Stepbrother (Sequel to Stockholm Syndrome)

18

    "You know I don't want to do this." I whimpered as Luke walked me out to the car.

        "I set up a visit with my lawyer and I'll discuss the majority of everything with him but I need you to testify." He told me. I whined.

    "I don't want to." That was a lie. I just didn't want to get into trouble with my father.

        "You'll be ok. I'll be with you 24/7." He assured me.

    "What if-"

        "I'll be there." He told me, not hesitant. Subconsciously, my feet stopped moving. "Madeline..." Luke studied me for a moment as I tried to regain control of my body. He ended up practically dragging me into the car while trying to help me in my struggles against a panic attack.

    As we sat in the car and the silence egged on, I just about lost it.

        "Won't you get in trouble if anyone finds out about you kidnapping me?" I asked. "Why are you even allowing yourself to be seen around men and women of the law?" I asked. Luke was quiet for a moment, staring out at the road as his fingers twitched around the wheel.

    "The douche hurt a lot of people but most of all you. He's not going to get away with that." He murmured.

        When we sat in front of the lawyer, my palms began sweating and my whole body was shaking. A police man sat in the corner, observing. We had been discussing the situation for a while.

    "We have Mr. Rose in custody right now but we need more evidence than words." The lawyer seemed to rethink his sentence. "Words are still valuable but we can't condemn someone on them alone. I'm sure your father will have a retort of his own." Luke looked at me.

        "Do you want to show them?" He asked knowingly. Feeling uncomfortable stuck in a room filled with three powerful looking men, I answered honestly, my voice quiet.

    "Not really. But I will anyway." I decided shakily. I stood, turned around and took off my tank top, exposing the scars littering my stomach and back. My arms were hurt too but not as bad. My dad had been smart and made sure to avoid scarring the more visible areas on my body. "I know it's still my word against my father's but this is his doing." I said quietly. While the men surveyed my body, I stared at Luke, whose gaze stuttered over the bruises on my stomach in frustration before he made and kept eye contact the rest of the time.

I put the tank top back on, pulling a white thread from it and studying it to avoid eye contact.

    "May I ask why authorities weren't informed earlier?" The police officer asked. At this my eyes shot up.

        "Because the abuse only would've gotten worse if he had found out I notified someone." I snapped. He nodded.

    "My apologies." He answered. Luke subtly latched onto my hand and I looked down, dropping the thread.

        "No... I'm sorry. This just isn't my favorite topic."  There was silence for a moment before the officer turned to Luke.

    "And where were you when all of this was going on?" He asked. Luke looked down before making eye contact again. He was silent for a moment trying to figure out how to word things properly.

        "Ever since Mr. Rose married my mother, he had kept us separate from Madeline. He claimed that she had a mental problem that he didn't want us worrying about since the other side of the family had it covered." Luke paused. "The only time I ever got to see her was a time Mr. Rose had her in the backseat of the car when he came to our house. He didn't let her out but from where I was, it didn't seem that she had any mental health problems."

    "And where were you seeing this from?"

        "My bedroom window." He answered. "I would've gone out to her but the closest I got was the front door before Mr. Rose intervened."

    "Intervened?" The lawyer asked.

        "He told me I should find something else to do in my room. When I said no he latched onto my ear and pulled me back into the living room." Luke's voice got deep and his eyes swirled into a darker shade. "He threatened Mum and told me that if I didn't want him to hurt her, I would stay put." He looked up at both the officials in front of him. "What was I supposed to do? I was still a kid and I didn't know anything except what I needed to do to keep my mom safe." His eyes returned to their typical color.

The lawyer, who had been taking notes the entire time we had been here, scribbled something else down on his pad of paper.

    "Onto another matter, Ms. Rose, how old are you?" I ignored my annoyance at how quickly he had been able to move so quickly from a subject that obviously upset my step-brother so much.

        "Seventeen." I answered quietly.

    "And Mr. Rose?" He looked expectantly at Luke.

        "Nineteen." His voice was gruff and he looked at the floor.

    "And you aren't related by blood?" He asked. Luke glared at him.

        "Correct."

    "That might get you into some trouble, having a minor in your care without being related by blood or adopting her." He warned.

        "Legally, we're related." He said, his voice subtly warning the officials away from this conversation. I stayed quiet. The lawyer seemed to notice Luke's hostility rise at the mention of the subject.

    "Mr. Rose, we aren't threatening you but if the defendants get a hold of this information it could cause trouble for you in the trial." He said calmly. Luke snorted.

        "So, what?" He asked. "I'm supposed to adopt my sister? Her birthday is in two months for God's sake." He threw one hand up in the air in frustration.

    "Can we postpone a trial until them?" My voice was quiet and all three men cocked their heads, listening carefully.

        "We can't hold your father in custody that long without substantial evidence we can give to a judge." The lawyer replied.

    "Could we show my scars and explain the situation?" I asked, making eye contact.

        "Possibly. It might work. Offices are closed this time of day but we can do it tomorrow." He answered. 

    "So we can meet you here tomorrow?" Luke asked. The lawyer nodded.

        "That will work. Say ten thirty in the morning?" He asked. "I think that's my next available slot.

    "That would be perfect." Luke stood and outstretched his hand towards the man to shake. "Thank you so much, Mr. Petersburg." He said, shaking the lawyer's hand. He shook the police officer's hand as well. "You as well, Mr. Harris." The men nodded at each other.

I shook both their hands as well, trying to push away my anxiety. Although these people weren't technically 'strangers,' Luke noticed my 'stranger danger' mode turning on and gently hurried me out of the building and subtly shielded me with his body as we made it to the car.

"You did great." Luke whispered. "You're doing great." He said and I let out a muffled sob I had been holding until I got to the car. My eyes watered as he held onto me and I dug my face into his T-shirt. "There's been a lot of stress building up on you from this, hasn't there?" He asked. I nodded.

        "I'm sorry." I whimpered. "It's been just as hard on you and I don't see you bawling your eyes out." I murmured. He chuckled solemnly.

"I wouldn't say just as hard." Luke answered. "You were right in the line of fire for years. I didn't have to deal with as much and I didn't have to wait as long until I left." It was quiet for a while after that until I forced my head away from Luke's chest and told myself to toughen up.