Page 27

The bedroom door sprung open, wood splintering and shattering around us like falling snowflakes. Screaming, I threw my body to the side, ducking behind his back.

“Get on the ground!” A swarm of blue uniforms and black guns charged into the room, corralling around us in one quick swoop. “I said get on the motherfucking ground!”

A heavy hand gripped the base of Birch's neck, tossing him to the floor in a split second. Three over-sized men mounted him, smothering his face into the carpet.

I didn't say a word, not one fucking word. All I could do was stare into the eyes of my protector. His skin had turned ash gray, lids open wide as saucers as his pupils dilated in sheer shock.

“Birch! Birch!” Reaching my hand out, my fingers met air as I was jerked to my feet and dragged out of the room. “No! What are you doing!? Stop!”

Fuck! They know!

They found out what he did. . . What we did.

I tried to fight them, I did. My arms flew out wild and untamed. My lungs screeched like an owl as I tried like hell to get back to Birch.

But I couldn't move forward.

An officer stood in front of me, blocking me from darting back into the room. He kept lifting his arms, shoving me backwards, making me teeter on my heels

Birch kept his gaze frozen on mine. It looked like he was hoping I could read the words inside his head. His eyes softened, brows crinkling up against his hairline.

He's apologizing. He's sorry that I'm seeing this.

“What are you doing to him?! Let him go!”

“You have the right to remain silent, you have the right. . .” The words faded into a jumbled mess of tones as I shut down and crawled inside my own head.

This isn't happening. It can't be happening.

No! No! No!

Raking hard fingers through my hair, I felt the firm grip of hands around my wrist. “Let's go, you're coming too. You have the right to remain. . .”

I knew my rights, I didn't need some fucking asshole cop telling me them.

Clenching my jaw, I bit my tongue, trying to remove all the feelings that were burrowing into my chest, attempting to hijack my heart.

I knew who Birch was, he never pretended to be someone he wasn't. But I tried so hard to keep those two worlds apart. I refused to think that they could ever bleed together and destroy us.

I was wrong.

And as my eyes glossed over and the tears began to fall, I knew. . .

I had lost him forever.