Chapter 97: You’re Safe Now

Nathan passed through the officers’ line and parked his sports car in the handicapped space by the front of the Police Station. He stepped out, saluted the soldiers, and then turned to face the two chiefs standing in the station’s entrance.

Nathan was tall, he had a muscular build, and in his black suit, he exuded an aura of strength and power. No one could look at him as he was and not feel at least a little bit intimidated.

James rushed to meet him halfway, offered his hand to shake, and said, “Mr. Davis, you honor us with your visit. Is there anything we can help you with?”

Nathan gave an outstretched hand a disdainful look and refused to touch it. Then, when James pulled it back awkwardly, he smirked and said, “I’m here about a video I saw on YouTube earlier. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

“I’m pretty sure I do,” James admitted. “But what does the army have to do with that? We have the situation well in hand.”

“I’m sure you do,” Nathan said sarcastically. He glared at the other man. “Where are they?”

“They’re in-s-side,” James stammered. He had no idea why the army was there, and he was so intimidated by Nathan that he couldn’t speak coherently. “Please f-follow me.”

James led Nathan into the Waiting Room, and then he said, “Mr. Davis, this is the Waiting Room. I let some people go after they gave their statements.” He pointed to an extended bench on the other side of the desks where several people were being detained. “Those people are still waiting to be questioned. If you tell me who you are looking for, I might be better able to help you.”

Suddenly, Nathan’s arm lashed out. He gripped James by the neck and lifted him a half-inch off the ground so that he had to stand on his toes or risk strangulation.

“Cut the crap,” he growled. “Where’s Crystal?”

James squirmed under the pressure of Nathan’s grip, and his face turned red. “C- Crystal?” he asked as if he didn’t know who Nathan was talking about.

“You know who I’m talking about, Nathan replied. He applied a bit more pressure on the other man’s neck to prove that he meant business, and then he threw him on the ground. “Take me to her!”

James gasped as he rubbed his neck. Then, he scrambled to his feet and said, “Th-this w-way.”

***

Crystal was sitting on the cold, hard floor when she heard footsteps coming from the far end of the dark, cold hallway. She lowered her eyes and tried not to think about whatever might come next. Even in this cage, all that she wanted was to be left alone. The footsteps stopped in front of her cage, and the first voice she heard belonged to Nathan.

“Who did this to her?” Nathan asked, and Crystal could hear the controlled anger in his voice. If I were the chief-Crystal thought - l would be shitting my pants right about now.

The corners of Crystal’s mouth lifted slightly. She looked up just in time to see Nathan punch the chief in the mouth. James fell backward. His ass hit the ground first, and then the back of his head, and for a few seconds, he laid there unmoving. Then, when he sat up, the lower half of his face was covered by his right hand.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t hide the fact that he was bleeding, nor could he disguise the look of abject fear in his eyes.

Nathan took two steps forward, and James scrambled to move away, and Nathan forced him backward until he was pressed against the bars of the cage behind him.

“Please,” James cried. “Mr. Davis, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was your girlfriend.”

“Is that so?” Nathan asked as he bent over to grab the other man’s collar. He pulled James to a standing position, held him against the bars, and punched him in the gut in succession, three times. Then Nathan dropped him like a sack of potatoes.

Nathan hawked and spat a loogie, and it splattered on the top of his head. “Whether she is my girlfriend or not is irrelevant,” he said. “Nobody should be treated like this. You are abusing your power, and you won’t get away with it!”

Crystal was standing at the front of her cage, and her hands were gripping the bars so tightly that they’d turned white. She had never been as proud of anyone as she was of Nathan at this moment. But she worried about him too.

“No more,” she cried. “Aren’t you afraid of going to prison for assaulting a police officer?”

Nathan chuckled as he turned to face Crystal. “You don’t need to worry about that,” he said. “These people have more to fear from me than I have to fear from them. I’ve got them by the short hairs, and they know it. I appreciate the concern, though; I do. Hold on. I’ll get you out of there.”

Nathan hunkered down next to the chief, rummaged through his pockets for a minute, and brought out a key card. All of the cells were locked electronically, like in hotel rooms, so all he had to do was run it past the scanner, and Crystal was free.

Crystal was extremely nervous as the door swung open. She was happy to be free, but she was embarrassed by her appearance, and though her hair and face had dried, her outfit was still damp with urine, and there was dried egg all over her outfit. These things seem not to bother Nathan, though. He walked into the cage, embracing her as if there was nothing wrong with her present condition.

As Nathan held Crystal, she began to cry, and he rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. “There, there,” he said. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now. And these people aren’t going to get away with what they’ve done. I promise.”

Years later, when Crystal looked back at this moment, she would think - That was the moment that I fell in love with him.

When Nathan and Crystal emerged from the holding area, despite her condition, they looked like a major Power Couple, like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie or Michelle and Barack Obama. Crystal walked a half step in front of Nathan, and she led him to the Interrogation Room, where Chief Oskin and Officer Parks had questioned her.