Uncovering Officer Smith (The Discovering Trilogy #2) (32 page)

“Did something happen?”

“No.” I lean in to her ear. “I just don’t like all these fake people.”

“Becca!” She gasps. Did I say that too loud?

“Can you just hang out for a little longer? I have this little rock star right where I want him. Few more minutes and I’ll leave with you.”

“Ugh, fine.”

Meggie hands me another red cup and we walk into the living room. At least I think I was walking; the floor seems to move fast and slow at the same time. The music begins to dance around me, the bass pumping along with my heart.

“Are you okay?” Meggie’s eyes look me over, but I can’t focus on her.

“I’m fine.” I shove her away and stubbornly walk forward, deeper into the party.

“Becca! Becca, look at me. Did you take something?”

I fill with anger. “It’s none of your business.”

“Of course it is. Wait up!”

“Hey Meg, what’s up?” A short, blond frat boy grabs her wrist and spins her to face him, the Sigma Pi shirt swimming on his small frame.

“Not now, Joe.” She turns back around, storming toward me.

He snickers something I can’t make out to his friends before yelling, “Yo, Meggie, does the carpet match the drapes?” His shouting causes people to glance over. Meggie stops in her tracks, eyes wide, and her cheeks go so red I can’t tell where her freckles are anymore. “Never mind,” he continues. “I’m sure
someone
here can answer my question! Am I right?”

Her hair falls over her face, almost as if she’s trying to hide herself. I’ve never seen her ashamed before. Seeing her so upset infuriates me. I spin on my heels. “Excuse me?”

“Nothing, Nerd-Barbie, I was talking to the Meg-a-Slut here.” Then he condescendingly adds, “You know, because she’s a whore.” His head tilts back with laughter. His friends follow suit. Their laughter echoes in my ears and taunts me. I blink hard before stomping closer to him. My fist flies at his face, cracking him in the eye. He falls to the ground as silence envelops the house.

I stare down at my red fist even though I feel nothing.

Then, sirens sound. I blink and Meggie has her hands on my shoulders. The volume is muffled but from her lips I can read,

“Becca, can you hear me? Becca?”

“I’m fine,” I tell her, attempting to shake her from me. That’s about when everything goes black.

The sound of something being dragged across and clicked into place brings me back. I blink. I’m sitting in a tiny jail cell. The officer locking me inside isn’t familiar. He leaves me in the cell alone. I glance down at my red hands.
What the hell happened?
I’m dizzy and my head is too heavy to hold up. My throat is so dry; I could drink an entire ocean. If my vision wasn’t so shaky, I think I’d notice my hands are twitching. The florescent lights buzz above me and I can hear it inside my head.

“Oh my God, what is going on?” I ask myself, leaning my head back against the wall.

Footsteps echo down the hall. My head hurts so bad I can’t find the energy to turn and see who it is.

“Becca?” His voice is breathless, almost unbelieving. I’d know that voice anywhere. I’ve dreamed about it countless times. He comes into my line of vision, leaning his arms through the bars of my cell. “You know, I’m starting to think you do this stuff just to see me.” He means it as a joke, but the pain inside of me triples.

“Fuck you.”

“Are you okay?” I feel his eyes inspect me now.

“I’m fine,” I mutter, forcing myself to turn my head, trying to avoid those perfect blue eyes of his.

“I’m told you gave a kid a black eye.”

I squint at the wall, trying to remember. “Where’s Meggie?”

“I don’t know.”

“How did we get separated?” I murmur, mostly to myself.

He must feel the need to answer. “I can tell you what I
do
know,” he finally offers. Reluctantly, I roll my head back to face him. As much as I hate John, the future lawyer in me needs answers. I nod.

“Officers were called to the fraternity house on a noise complaint. They raided it, catching under age kids drinking, and some for drugs. They found a kid icing a black eye in the kitchen, claiming a pretty blonde girl knocked him out. They found you alone, running down the road.”

“I was running?” I repeat, more trying to process than anything else. I don’t remember any of this.

“Well, once they noticed the red knuckles and your pupils dilated to the size of saucers, they tried to take you in. You apparently resisted arrest. I have to check the dash cam. They claimed to chase you around in circles before finally grabbing ahold of you.”

