Behind the Badge: Obsession in the Shadows

Always have

The next day:

I can feel the binder in my hands the pictures inside practically burning with truth. My hands shake as I stare at the photos each one seems worse than the last. I can't believe what I'm seeing. The life my parents kept hidden from me, right in front of my eyes. I don't know whether to scream or cry.

"Madison, give it to me." Gregory's voice cuts through my thoughts.

I snap my head up, fury runs through me. "No!" I snap and tighten my grip on the binder.

He steps closer to me and his eyes narrow. I can tell he's losing patience. "Stop being difficult, Madison. Give it to me now," he orders.

I flinch, but the rage inside me boils even more. Without thinking, I swing my arm, my hand connecting with the side of his face with a sickening smack that fills the room. The moment my hand hits his cheek, I feel a rush of satisfaction, but it's gone almost immediatelyy .

His face darkens and his jaw clenches instantly .
"You shouldn't have done that," he growls lowly.

Before I can react, he grabs my wrist and pulls me to him with surprising force. "You don't get to hit me and walk away from it," he snarls as his grip tightens.

I try to pull away, but it's useless. He yanks me closer pinning me to the wall, and then the sting of his hand slamming down on my bottom catches me completely off guard. It's hard, fast, and it leaves a searing heat in its wake. My body jerks in a shock on pain, but before I can catch my breath, another hard smack lands, this time with more force, making me gasp.

"You think you can just slap me and get away with it?" He says low,"You think you can disrespect me like that?"

I open my mouth to argue, to scream at him, but before I can say a word, another brutal smack makes my whole body jolt, and I'm left gasping for air. "You don't get to do that," he mutters low. "Not when you're mine."

The heat from each blow burns through my shorts.

I bite my lip to hold back a sob, but my anger starts to fade. "You're nothing but a monster," I spit, but it comes out weaker than I wanted.

He leans in closer and  his hands grip my chin so hard that I have no choice but to look at him."You don't get to push my buttons like that Madison," he says calm. "You don't hit me and expect me to back off."

I'm still reeling from the pain. "I'm the only one who can protect you," he continues, low and final.

My skin still burns from the force of his hand, and my head is spinning. I'm confused, angry, and shaken, but there's something else. My body aches with the impact of his strikes, but the pain isn't just physical. It's deeper than that, something I can't fully grasp.

He doesn't give me a chance to pull away. His hands are suddenly on my arms pulling me to his chest. "You're mine, Madison," he growls rough, "Don't you forget that. Don't you ever forget that you belong to me."

I try to pull back as my heart pounds, his grip is iron like.

"Stop fighting me," he demands me softly. "I'm doing this because you need it. Because you don't know what's good for you, and I do."

He continues as he tries to calm me down. To comfort me.

I open my mouth to argue, to tell him to let me go, but he places a finger over my lips. "Shh," he murmurs as his thumb brushes against my bottom lip as though he's trying to comfort me in my aoined state. "I'll take care of you. I always do. Always will. You just have to trust me."

Tears stream from a mixture of frustration, pain, and maybe something else. His thumb presses gently on my chin, forcing my head to tilt back slightly, and he lowers his face, his lips just barely brush my forehead before he gently presses a kiss down.

"I'm not sorry for what I did," he murmurs. "You needed it, Madison. You don't understand it now, but you will. I won't let you keep pushing me away, and not listen to me when I'm just trying to help you." His fingers dig into my sides to hold me to him. "You'll come to see that I only do what's best for you. I'm the only one who can protect you. You're mine to protect."

I can feel his heat against me, the way his chest rises and falls with each breath, and despite the tension in my body, ifind myself relaxing to his presence.

"You've made me angry," he says, his voice a low growl now, "but I'll never let anyone hurt you. No one will take or hurt what's mine. Do you understand me, Madison?" He asks lowly.

I can barely nod.

"You'll learn to trust me," he whispers as he brushes my hair.

"Look at me," he commands. His grip tightens around me as if I might try to pull away, and I'm suddenly hyper-aware of the heat radiating off of him, of the way his chest rises and falls with every breath.

I lift my gaze slowly, meeting his dark and intense eyes, "I know this is hard for you to understand," he murmurs, his thumb gently brushing my cheek, wiping away my tears as they fell . "But you'll get used to it, Madison. You'll get used to me taking care of you like I always did. To me being in control. I know that you will."

"I'm not letting you go, I won't," he continues with a growl, his eyes dark and intense. Possessive even. "You're mine,Madison. And if that means making you understand your actions have consequences than so be it. You won't test me again. You will learn to appreciate me and everything I do and have done to keep you safe."

I don't speak. The words caught in my throat. I can't. Every word sends a emotions through me, a mix of fear and something else. Something that shouldn't feel as right as it does. His fingers slide to my hair running through it, and he tilts my head back gently, forcing me to meet his eyes yet again.

"You understand that, don't you?" he murmurs. "That you belong to me?"

I nod before I can stop myself. No need to argue not given the circumstances.

"I didn't want to hurt you," he says softer. As his fingers brush away the fallen tears. "But you need to learn, baby. Not to argue with me when I only want what is best for you. You need to learn that I won't let you hurt yourself, and I won't let anyone else hurt you either." He pauses his eyes intense ,"You're mine to protect."

"I know you're upset," he says gently as he tries to comfort me , "but I need you to trust me. I need you to let me in, Madison. Let me take care of you, like I always have." He suddenly presses his lips to my forehead.

I shiver as my body responds him in ways I don't fully understand or want to shall I say. He runs his hand down my back and pulls me even closer.

"I'll make you understand,Madison," he says softly. "In time, you'll see that this is for the best. You'll see that you need me just as much as I need you."