Heat of the Moment

Chapter 12

"Finally," Trent said as Evan walked into the interrogation room.

"What do you want?" Evan spat, clearly not interested in anything this guy had to say.

"Am I sensing anger, detective? I— oh, that's right. I had fun with your girlfriend earlier. That's why you're so upset. Can't say I blame you. Course, can you blame me either? I mean, you've seen her. Hell, you've fucked her, right?"

"You need to stop talking. Right. Now." Evan ordered through gritted teeth and a clenched jaw.

"Man, you really need to relax. I didn't get to screw her anyway, remember? Your crew here ruined that, so what the hell is your problem?"

Evan saw red again, shoving the table against Trent, who was sitting handcuffed in the chair. Evan managed to back him up to the wall, the table dangerously close to crushing his torso.

"You watched her, you bastard. That's my problem. And if I hadn't gotten there when I did, you would've raped her, just so you could. That's why I'm so fucking upset, you piece of shit."

Trent opened his mouth to speak again, and Evan just flew off the handle, landing a punch right square in his face.

"Man, what the hell!"

Evan backed up before answering. "Told you to stop talking."

And with that, he nodded towards the paper with Trent's statement on it. The scumbag sighed, picking up the pen and scribbling his name.

"Good. Now I won't have to deal with you anymore. Your sorry ass is going to jail for a long time, Trent."

"Not if I see the inside of a courtroom first!" He threatened, narrowing his eyes. "It's my right, you know."

"If I can help it, you'd be lucky to see daylight again," Evan seethed, turning on his heels and slamming the door behind him.

His blood was boiling again. He clenched and unclenches his fists about 10 times before finally calming down enough to drive back to the hospital.

Didn't help that Trent's words about a trial rang in his ears. He knew there was a possibility, if they wanted to give him the maximum sentence. If not, he could potentially get a plea deal.

Evan made a mental note to talk to Ben about which DA was overseeing the case. Then he could get some solid answers. But for now? His focus was Maci, and he thought about her the whole way up to the hospital's gift shop, where he spotted the perfect batch of orchids to get her for her room. She liked tulips and orchids because of their vibrant magenta and violet colors, she had once mentioned to him.

So, he picked some up on the way to her room. He focused on her when he set them down on her table, and he sat down in the same seat he left earlier. He focused on her while she slept, really taking the time to memorize every little bit of her.

From the way her lips still pouted in her sleep, to the way her breathing was surprisingly soft in contrast to the harsh beeping of the hospital's machines. Or the way her nail polish was chipped, the bright pink color barely on any finger. Or the way she never parted her hair the same way, sometimes it was in the middle, other times like today, it was off to one side. A stray piece fell over one of her eyes, and he was tempted to get it out of her way, but he didn't want to startle her awake.

So, he stayed put, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath. He noticed her lightly tanned skin, which was unfortunately now marked with dark red rings around her wrists and ankles. He cringed when his eyes zeroed in on the rope burns.

He couldn't believe Trent tied her up like that. Like she was a trophy, his prize that he won or something sick like that. The thought of him hurting her made his whole body grow rigid. Don't even get him started on the large burn on her stomach and thigh.