Page 125 of Things We Left Behind

A wave of nausea rolled through me.

“Sloane, I’ll handle this,” Mr. Walton insisted. “Uncuff him now, Wylie, or we’re going to have an issue.”

“I don’t take orders from some namby-­pamby ambulance chaser,” Ogden said, giving me a hard shove forward. My knees buckled, and I went down on them hard on the sidewalk.

Sloane cried out, but I refused to look up.

“Officer Winslow, will you please take care of Lucian while I talk to Chief Ogden?” Mr. Walton said through clenched teeth.

Another cop and an EMT each took an arm and helped me up.

“Hang in there, buddy,” the officer said to me quietly as they guided me toward the ambulance.

“Don’t bother patching him up. Let him bleed on the way to jail. See how he likes it,” Ogden called after them.

I thought I heard the EMT mutter “fucker” under his breath, but I wasn’t sure.

The cop eased me into the back of the patrol car, where I collapsed against the seat.

“I’ll get you some water, and we’ll clean you up down at the station,” he promised.

I nodded but didn’t open my eyes. There was no point. There was nothing left for me here. This life was over.

“Lucian.”

I managed to open my eyes and found Mr. Walton leaning in the open door. “Listen to me. I’ll be right behind you. Okay? Don’t talk to anyone. If they try to question you, tell them you won’t speak unless your lawyer is present.”

His tone was calm, soothing.

“What…” My voice sounded rusty, and I cleared my throat. “What about my mom?” I rasped.

“They’re taking her to the hospital to get her checked out,” he said, keeping his voice low.

“Lucian.” Sloane’s panicked face appeared next to her father’s earnest one.

I turned away, not wanting to see her. Not wanting to face the betrayal…or the shadows my family had put in those green eyes.

“Go,” I said.

“What?” Mr. Walton asked, leaning closer.

“Get her out of here! Please.”

“Lucian, I’m sorry—­” Sloane began.

“Go stand with your mother, Sloane,” Mr. Walton said using his lawyer voice.

My father was standing guard at the back of the ambulance watching me. I knew what he was really doing. Reminding my mother what happened to wives who didn’t know their loyalty lay with their husbands instead of their sons.

I didn’t blame her. I didn’t even know if I blamed Sloane. I just knew that everything I’d fought for for so long was now over. It was all for nothing. I was going to jail. My father would kill my mother. Then he’d either go to jail or drink himself to death. No matter which way the dice landed, this was the end of the Rollins family.

“But, Dad, you can’t let them take him. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t Lucian’s fault. Mr. Rollins—­”

If he heard her, if he even had an inkling that she knew… I wouldn’t be there to stop him. I felt sick.

“Enough!” I barked sharply. I still couldn’t look at her. She needed to get away from me.

“Lucian.” Sloane’s whisper was broken.