The One Night Stand

Chapter 21

  Tom paced around the tiny holding cell. What was taking Collins so long? He thought. Steven assured Tom he'd do everything in his power to get him back to Cat tonight. Tom hated the fact that the detectives came to Cat's house to arrest him, luckily she'd just fallen asleep in his arms. He'd just closed his weary eyes and was saying a silent prayer that she was okay and that he was finally with and he could keep her safe from who ever had tampered with her car brakes. That's when he heard the detectives arguing with Steven and realised they were there to arrest him. Tom was furious that he was under arrest for the murder of Trent Sutton and the attempted murder of the woman he loved.

  "FUCK!" He yelled and punched the wall. Tom hated being in the three metre by three metre cell, it was claustrophobic and he felt like a caged animal. It reminded him of when he was a child and his foster parents locked him in the closet when he was naughty. He clenched his fists, if he didn't get out of here soon he'd go nuts.

  His thoughts turned to Cat, his heart aching at hoe broken and sad she looked. Her face was pale and drawn and she looked like she had lost a lot of weight. He sat down on the bench with his head in his hands. Cat's pain was his pain, he could feel her slipping into psychosis. She was acting weird when he'd gone to see her, here eyes vacant, like she was sleep walking.

  He was eternally grateful to Steven for calling him in New York and telling him Cat needed him. Tom was aware how much Steven loved Cat, it must have been killing him to watch her fading away, so tiny and defenseless. Tom sat up when he heard the detective and Steven Collins approaching.

  "Right Bell, you're out on bail, but we've got your passport so don't try anything stupid." Detective Sloan warned the relieved prisoner.

  Tom was surprised to see Jane Stone with Steven also, she was glaring at Tom, but clearly she was here to help him. Tom had never had so many people fighting to help him in his life and he didn't know how to react. He nodded at Jane and shook Steven's hand. Detective Sloan glared at Tom as the young man pushed past him to leave the police station.

  "Tom I have to run Jane home, take my car and go back to Cat, she needs you. I had to leave her alone, I don't know what she's capable of. I've been calling the house all afternoon and she's not answering." Steven said throwing Tom the keys to his rental.

   Tom ran to the rented Mercedes Benz, a rising panic in his chest, and sped off towards Cat's house. She shouldn't have been left alone, Tom shook his head erasing the image of Cat hurting herself. She loved that baby inside her, she'd never do anything to harm herself or her child. He accelerated, panicking that someone was coming after her to finish the job they failed the first time.

   He regretted that he hadn't told her the truth about his painful childhood. Tom Bell was a proud man, he had survived his abusive childhood and was stronger for it, he hated the look in people's eyes when they found out about his life as a child in the foster system. He didn't need anyone's sympathy, he was who he was because of his struggles. His thoughts turned to Cat again. He never expected to love her so strongly when he first met her in that bar. He smiled as he remembered her face when she dropped that glass. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on, both inside and out.

  Tom should have let her go when her husband returned, perhaps if he had, Trent Sutton would still be alive and Cat would be happy. Instead, she was fading away from grief before his eyes. Tom wanted to make her pain go away, if only she'd let him. He recalled her comforting him while he held her close. She was more worried about Tom than herself.

  Tom tried calling Cat's cell phone, but it went directly to message bank. Fuck, Tom thought to himself. He thought about the lyrics to his song, the same song the police suspected of being evidence, 'I'll never let you go, I'll follow you to the beyond...'he could see now how it looked.