Amelia

Chapter 23

Alexander's lawyer stood, outraged. "Your Honor –"

"Silence!" The judge's voice was firm and rang throughout the courtroom. It was silent, eerily so, as everyone waited for what would be said next. "What I said shall stand. As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Dahl did not kidnap this woman, and any violence committed against Mr. Quincy is merely an act of self-defense. Charges are dropped. End of story."

I couldn't tell if the room erupted in noise again, or if it was just the rushing of blood past my ears. Everything around me was quiet, or maybe it wasn't, but I was too focused on getting to Fin again. The bailiff released his chains just as I crossed the gate, and it was just in time. I flung myself into his arms, relishing the warmth of his body as he too wrapped me in his arms.

"Fin, Fin they're going to try to kill you."

"Wh-"

"Please, please there's no time to explain. My mother, Alexander, they said if I helped you they would kill you. Fin, please -" A police officer pulled me from Fin, saying that they had to take him back to process his release. I protested, wanting, needing to be with him. I knew I wasn't making any sense, but Alexander was...

"Mr. Quincy?" Burke walked right up to Alexander, who scowled at him and growled a response. "I just wanted to let you know that you are under arrest."

"What?" Three voices all asked the same question. Alexander, my mother, and myself all gaped as an officer was called over, slapping handcuffs on Alexander.

"The charges are domestic abuse, and falsification of a police report." Alexander protested loudly, and I watched with wide eyes as they dragged him from the courtroom. My mother stood in her seat, looking every bit as rumpled as I felt.

"Amelia, honey, we are going to go get Fin. This nice officer says we can follow his car to the station. Do you want to come with us?" I nodded to Morgin, who took my under her arm and led me out, out of the courthouse and into a car. Kappi and Skari got up front, with Morgin sticking to my side in the back. Gunnar had come on a bike, similar to his brother's, as he had assumed that, with Fin in the car, there wouldn't be enough room for everyone.

I felt as if I was watching the experience from outside my body. I couldn't feel, I wouldn't feel. Not until I knew Fin was out of there and safe. We pulled up to that station, all five of us silently getting out of our respective vehicles. The officer that led us spoke quietly to Morgin and Kappi, something about the release process taking a bit of time. We were welcome to wait in a separate room. Did we want any refreshments?

Nothing really penetrated my mind. I was focused on Fin, seeing Fin, and hearing that he was safe. Every time an officer walked by the room, I started, waiting for some kind of news. Morgin sat tensely beside me, her hands clenching and unclenching in her lap. Kappi paced the small room. Skari was on the phone with family members, shifting between texting and calling different concerned relatives in hushed tones. Gunnar had gone outside for his phone call.

All I could picture was someone getting to Fin before he was released, some crooked cop taking him to a secluded room and beating him into a stupor. All the awful, thriller movie clichés bounced around in my brain, getting worse as the time ticked by and still we sat. At some point, Gunnar came back into the room, sitting comfortingly by his mother.

Finally, after two tense hours, a uniformed man entered the room.

There was a brief moment when, in the harsh lines of his face, I heard the heartbreaking news that my mother's promise had come true, and that Fin had been hurt. But that was only a moment, and then the real news came through.