I glance down. That would explain the grass stains on my brand new shirt. He hides a laugh, but I am anything but amused. Mortified. Embarrassed. Mad at myself. All of the above, but not amused.

“Oh my God.” My head falls into my hands.

“Are you okay, Beck?”

“I’m fine, just worried about Meggie.”

“I’ll go check on her.”

“No, you don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t.”

We share a look. My eyes clear for a second upon seeing him silently inspecting me from head to toe. He nods and leaves me alone in the cell.

The cruiser zips up the North Commons University road, winding around to the dormitories on the other side of the field. I was supposed to go home an hour ago.

“Ugh, what am I doing?” I mutter, punching the steering wheel. I’m supposed to be staying away from her. Why do I keep doing her favors?

I pull Patty into the handicap spot in front and dash inside. One flash of my badge at the visitor’s desk is all I need to infiltrate the dorms. Security is pretty lacking here. I head up the stairs, weaving my way between students until reaching the third floor. My fists knock, twice upon reaching the correct door. A young man answers before I’m able to knock a third time. He’s dressed only in a towel. I peek around him, searching the room. It’s Becca and Meggie’s dorm – no doubt.

“Can I help you, officer?” The boy begins to look flustered, no doubt counting the many things I could be here for.

“Officer?” This voice is softer, questioning. Meggie stumbles into the living room, tying a robe around her waist. “John?”

“Becca wanted me to check on you.”

“Where is Becca?” She glances around. “Is she okay?”

“She’s in custody.”

“Custody? Oh my God, I need to go.” She starts putting hideous bunny slippers on.

“She’s fine, for now – tell me what happened last night.” I can’t seem to control the anger in my voice. I don’t know what it is about Becca that makes me like this, or why I have this overwhelming need to protect her, no matter what.

Meggie’s eyes glance over at the boy.

He coughs. “I think I should go.”

“Not if you were with them last night,” I butt in. “What is your name?”

“Tyler, sir.” He shifts his weight from side to side. “No, I wasn’t with them. I picked Meg up from the party after the bus got back from the football game, around eleven – Becca wasn’t with her. To be honest, I thought she was studying in her room, like always.”

Meggie shakes her head. “That was the old Becca,” she mutters, before turning her gaze back to me. “I lost track of her when the cops came.” Her face turns downward. “I should have called her. Something wasn’t right, I could tell.”

“Was she drugged again? She doesn’t look herself,” I blurt out.

“Not by accident.” She meets my eyes, telling me all I need to know.

“Got it.” Nothing can control my anger as I stomp out of the dorm, slamming the door behind me. I take the stairs two at a time until bursting out of the vestibule. Once in the cruiser, I smack the steering wheel again. I can’t believe I’ve been hunting down the people who drugged her when she’s willing to take something from someone else. How do I know she didn’t want it? She could have just been messed up, like she is now.

Time goes by so slow here. I can’t seem to make out the clock on the far wall. My contacts are so dry. I blink a few times; still nothing. John has been gone for a while. Maybe he’s not coming back. He’ll disappear just like he did last time. Cops pass by the door, and I get bits and pieces of conversation as they retreat down the hallway. Nothing pertaining to me; just usual gossip. Apparently, these officers are even worse than women, with how they talk about anyone and everyone. Leaning back against the wall, my head slowly begins to become normal. My body still shivers and my palms are sweaty, but for the most part, I’m beginning to feel better.

The door slams shut. I sit up abruptly, bringing on a new headache. John comes up to the cage with a fire burning in his eyes.

“You took drugs last night, Rebecca?” The sound of my full name hits like ice water. John Smith has fully returned to officer-mode. His eyes hard, he’s not the man I saw here only a short while ago. “Drugs! Have you learned nothing?”

“What? Where’s Meggie?”

“She was at home, and told me that you were popping pills last night like Skittles.”

“I was not.” I lean forward.

“Oh, yeah, that would explain a lot. Like the running, the incoherence, the resisting arrest. I just don’t get why you would take something when you, of
all
people, know the ramifications of being drugged.”

I scoff.

“Why is that funny?”