Chapter 37 I Hate It
And that was how I ended up at the police station.
At first, I thought it was some sick prank. But it wasn't. The officer on the phone had clearly asked me to come pick up Ryker.
So, I did.
The entire drive to the station, my mind kept spinning questions.
What did he do? Was he involved with those heavily pierced men from the other night? Was he into something illegal?
I kept asking myself questions I had no answers to.
I expected to see him behind bars, face covered in mud and sweat, looking like a criminal.
But no.
I pushed open the station doors and walked into a large, open room filled with cubicles. Officers were behind their desks, tapping away at their computers, some hovered around the screens, others moved around with files in hand.
Apparently, Sunday was a busy day for them.
As I stood there, wondering who to approach, an older officer walked over.
"Miss Vanessa?"
"Yes. Where is he?" I asked quickly.
"Please, come with me."
I followed behind him, my eyes darting around the station. I'd never been here before. Nothing and no one had ever dragged me into a police station. But Ryker just changed that.
I didn't know whether to be mad or impressed.
We stopped in front of a closed door. The officer knocked, and a voice inside responded,"Enter."
But the officer didn't go in. He looked at me instead.
"You should go in."
I frowned.
"Wait, isn't Ryker supposed to be in a cell or something? Does he get VIP treatment now?"
The man chuckled. "I don't have an answer for that. Excuse me."
And with that, he walked off, leaving me in the hallway alone.
Honestly, if this was how they treated people like Ryker, it was unfair to the rest of the criminals. Wasn't the system meant to be equal?
Either way, I twisted the doorknob and stepped inside.
A burly officer sat behind a wide desk, but my eyes instantly caught that familiar broad back.
Ryker.
He spun around in the chair, his face containing a tight frown.
I closed the door behind me, raising a brow.
"Ryker?"
"And then she came."
My brows furrowed. "What's this about? What did you do to end up in police custody?"
"That's all you care about?"
"What?" I asked, confused.
"How about caring enough to not snub your fiancé or going out to meet another man?"
"Wait, what?"
The officer cleared his throat, pulling my attention to him.
"Mr Holland didn't break any law, Miss. He came in here complaining his fiancée was out with another man and he didn't like that, so he asked us to call you in."
Hold on—
What the actual hell?
I turned sharply to Ryker. "Is this true? You caused a scene just to drag me here?"
"I wouldn't have gone to such an extent if you hadn't gone out on a date with Derek."
"It wasn't a date. It was business,"
"I texted you, but you ignored me."
"So you thought the police could help?"
"What other place to lay complaints about a missing person?"
"I'm not a missing person, Jesus Christ, Ryker!" I groaned.
He pursed his lips. "But you were away from me for hours. That should count."
I shook my head, unable to believe that this level of craziness could from a man like Ryker Holland.
He stepped closer. "I had to get your attention somehow. Otherwise, you'd probably still be with him. And I hate it."
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I was too stunned. Too irritated. Too speechless to even throw something snarky in response.
"Come on. Let's go home." He reached for my hand and pulled me along. I didn't resist—at least not yet.
Just before we stepped out, he turned to the officer. "My secretary will be in touch. Thanks for the help, sir. Much respect."
And then, we left.
As soon as we came outside, I yanked my hand from his grip.
"This is insane. You went too far."
"Why?" He looked genuinely offended. "You really believe that I'm some criminal?"
He shook his head. "How many more identities do you have for me in your head, exactly?"
I crossed my arms tightly over my chest. "Well, with those tattoos and those shady guys that came around last time? You all look like part of some gang. What am I supposed to think?"
He paused.
I bit my tongue, watching him carefully.
Then he took a step forward, his eyes digging into mine.
"You really want to know what those tattoos mean? Who those men are? What all this is about?"
My breath hitched.
The way he said it and the look in his eyes showed that he wasn't just trying to teasing me.
He was serious.
Like he was about to open the door to a world I might never come back from. But I still nodded like a fool intentionally walking straight into chaos.
"Use your words, Vanessa." He said. His voice, low but impossible to ignore.
"Yes," I said, barely above a whisper.
A slow smile spread across his face, like my answer gave him some sort of benefit. His eyes glinted with something I couldn't quite name.
Something dangerous.
"Very well then."