Chapter 120: Forty-two.
TRIGGER WARNING
THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SEXUAL ASSAULT CONTENT THAT MAY MAKE SOME READERS FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE. If you wish to avoid it, please stop reading after the police station scene.
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Kalvin was glad he hadn't got around to drinking his scotch when he got the call from Felix. But still, even as he drove off the hairs were raising on the back of his neck, and he couldn't help his eyes from continually flickering to the rear view mirror; he was watching his daughter's house shrink in the distance, till they turned the final bend on the drive and it disappeared altogether.
Something just felt off, he couldn't put his finger on it, but his whole being was uncomfortable with the idea of leaving Colt behind, and he almost turned the car twice to try and take her with them.
He didn't though, because he knew firstly that his mate would not be happy with him for causing a delay; and secondly he doubted very much his daughter would actually have went with them in the mood she was in. Which would have only earned him a second scolding from Isla, because the delay would be utterly pointless in the end.
So, instead he swallowed down the discomfort in his gut with a sigh, and kept driving towards the local town thirty miles away, with the steering wheel in a white knuckled death grip; all to collect his son and his daughter's annoying friend from the police station.
"What's wrong, Kal?" Isla asked, reaching across to lace her fingers through his, as she sensed his apprehension.
Kalvin sighed, lifting up Isla's hand to place a kiss on the back of it, before answering. "I'm not entirely sure, Beautiful. Something just feels off, and I can't quite place why," he spoke softly, still trying to work out what was bothering him about Colt being alone, in the first place.
"The fact that our son has been arrested, might have something to do with it?" Isla suggested with a sly smirk.
Kalvin smiled at her teasing, "No, bailing our son out, is not the issue..."
"We aren't bailing him out. This isn't America, he isn't on bail, till he has been charged. Chances are he will be let out with a warning, but as a seventeen year old, he probably just needs a responsible person to collect him," Isla interrupted to correct her mate.
"Beautiful, believe in or not, with my line of work, I know how the law works in a lot of countries; your homeland included," he teased her back, "But, it isnt Lewis I'm concerned about, it's Colt," he sighed, "I just dont feel right about leaving her behind for some reason."
"What? Why didn't you say something sooner?" Isla asked, her own body slowly filling with discomfort, at the thought she had missed something.
"And cause my beloved wife and mate, a needless delay in retrieving her precious baby boy, from the evil clutches of the Scottish law enforcement?" He joked, smiling at Isla's scowl, before answering his own question, "Because, we both know if I had said something, and we did go back, Colt wouldn't have come anyway," he stated exasperated "She gets that from you, you know? Her independent hellcat, ahem I mean wildcat spirit," he winked at his deliberate mistake, "Her pack instincts are always suppressed," he laughed out, at his wife's narrowed eyes.
Isla pursed her lips playfully at Kalvin, "You are lucky I love you, Mr. Merrier," was her only response.
"And, I thank my lucky stars every day for it, Beautiful," he spoke clearly, a smug and content grin on his face. Isla really was the light of his life.
"Smooth, Kal, smooth," Isla smiled at him warmly, almost chasing away his discomfort entirely.
"I love you, Mrs. Merrier," he stated, pulling her hand back to his lips.
"I love you too, Kal, always," she responded sincerely, a slight purr resonating out from her throat.
Despite himself, Kalvin found his body relaxing to the sound, his mind was still tormented, but as it always did, Isla's purring loosened off all his muscles, and chased away the physical tension he was prone to carrying.
When Kalvin and Isla pulled up to the police station in town, Felix was sat on the steps outside waiting on them. Isla was out of the car, almost before Kalvin had even brought it to a complete halt. She nodded briefly at Felix, before flying up the steps and into the sparse building reception. Tapping her foot impatiently as she waited on the officer at the reception desk to grace her with his attention.
Kalvin joined her a few minutes later, with Felix in tow, having discovered that the lion was old enough to be released almost immediately. It was just Lewis who needed a parent present.
"Have you found anything out?" He asked Isla, while looking around the once white, but now grey walls.
There were scuff marks along the lower parts of the walls, and posters along the upper half, with advice advertised to help prevent crimes and the do's and dont's of interacting with the officers, in regards to what would be considered a criminal offence. Along one side of the walls, were rigid dark blue plastic chairs and a small table. Upon which was a rack, with an assortment of pamphlets, advertising such things from building alarms, to offering phone numbers for rape counselling, or help in beginning neighbourhood watch initiatives. The whole place reeked of servicability and bleach, and Kalvin found himself not wanting to focus too much on the whys of it needing to be bleached.
Isla sighed, her irritation at the police officer behind the perspex screen of the reception more than evident, "No," She stated louder than necessary, and not in her mate's direction.
The officer looked up at this, and disgruntled at the disturbance paused in his processing of paper work, to deal with his guests.
