Page 182 of Checkmate
Scrambling to his feet, Alex didn’t need to be told twice. He did as he was fucking told. Following the officer to processing, he kept his head down, just in case. He’d learned pretty quickly that looking at someone the wrong way could get you into a shitload of trouble.
“... pretty little blonde thing. The sick fuck tried to cut the baby out…”
What?!
Despite himself, Alex looked over his shoulder. He was trying to hear the rest of the conversation between the two officers walking in the opposite direction.
“What was that about?” He asked, taking a chance.
“The reason you’re getting processed so quickly,” the officer said, scratching his beard. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
“Did he say they tried to cut out a baby?”
“Sure did. Fuck knows what goes through these sick freak’s heads.” Pushing open a door, the officer gestured with his head. “In.”
“But... I mean, is the girl okay?” Alex couldn’t explain the panic bubbling in his stomach. He didn’t even care about Sophie or the baby. Right? “My girlfriend is pregnant. She’s blonde too.”
The officer paused, shooting Alex a sympathetic look. “They’re in the hospital, under observation. I hear they’re both going to be fine." He clapped his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “But your girl is here to pick you up, so I wouldn’t worry too much.”
“Sophie’s here?”
That made no sense, but he couldn’t deny the relief that flooded his body, knowing that she was okay. That his daughter was okay. He wasn’t sure where the sudden urge of parental concern had come from, nor did he care much for the feeling.
But it was nice to know that they were both okay.
What he really wanted to know was how Sophie had got the money for bail. He hadn’t even checked in with her after she left. He had no idea where she’d been. For all he knew, she’d been sleeping on the streets. On the streets where a madman had tried to cut open a pregnant woman’s stomach.
It could have been Sophie.
The weight of those words sat heavy in his heart as he made his way through processing. Lucky for him, the officer thrust a wad of paperwork into his hand, explaining the terms of his bail. Even with a gun to his head, Alex couldn’t recall a word that left the officer’s mouth.
All he could think about was Sophie.
He had been so awful to her. Yet, when he desperately needed an ally, there she was to bring him home.
He didn’t deserve her.
It was this thought that had him pulling her into his arms as the officer released him from custody. She hesitated before moving her arms around him.
“I didn’t expect this reaction,” she admitted, murmuring against his neck.
He held her at arm’s length, inspecting her. “Are you okay? I just heard about the attack on that pregnant woman.”
“Yeah, I heard about that,” she said, dropping her tone to a whisper. “But I’m okay. The baby too.
Alex glanced over his shoulder at the officer watching the exchange. “Let’s get out of here.”
Leading the way, Sophie stepped out of the building and through the car park. “I’m lucky Erica is so bossy, actually.”
“Erica? What do you mean?”
“Well, that’s where I was staying.” Sophie stopped outside his car, handing him the keys. “I hope you don’t mind. I needed some way of getting here.”
“That’s fine,” he said, opening the door and letting her in. “Just go back a second. You were staying with Erica?”
“Since the night I left,” she said, fastening her seatbelt. “To be honest, I went there and made a fool of myself.”
“How so?” He asked, pushing the keys into the ignition but leaving them hanging there. He wanted to give her his completely undivided attention, and somehow he knew he wouldn’t be able to focus on driving.
