Behind the Badge: Obsession in the Shadows

Madison Pierce

I hear my pulse pound in my ears. "You're mine," he says so confidently and sure, as if that claim dissolves every cruel, twisted game he's played in my life.

He reaches out suddenly and I feel his thumb brush away a stray tear from my cheek, and it's an intimacy that feels more like an invasion to me . I flinch at his touch, my anger rising again just below the weight of exhaustion I was feeling at the moment. My mind races with the news I've just found out—my parents, the faked deaths, this horrible truth that has torn open a wound I thought had scarred over.

So fresh and real.

The overwhelming emotions made me so tired... so lost and confused.

"Stop acting like this is love," I murmur barely a whisper. "You don't own me, and whatever this is, it's not love."

Gregory's smirk flattens, a flash of something dark and volatile passes through his eyes. His jaw clenches as he leans closer to me, his breath brushes against my ear. "You still don't understand, do you?" He says low with frustration and something darker. "You can fight it all you want, but that won't change the truth. You belong to me Maddison, and the sooner you accept it, the easier it'll be."

My mind screams at me to push him away, to resist, to fight him, but every muscle feels almost too weak to move, every ounce of strength I had was drained by the overwhelming emotions I was feeling. The emotions that drowns me currently. I stare at him as my defiance simmers beneath my fear I felt for him. "You can't make me love you," I choke out as I force the words through gritted teeth. "You can control me, lock me up, manipulate me—but that will never change how I feel about you."

His expression hardens instantly. "We'll see about that," he murmurs as he rises to his feet, towering over me.

The weight of my parents' betrayal and their lies, this twisted possession, my confinement in this cold, dark basement it all makes me feel like I am suffocating. But beneath whatever this is that makes me weak is, a flicker of anger starts that starts to burn, a small, defiant ember slowly becoming something bigger and bigger by the moment.

He may have taken my freedom, manipulated me, and distorted the love I once believed in—but I won't let him break me. Not completely. Not yet.

I take a deep breath, trying to gather my strength, and push myself to my feet. Despite my body screaming to rest, why was I so tired?

"Madison," he says, his voice low and soothing his voice flipping a 180 as he looks down at me. "You look exhausted, baby. You need to lay down." He says softly as if seeing how broken and tired I was.

"No!" I snap surprisingly my voice comes out stronger than I feel. "I'm not going back to that bed."

He narrows his eyes at me and I notice an annoyance flash in response. "You don't understand. You need rest, you have been through a lot. Let me help you."

I shake my head no urgently and my heart starts to race as I realize he is not going to take no for an answer. I dart toward the door this maybe my only escape chance, sure adrenaline surges through my veins, but he's quicker. In an instant, he's beside me, grabbing my arm and yanking me back.

The excuse was pathetic even I'd say so.
"Stop fighting me!" he growls to me as he drags me back toward the bed. I kick and twist and I hear my pulse pound in my ears even more. "You're being unreasonable."

I shout, "Let go of me!" but my voice is drowned out by the sound of my own fear. I can't let him overpower me, but he's too strong compared to me. I struggle against his grip as pure desperation fuels my movements.

With a swift motion, he pushes me onto the mattress, and I scramble to regain my footing. "You need to rest," he insists to me his tone shifts from soothing to commanding telling me there wasn't going to be any arguing. "Just lay down."

"Never!" I hiss as I try and scramble back to put distance between us. But he's already knew my movements. He grabs my ankle tightly.

"Enough," he says, his voice low and firm as he grabs the chains from the post. My stomach drops at the sight. "You're not in a position to argue."

I fight harder as panic rises in my chest. "You can't do this!" I scream as I try to pull away as he moves my ankle to the end of the put. I twist and turn, but he's too strong and he chains it to the bedpost with ease.

"Stop!" I shout, but he just tightens the chain and secures my ankle in place. The cold metal bites into my skin.

"Madison, you're tired. I can tell.  Just lay down and close your eyes and rest," he says, he says a little softer as though trying to calm me down. "I'm only doing this for your own good. I'm not going to do anything, you just need to rest. Stop trying to fight it, or do it's only going to show you how tired you really are."

"You're insane!" I shout as I struggle against the chains.

He steps back and looks at me with his arms crossed, with an expression that shows annoyance and something darker. "You'll learn to accept this, doing what I say because it's what is for the best. Everything I do is for you." he says casually as though he was certain of it. "Trust me; it's for the best."

"You think I'll just lay here and let you control me?" I snap with fear and anger.

He smirks as he looking down at me. "You don't have a choice, Madison. You will rest whether you want to or not."

With that, he turns to leave, turns off the light and closes the door behind him with a heavy thud. The lock fills the silence.

(Change of scene!!!!!!)(1st person new character!)

"Sir, how do you know she's missing?" The officer asked I look at his badge.

"Officer Griffin, she calls me three times a week, she hasn't and I drove by her house and her cars there but no body is home."  I explain.

"How long has she been missing 3 days now." I explain.

He clears his throat.
"What's her name?" He asks me finally looking at me from his computer screen.

"Madison Pierce. She's my niece. I adopted her after her parents died, we travel a lot but I still love the girl like she's my own daughter. I just know something is wrong."

(Ps. Not the officer Griffin you think 🤫🤔)