“Holy fuck. Should we call the police?” Jack asks.
Dec turns to him. “Yeah, phone them, they need to know.”
Panic fills me again. “What if they hurt him?”
“Soph, we’re going to the police with this - this is not happening again.”
I nod. He’s right, we need to do something.
Everyone crowds around me while Denny hands me a whisky or something that smells similarly strong and tells me to drink it. I'm not sure more alcohol is a good idea right now, but it might stop the shaking and calm me down. I down it in one and try to calm down, feeling it heat through my body. Hmmm, it does work. Maybe I want another.
The next few hours are a blur. The police want to see me at the station, so Dec takes me. I'm there for hours. They want to know every detail. It's so embarrassing, but I have to tell them about Dec and me in the alley because I have to tell them what Phoenix said - watching me - I'm scared to leave anything out in case it's important. Dec stiffens when I tell them about him watching us. I know he’ll regret us doing that - it was my fault, I practically begged for it. I felt so happy. How can someone go from being on cloud nine to filled with despair and fear within an hour?
The police are happy once they've got my statement. They don't say as much, but I'm sure they know who I'm talking about. They speak to my dad too, who comes to the station straight away when he finds out I'm okay. It's all such a big fucking mess.
I'm exhausted when we get home. “I want to go straight to bed, Dec.”
“I'm coming with you.”
“Will you stay with me tonight?” I feel panic rising at the thought of being on my own.
“Try and keep me away.”
I exhale slowly, I need his comfort tonight.
We climb into bed, both struggling to keep our eyes open. It’s nearly morning. “Thank you for tonight, for being there - coming to the station with me.”
“No problem. Anytime.”
I fall asleep a lot quicker than I think I will. I don't realise that Dec stayed awake a lot longer than me, tense, worried, wondering how he can make my life better and wondering how he would ever react if something happened to me.
Chapter Fifteen
Declan
I know I have to do something about this. She got kidnapped, for fuck’s sake. This ends now.
