CUFFED

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Present - Miami, Florida - James

I run my thumb across my bottom lip as I remember Danielle's goodbye kiss. I was praying to the good lord she was still acting like a brat when I returned home. I'd love to see the pretty skin on her ass turned red by my hand.

Then again, we needed to sit down and have a serious conversation. Yes, we agreed to be a couple last night. But we needed to talk about what that really meant. I needed to tell her how much her rejection tore me apart. How lost I was when she was shot.

We needed to figure out what we were going to tell people. Our friends, work, our family... well, I suppose that one isn't really needed. Dylan seemed to be pretty accepting. However, that's another subject I need to tackle.

Will my daughter accept that there's another wom... wait did she say parents this morning? Like with an s.

The loud buzzing of the security gate in front of me brought me back to reality. I was standing at the gates of the Federal Detention Center. Detective Bryan called earlier to tell me that Finnigan Donalds finally agreed to talk. But only to me.

I stopped at the security desk and dropped my gun, badge, and wallet into the secure drawer. The officer on the other side of the bulletproof glass pulled it in and checked my credentials.

"Reason for visit?" She asked.

"Inmate interview," I answered.

"Do you know his I.D. number?"

"No," I said with the shake of my head. "But, he's been in with detective Jason Bryan all morning. His name is Finnigan Donalds."

She clicked her mouse a few times and looked over her screen. When she found what she was looking for she nodded her head and looked back at me.

"Do you have any sharp objects, liquids, or loose clothing that could be used as a weapon on you?"

"No."

She pointed toward the heavy locked door to the side and another buzzing sound was made. I nodded my head as a thank you and stepped through the door. I was met with a pair of burly officers standing next to a conveyor belt and metal detector.

After a thorough pat-down and an all-clear from the large arch-like device, I was escorted to the interrogation rooms. Detective Bryan was leaning up against the wall next to one of the doors. He wore a bored expression on his face as he waited for me.

Jason Bryan was a seasoned officer. He's been the night shift detective in our district for the last twenty years and has an amazing arrest record. I admired his work and was honored anytime I got the chance to work with him.

He pushed himself off the wall as I approached and reached out to shake my hand.

"Hey man," he greeted."Sorry to call you in on your time off but this was important. How's Santiago?"

"No, I appreciate it. You could have just told him no," I replied then chuckled. "She's doing okay medically. Kinda pissed she didn't get notified about this. Gonna be even madder when I tell her what I was called in for."

"Ouch," Jason said with a playful wince. "I heard her temper is pretty epic."

"Eh," I said with a shrug of my shoulders. "Nothing I can't handle."

He chuckled and motioned for me to follow him into the room where Donalds was being held. His dirty blonde hair stuck up all over the place as if he had been running his hands through it endlessly. My blood began to boil when he looked at me with a vicious smirk on his lips. If looks could kill, I'd be the one in cuffs strapped to the table right now.