Drive [h.f-t. & j.l.] (COMPLETED)

Chapter 10 - What You Need

what you need - bring me the horizon
__________________

josephine's pov

For a moment, time seems to stand still. I can't move. I can' think. I can't breathe.

Stephen slides the evidence bag across the kitchen counter and I follow it with my eyes, swallowing hard. It's the one Dad got me for my birthday. I didn't even realize I'd lost it back at the mall.

"Detective Shaw, I.. I.." I start, looking at him as I try to put together some words to explain myself. When I realize there's no way to get out of this situation, I sigh, looking at the ground. "Have you old my dad?" I ask after a short while, pressing my lips together.

"No.. not yet." He says and I lift my gaze to him, meeting his eyes. I would have thought he's angry or disappointed. But in his blue eyes, there was worry as he gives me a small smile. "Thank you for not denying it to my face. I'm trying to work with you here, but for that to happen, we've both gotta be honest." He says and I nod.

"I know I should never have been there. I just didn't want them to go to jail. I-" I start and Stephen raises a hand to silence me.

"I know, Josephine. I know. But you can't save them. They'll just end up pulling you down with them." He says and I could feel my heart start to beat even faster. I lean against the kitchen counter as the blood pounded in my ears, hands shaking slightly. Stephen was saying something, but I couldn't hear him. Breathing suddenly felt like a really hard thing to do.

The feeling of someone placing their hands on my arms pulled back slightly and I look up to see Stephen, closer now, giving me a worried look.

"Take a breath." He says softly and I nod, doing so even though it felt a little bit shaky. "I don't want to get you into any trouble and that's why I'm not going to tell your father." He continues and I just stare at him for a second.

"Y-you're not? But why?"

"Listen, I was eighteen once too. The cars, the thrills. The guys, girls, whatever... I get why you'd want to make those kinda friends. Your dad doesn't seem to let you out much." He says and all I can do is shake my head. Stephen looks around for a moment as if to make sure no one's walking in. "You're a smart kid. You already know how risky these people are, so I won't give you a lecture. You're an adult. You can make your own decisions." I blink, listening to him in awe, wondering how long I've wanted to hear those words from Dad.

"Detective Shaw-"

"Call me Stephen." He says and I stop, nodding and giving him a small smile.

"Stephen, why are you helping me?" I ask and he takes a step back from me.

"Josephine, I made mistakes in the past, and someone gave me a second chance, too. I don't want this to ruin your life. You just gotta promise me one thing." Stephen picks up my phone from the counter and types something before handing it back. "Call me if you find out they're planning something serious. Can you do that for me?" As I take my phone, I stare at Stephens's number stored on my phone, before looking back at him.

"Are you.. using me?" I ask carefully and when he doesn't say anything I continue, "You are, aren't you? You think I can help you get them. This is why you aren't going to tell my dad. He's never let you do this." Stephen smiles at me, crossing his arms with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, my task force has got bigger fish to fry than a few put car thieves behind bars... And, if I'm being honest with you, right now we don't have much hard evidence on them. But, if we were able to catch them in the act of something major. Now that'd stick. Put 'em away for decades." He says.