“It’s a goddamn hallway,” Tyler mutters as he throws his hands up in frustration. “It’s not like we’re sneaking around the White House. Just give us five minutes.”
“Can’t you take no for an answer?” the officer asks, shaking his head in disbelief at Tyler’s persistence. “Didn’t your old man ever teach you how to obey orders?”
I might not know much about Tyler, but I know that the mere mention of his dad is a surefire way to set him off. And that’s exactly what happens.
“Are you a fucking asshole or what?” Tyler hisses, his tone suddenly venomous as he puffs out his chest and steps toward the officer. For a second I think he’s about to take a swing at him, but thankfully he doesn’t.
“Alright, that’s it,” the officer grunts. He moves one hand to his belt as he yanks out a pair of cuffs, his receding hairline allowing me to see every wrinkle on his forehead. And right now, there are a lot of them. He looks completely worked up. “I have asked you to leave, but you are refusing orders and your attitude is downright inappropriate, so I am arresting you under Section 602.”
The color drains from Tyler’s face at the exact same moment that my mouth falls open, and right then, the officer’s eyes flicker over to meet mine. “Both of you.”
Chapter 19
“You couldn’t have just kept your mouth shut?” I hiss to Tyler. I keep my voice low in fear of getting ourselves into even more trouble, which is something I really can’t afford to do right now. Pressing a hand to my forehead, I slowly rub my temple.
“Cop was a prick,” Tyler mutters in return. He’s awfully disgruntled as he slumps farther down against the wall, his lips forming a firm scowl that I doubt will fade anytime soon. He stares out of the holding cell at the busy station, glowering at each officer in contempt. “They all are.”
“We wouldn’t even be here if you’d just walked away.” My forehead is creased with worry as I mentally prepare a list of possible punishments that Dad will sentence me to. Grounded for the rest of the summer? Sent home? Forced to do his laundry?
I glance around the cell. There’s a woman throwing a tantrum in the corner, throwing her body around and slapping the floor as though it’ll help her get out of here. There’s also a man built of muscle standing in silence with his back against the wall and his huge arms folded across his chest. I refrain from meeting his eyes.
From our spot on the bench, Tyler and I sit close by each other but not close enough to touch. He groans under his breath and drops his head, leaning forward to prop his elbows up on his knees. “My mom will get us out of it,” he murmurs. He exchanges a quick sideways glance with me, but I’m not entirely convinced.
“What? Because she’s an attorney?” I snort. It’s impossible to be positive in this terrible situation, but the more I think about it, the more I realize Ella knows the law like the back of her hand. She has to. And with knowing the law comes knowing the loopholes.
“Because she’s done it before,” he says as he straightens up again. He interlocks his hands and twiddles his thumbs, his eyes focused on his lap. “She always gets me out of it.”
“Before,” I echo. I roll my eyes before focusing on what’s on the other side of the metal bars. There are desks overflowing with paperwork and telephones that apparently never stop ringing. There’s also a security officer standing watching over us all from afar, his wrinkled face pulled tight, his eyes narrowed. I tilt my head to face Tyler again. “How many times have you been arrested?”
The corners of his lips quirk upward into a smirk. “Once. Twice. Maybe a couple more than that.”
“What for?”
“Um.” He scratches his head as he rolls his tongue over his lower lip. I can’t help thinking about his mouth again. “Stupid stuff,” he finally admits. He shrugs as he gets to his feet, straightening up and stretching his arms. I gaze at him, not quite caring about what he’s about to say. “Fighting,” he says as he cracks his knuckles, “vandalism, disrupting the peace.” He chuckles as he throws a cautious glance over his shoulder. “And trespassing,” he finishes.
“At least you haven’t killed anybody,” I say lightly, but I don’t know why. A week ago I would have turned my nose up in disgust at him for even being arrested in the first place, no matter what for. But now the enigma that is Tyler Bruce is winning me over and my opinion on him has greatly altered within three days.
“Not yet,” he corrects. He presses his lips together, pursing them slightly as his eyes narrow back into their usual state. “I’ve got someone in mind.” My lustful gaze immediately turns to horror. Tyler mimics my expression before letting a sharp laugh escape his lips. “Eden,” he says, shaking his head and quickly rolling his eyes.
“I haven’t figured out your sense of humor yet,” I defend, folding my arms across my chest and heaving a sigh. He’s still a puzzle to me. “I didn’t even know that you had one.”