"How can I help you?" He forced a fake smile, pretending he was happy to see them.
"Lewis Merrier. I am his mother. Where is he?" Isla spoke fast, her own fake smile plastered across her face, showing she clearly believed the young man was lucky she would even condescend to speak to him, rather than scratch his eyes out.
"Please take a seat, Lass, someone will be out shortly," he spoke, his attitude completely matching Isla's own condescending tone.
Isla's jaw began to tense, and her nostrils flared.
"Okay, Beautiful, come on," Kalvin tried to pacify her before she exploded, rubbing her arms while guiding her away from the desk, and towards the dubious waiting area.
"Don't you dare call me, Lass, Martin Burns!" Isla shrieked, shrugging her husband off, "I remember hearing when your mother birthed you, and don't you think my brother didn't tell me, all about how, when you were sixteen years old, you burned down the village hall one night, drinking with your cronies! Aye, I know exactly who you are! Now, you go and find me a grown up, right now! And preferably, one who can tell me when my son will be released!" She vented.
"Hi Mom." Lewis' voice croaked awkwardly over the commotion, as he arrived through two dark grey doors from the back, with another officer beside him, stifling her laughter.
"Lewis!" Isla called out, pulling her son roughly into her embrace and completely forgetting about PC Burns, at the desk.
"You okay, Son?" Kalvin asked, patting Lewis' shoulder, as Isla released him.
"Yeah, just feeling like an idiot," Lewis shrugged, embarrassed by the affection his mother was layering onto him.
The officer cleared her throat speaking up, "He is being let off with a warning. Try to keep yourself under control, Mr. Merrier," she advised kindly, "We don't want to see you back again. Especially Martin. I doubt he could cope with another tongue lashing from your mother," she laughed out at her colleagues expense.
Lewis just nodded his head sheepishly, as he wished the ground would open up and swallow him. Then, he was herded outside with the others and led to the car like a toddler, flanked on both sides by his parents.
"Felix do you need a ride home?" Isla asked, as she ushered Lewis into the back of the car.
"No thanks Mrs. M. I have my car around the corner, I will see you back at the ranch," he added with a wink. "Don't be too hard on him, it wasn't actually his fault. The asshole pulled a knife on me for offering to buy his upset girlfriend a drink. Lewis just got defensive," he tried to explain.
"Noted." Kalvin spoke flatly, before getting in the car, ignoring Felix further.
"See you at home, Sweetie." Isla nodded sweetly, before following Kalvin's example and climbing in the car, sensing her mate was more the ready to head back to their daughter.
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Arthur sneered at Colt, "Well, Princess, what's it gonna be?"
"Don't you dare call me that," Colt hissed out, her focus struggling to stay split on all the targets surrounding her, while Arthur kept goading her.
"Uncle Arthur, you've lost your bloody mind!" Angus scoffed in disbelief, still cradling his damaged wrist as it slowly healed, "So, is that what you have on everyone? How you keep the clan in line; and putting up with your bullshit?" He asked in shock.
"Oh, shut up, Boy! No one cares about your pathetic questions and opinions!" Arthur hissed out, fed up of the interruptions. "So Princess, tell me what are your favourite positions, and I'll be sure to send your parents a video," he maliciously taunted her, "If you behave that is." He added, stepping menacingly towards her.
"You're a twisted kind of freak, you know that right?" Colt barked out in disgust at the man, that may have once been her own father, under vastly different circumstances. "I mean what the fuck is wrong with you? Unloved as a child? Or just dropped too hard on the head as a baby?" She threw back.
"What's wrong with me?" Arthur scoffed, opening his arms out to his audience, "My fiancée left me for some trumped up mutt! Isla was supposed to be mine! That was the agreement! I was good to her, I treated her well! Then one day, she asks to meet me, wearing your father's fucking mark, marred across her neck! Starts harping on about how happy he makes her! How complete she feels! Stupid bitch, didn't know her place. But you will, I'll make sure of that" he threatened, ignoring the growls that were coming from Colt's throat, "It felt so good, when the back of my hand connected with your mother's face that night, and she fell, right at my feet. The next bit felt even better," he laughed out cruelly.
Colt's body had started to convulse with the renewed need to attack, this monster had hurt her mother, and the small thread of self control she had left was pulled taut, ready to snap at any moment.
"You see, next, I pinned her trembling body in the dirt beneath me, and I let her know exactly who she belonged to. She was no virgin, that was obvious, but by fuck, she was tight. And the way her cries were muffled by the dirt in her mouth," he smiled, a sadistic satisfaction glowing across his face, "I still dream about it now. If only Robert hadn't interrupted, she would have never escaped. At least now, with you, I get revenge on both your parents!"
Author's Note: And you thought he was bad before...