Chasing Miss Conner •NEW VERSION•

XXVIII

Twenty Eight

I drummed my fingers impatiently on the counter, my irritation only spiking as the weasel-like receptionist droned on with his phone call. If I heard the words "I'll be with you in a moment" one more time, I was going to lose my shit. As the thought crossed my mind, Genny's hands slapped down on the counter, accompanied by an annoyed hiss of air escaping her teeth. The sound startled me, and the guard as he jerked and cursed, flailing in an attempt to keep hold of the corded phone. Mumbling a "I'll call you back" he finally set the phone down and turned to face us, his unibrow lowered in a glare.

"Hey pimples? Yeah you. We've been waiting here for over an hour. My girl here has an appointment. So, two questions: one, how much longer do you want to keep us waiting, and two, how long do you think it would take those nicely built police officers there to come to your rescue before I jump over this counter and wring your scrawny neck?" I blinked at my friend in surprise, taking in her many piercings and stiff posture. I knew this place had to be extremely nerve wracking for her, after all she'd reported her own assault to these guys and nothing had been done.

But damn, my girl had moves.

I raised a brow at the now nervous guard, his face slightly perspired with sweat. "I'd get with it, she's not joking."

"As entertaining as that would be, I'm afraid it won't be necessary." For the second time this morning I nearly jumped out of my skin. The woman approached us, her platinum blonde hair pulled back in a severe bun and her hand on her hip, resting comfortably on the hilt of her weapon. I swallowed back my fear as she approached, raising one light eyebrow in a haughty expression.

"I assume you're hear to escort me to wherever so I can give my statement?" Genny snorted beside me, although I when I glanced at her she was looking rather innocent. I returned my gaze to the officer, wincing slightly at the calculated yet unamused gleam in her eyes.

"Yes, this way please." I elbowed Genny in the ribs, ignoring her small sound of protest as we trailed behind her. She led us through the glass double doors, exposing a surprising amount of officers and desks. I wasn't sure what I expected, but a similar layout to the NYPD Special Victims Unit wasn't it. Stepping further into chaotic room, I was immediately overloaded with the smell of coffee and sounds of bustling about. Officers herded rather intimidating and loud figures, into what I assumed was the lockup. The blonde officer led us to her desk, motioning for us to sit. My knee bounced with anxiety the second I sat down, swirling through my chest and bringing the unnerving feeling of wanting to bolt.

I jumped as Genny put a hand on my knee, flashing her an apologetic smile. Her familiar smell of cigarettes and clove comforted me, lessening the anxiety some. She squeezed my knee gently, her watchful eyes scanning my face. I released a slow breath and turned to face the officer, who's name was "Becks" gathered from her nameplate. Her severe expression cracked a little, her eyes softening as she scanned my no doubt "stressed-the-fuck-out" expression.

"I understand this might be difficult, but I want you to take your time, okay? There's no rush, and when you say stop, we stop." She assured, handing me a pen and a flat notepad. "Write down everything you remember, and then we will go over those details, as well as have you work with our sketch artist."

I nodded, still feeling a little twitchy as a male officer nearby dropped a stack of paperwork on his desk with a loud thump. I forced my anxiety away, focusing on the whole purpose of being here. I was here so that Caleb and his "accomplice" didn't hurt anyone else. That was my purpose. I wrote down everything I'd told Officer Johnson, hesitating on the parts that were difficult or triggering. But she never pushed me. I also found myself speaking about his obsession with Miss Conner, without giving away our relationship, obviously. I had realized that this was bigger than either of us, it wasn't just me in danger. With Officer Beck's and Genny's encouragement, the whole process didn't take long and was relatively painless. After I finished my statement, she went over a few more details and had me sign some paperwork, giving them access to my medical records and all that.