.

One officer showed him a paper.

Cole shook his head. Pointed at the gym.

Brian said something. His face was red. Angry.

Cole's jaw got tight but he stayed calm.

After a few minutes, the officers got back in their cars.

But they didn't leave.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"They're calling for backup," Andres said. He listened to police radio on his computer. "Brian filed a missing persons report. Said you were taken against your will. They're getting a warrant to search the building."

"Can they do that?"

"With a warrant? Yeah." He kept typing. "We have maybe thirty minutes before they come in."

Stacey grabbed my shoulders. "You need to decide now. Do you want to be found? Or do you want to disappear?"

"What do you mean disappear?"

"We can get you out. Take you somewhere Brian can't find you. Somewhere cops can't track you." She looked serious. "But if we do that, you can't come back. Not for a while. Maybe never."

My phone buzzed. Another text.

I'm going to destroy everyone you care about. Starting with that gym owner. He touched what's mine. He'll pay for it.

A threat. Against Cole. Against the pack.

Because of me.

"I can't run," I said. "If I do, Brian wins. He keeps controlling my life. Gets away with killing James."

"Then you stay and face him," Andres said. "But be smart about it."

"How?"

"Tell the cops the truth. Show them the bruises. Tell them Brian's been abusing you. That you came here to get away."

"They won't believe me. My mother will back Brian up. So will Susan."

"Maybe. But at least it's on record. At least there's proof if he tries something again." Andres looked at me. "And if we're lucky, they'll see what he really is."

Cole came back inside. Ran up the stairs.

"They're getting a warrant. We have about twenty minutes." He looked at me. "What do you want to do?"

Everyone stared at me. Waiting.

This was my choice.

Run or fight.

I thought about James. About his journal.

You have to fight now. You have to be strong.

"I stay. I talk to them. I tell them everything."

Cole nodded. "Then we need to get your story straight. Fast."

We sat at the table. Cole, Alex, Andres, Stacey, and me.

"Start from the beginning," Cole said. "How long has Brian been hurting you?"

"About six months after we started dating. A year and a half ago."

"Did anyone see the bruises?"

"My mother. Susan. Some friends at school." I stopped. "But they all believed Brian when he said I was clumsy. Or that I did it for attention."

"Did you ever go to a hospital?"

"Once. For a sprained wrist. But Brian was with me. He told them I fell."

Alex wrote everything down. "What about James? Did he know?"

"Yes. He tried to get me to leave Brian. We fought about it." My voice broke. "The last time I saw him, we were fighting. I told him to stop interfering. That I loved Brian."

"And then James died," Andres said quietly.

I nodded. Tears fell.

"Okay." Cole's voice was gentle. "Here's what you tell the cops. Brian has been abusing you for over a year. Your brother tried to help. After your brother died, it got worse. You joined this gym to get stronger. To defend yourself. When Brian found out, he threatened you. So you came here for protection."

"They'll want to know why I didn't report it before."

"Because you were scared. Because your family supports Brian. Because no one believed you." Cole looked at me. "All of that is true. Right?"

"Yes."

"Then that's your story. Don't mention wolves. Don't mention mates. Just a girl escaping an abuser."

Car doors slammed outside.

We all looked at the monitors.

Four police cars now. And a woman in a business suit.

"Detective," Andres said. "This just got serious."

Cole stood. "Everyone downstairs. Look normal. Act normal."

He turned to me. "You ready?"

No. I wasn't ready at all.

But I nodded anyway.

"Then let's end this."