Criminal ~ Shoey

Chapter 21 - I can't lose him.

Chapter 21 - I can't lose him.

* Shane's POV *

"Shane?" My eyes flutter but remain closed. "Shane, please wake up..." it was a female voice. A familiar female voice.

"We only need his statement. Then he can go back to resting." An unfamiliar, empty male voice said.

"Resting?! He's been out cold for two days! Do you think you can give it another day?"

"Mister Hartman and Mister Graceffa are sitting in jail cells this very moment and we need to know if we're keeping them there and for how long. We need his statement before they go to court. I'm sorry, ma'am, but we need him to wake up."

Mister Graceffa? Joey? What the fuck was happening? The last thing I remembered was the empty, barren warehouse and the events that took place there.

"I understand that! But I can't make him wake up! I wish he would, so he could tell us what those sick criminals did to him so they can stay locked up forever. Oh, my poor baby..What'd they do to you?" I felt a pair of fingers gently rub across my cheekbone. My baby? Was this my mom?! And sick criminals? Joey wasn't a criminal...they had to know that, Joey had to go free. Come on, mouth, work!

"Joey..." I muttered, trying very hard to finish my sentence. But it wasn't happening. My eyes felt glued shut, and my throat felt clogged. "Joey?" My mom repeated. "Joey is the name of one of his kidnappers...Joseph Graceffa." The cold male voice said.

And then, like magic, my eyes flew open. "Where's Joey?" I panted. My eyes quickly scanned the room. I was in a private hospital room. There were three plastic chairs to the ride of my bed, which my mom and some guy with a badge were perched upon. "Joey's in jail...If you tell us what happened, we can keep him there longer." The Guy, a police I assumed, said and my mom shot him a glare. I didn't even care how I got here. I didn't even care where here was. I didn't even care that I've got my mother by my side. All I cared about was Joey and getting him out of jail.

"Get Joey out of there!" I said, my voice louder and harsher than I anticipated. "We...can't. He committed many crimes and broke many laws. Illegal armed robberies, Drug possession, Battery and Assault, Kidnapping." The cop said. I took an instant disliking to him. "He didn't kidnap me! Get him out, I love him!"

My mom's eyes widened and the cop just shook his head sympathetically. I knew what my mom was thinking, she knew how much I "loved" Joey before I was kidnapped...She thought I was delusional. I'm just glad my dad wasn't here to hear that confession, though...He would've killed me. Speaking of...Where is my dad? "Listen here, Shane. Tell me what happened and maybe we can get him out quicker?" The cop suggested but I ignored him. "Where am I? What happened while I was gone?"

My mother frowned. "I don't think its good to get into this now..." She started but I instantly cut her off, "Please tell me... If you want to know everything that happened to me." That was an offer they couldn't refuse and we all knew it. "When you disappeared...Your dad was very angry. He felt out of control. He was packing heat on your brothers and I and his drinking picked up. I think he was trying to teach us that we couldn't run away, too. He drank too much one night....It.. it killed him." My mom didn't look broken up by the events and I could understand why. I think I might've cheered if I wasn't so torn up about Joey. "How am I here? And where's here?" I asked, my eyes searching my mom's face. "We don't know what happened...We only know that some police called from Rome. You, Joey, and Sawyer were flown down here, back to Long Beach.. You were sent straight to a hospital and them straight to a jail cell." I shuddered. Joey didn't belong there.

I'm surprised Cop Douche kept his mouth shut through all of that... But so much for wishful thinking. "Its your turn to share." He said, pulling a small notepad from his vest pocket. I sighed, starting my story. "I was walking home from school..and on a spur of the moment decision, I made a wrong turn and started walking downtown. As I passed some jewelry store I heard some commotion from inside. I went to check it out and it was Joey and Sawyer... I couldn't believe it. I'd obsessed over them for months. I didn't know what to say. But then they saw me. Sawyer told Joey to grab me so they could leave. They thought I'd tell if they let me go. I wasn't exactly kidnapped, I wanted to go. But if I was kidnapped by anyone, it wasn't Joey. We got in the car. I sat in the backseat with Sawyer and Joey in the front. Sawyer was driving. After ten minutes of silence, Joey joined me in the backseat. He grabbed a blanket from the very back..or trunk area or whatever. We shared the blanket as he started to talk to me. We learned all the basic stuff about each other. We stayed in this hotel on the outskirts of Long Beach. Joey and I shared a room and a bed. Me being me, I was ecstatic. That's when he learned that I was gay, and I learned that he was, too. He made sure I knew that he wasn't with Sawyer. The next morning we left and got on a plane to Rome." I made sure to leave out the robbery they did that morning before we left.

"I had my first kiss on that magical plane ride. I kissed Joey. He kissed back. It was soft and sweet and beautiful. We fell in love with each other. We were all escaping to Rome for a fresh start. And it worked for the first few days. Until Sawyer robbed a place in Rome. It hurt Joey horribly, Sawyer had forced him into being his accomplice in the very beginning which ruined his life and now he was ruining his second chance... I mean, how often do we get second chances? So I went to talk to Sawyer. He beat me up pretty bad until Joey saved me. We switched hotels and had sort of...an intimate night." I said, my face heating up. "After that, we slept. But we didn't wake up where we fell asleep. Sawyer had kidnapped us and trapped us... He drugged us and tortured us for days. But somehow Joey got free. And that's all I remember before waking up here."

My mom and Cop Douche stayed silent for a few minutes to let my story sink in. And when the cop finally spoke again, his voice was softer, "I understand Joey was forced into this life of crime and that he didn't kidnap you...But he still has time to pay. These boys have nothing to lose..Except for Joey. Joey has you to lose. Therefore, I expect them both to be truthful. And if your story proves correct, Sawyer may have a death sentence. But its hard to tell how long your Joey will be in there." I gulped, my heart sinking. "Please help him.." I whispered, pleading to him with my eyes. "I can't lose him."

"I'll do everything I can." He said before looking down. I followed his gaze...He was looking at his own left hand, perched atop his knee. A wedding band was on his ring finger and was the object of his attention. "My husband was framed for a crime he didn't commit two years ago. I couldn't help him...He ended up getting killed in jail." I was in a state of awe. I thought the cop was cold..but it was only the way he was after his loss. "I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen to you." He said, standing up. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Yaw." He made his way to the door. "Wait," I called before he opened the door. He turned to face me. "I never caught your name." I said.

His expression was blank. "Tate Wyatt." And with that, he was gone.

And I couldn't help but wonder if his last name was his or his husband's.

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I haven't updated this story in FOREVER! I'm so sorry ._. But I'm probably posting another chapter today, don't worry. And keep in mind: This is a Shoey story. I would not go for more than a few chapters without Shoey.

Thanks for Reading & Voting; May the odds be ever in your favor, Goodbye c;

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