Dedrick | Protector 1.5

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

       I kept looking at the clock, waiting for my stupid boyfriend to just walk through the front door. This wasn't like him. He was always home shortly after he got off of work, but it has been almost two hours since his shift ended. If he was held up some way or another, he would have told me.

       So where was he?

       I even tried calling him, but he wasn't answering. Part of me, a huge part, was worried he was going to do something stupid that caused him to get in trouble. He was pissed that his parents weren't leaving Andrew alone, and said he was going to do something about it.

       Knowing him, it was going to be something stupid. Maybe even illegal.

       Andrew was getting as worried as I was. He knew what his brother could be like at times, even more than me. I didn't know Dedrick during the times he got arrested. Andrew did. He knew what Dedrick could do, so it was making him quite nervous.

       While I was a bit worried he would do something illegal, I didn't think he would do something extremely bad like, you know, murder.

       Hopefully.

       "Can we file a missing person's report?" Andrew asked. "He's not home yet. It's official. He's missing. What if he's dead in a ditch somewhere?"

       "I'm sure he's not dead," I said. "Or missing. He probably just decided to go somewhere after work."

       "And decided to ignore our calls? I think the fuck not."

       "His phone could be dead."

       "He could be dead."

       I sighed. "Andrew, you're thinking of the worst case scenario."

       "Maybe you're thinking of the best case scenario."

       "I am, which is what we should be doing. Look, I'm worried about him too, but it's not going to do us any good to just think that he's dead or something."

       Andrew scowled as he leaned back into the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine, but if he's dead right now and we can't find his body, or the killer, it's your fault."

       I was starting to think Andrew would always think of the worst case scenario.

       My cell phone starting ringing, so I grabbed it, hoping that it was Dedrick calling. It wasn't. It was an unknown number.

       "Is it Dedrick?" Andrew asked. "If it is, let me yell at him."

       "It's not Dedrick," I said, answering the call, holding my phone up to my ear. "Hello?"

       "Is it the police to tell us Dedrick is dead?" Andrew asked.

       I shushed him as the person on the other line said, "Alya, I need you help."

       Okay, so it was Dedrick. I would ask him why he wasn't calling me on his cell phone, but that wasn't the most important thing right now. 

       "Where are you?" I asked. "Your shift ended almost two hours ago. Andrew and I have been trying to call you but you weren't answering."

       "So it is Dedrick?" Andrew asked. "Where is he? Is he dead?"

       I knew Andrew was going to keep asking questions without knowing whether or not Dedrick answered it, so I put the call on speaker for Andrew to listen in.

       "I'm at the police station," Dedrick said. "I finally convinced them to let me make the one phone call."

       "I knew it," Andrew said. "You killed someone, didn't you?"

       "Make up your mind," I said. "First, you're convinced he's dead and now, you think he killed someone?"

       "Oh my god, I didn't kill anyone, Andrew," Dedrick said. "I didn't even do anything. My parents' house burned down, and they put the blame on me all because I haven't been happy with them lately."

       "Did you?" I asked.

       "What?" Dedrick asked. "No, of course not. Yeah, I've made some fucked up decisions in the past, but I'm trying to make a better life for myself now. I'm not going to jeopardize that when I have a girlfriend and a daughter. Not to mention I was at work. Literally all day. Anyway, the stupid police officers aren't listening to my alibi so I need you to come here and smack some sense into them."

       "I'm not going to smack them, but I'll head down there," I said. "I'll see you soon."

       "Thank you," Dedrick said. "Also, Andrew, stop thinking I'm a piece of shit."

       "You are a piece of shit," Andrew said. "I thought you died."

       "Yeah, well..." Dedrick cut himself off with a heavy sigh. "I have to hang up now." Before he could say another word, he either hung up or one of the officers hung up the call.

       I stood up from the couch, putting my cell phone in my pocket before looking at Andrew. "Can you keep an eye on Clarissa while I get Dedrick?"

       "Yeah, of course," Andrew said. "But I'm horrible with kids so if she wakes up crying, I'll probably start crying too."

       "She just went to sleep so I don't think she'll wake up anytime soon," I said, heading to the front door. "Just call me if you need help."

       "I will," Andrew said. "Make sure you slap my brother for me."

       "Or you can slap him when we get back."

       "That works, too."

       I left the house, getting into my car and heading to the police station. I really hoped I could get Dedrick out of there soon. I didn't want to be at the police station any longer than I had to, and I doubt Dedrick felt any differently.

       When I got there, it took a long time to get one of the officers to talk to me and even when they did, they didn't seem to have any interest in listening to me telling them that there was no way Dedrick could have burned down his parents house.

       If anything, I would have down it since I was a firefighter and knew how to make it look like an accident.

       But I didn't tell them that, of course.

       It took a very long time but finally, the police were able to confirm Dedrick's location, simply by calling his boss. They should have done that the moment Dedrick said he had one. 

       They were finally letting Dedrick leave, but they told him he was going to have to stay in the city just in case there were more developments in the case since he was still a suspect.

       As if his alibi wasn't enough.

       "It's officially," Dedrick said as I was driving us back home. "I hate my parents even more than I already did. I wouldn't be surprised if they set their own house on fire to blame me."

       "Would they really do that?"

       "Probably." He sighed heavily and leaned back in the passenger's seat. "I just want them to back off but they're not taking the hint. I don't know what it's going to take for them to leave me and Andrew alone."

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wow there are a lot of books i haven't updated in over a year I AM SO SORRY. it's all because i can't stop writing more books when i already have enough i'm writing.