“I don’t have to do that.”
“And I don’t have to move if I don’t want to. I can arrest you on suspicion alone.”
We stand staring at each other for few moments. My mind is racing as I try to think of a way to get out of this.
“Fine,” I say eventually. “I’ll empty my pockets.”
A crowd has formed outside the door of the bathroom, and the girls who wanted to buy from me are trapped behind me. I fake reaching into my pocket before kicking out at his knee. Hard.
He stumbles slightly, and I take the opportunity to run past him. When I reach the door, I slam right into the female officer who was accompanying him, and send her sprawling on the floor. Her head snaps back, and even over the din of the music, I can hear the loud thud.
I pause momentarily, worried that I’ve severely hurt her. But my need to escape is greater, and I start to take off. The crowd instantly parts but a hand shoots out and grabs me by the hair. I kick back, connecting with the shin of the first officer.
“Stop kicking me,” he demands, his voice strained as he yanks on my hair.
In the small space I have to move, I don’t have many options. I twist my body toward him, feeling as though my hair is coming out by the roots, and bring my knee up, landing the blow square in his crotch.
He makes a sound like ooff as his face turns red, his eyes bug out and water forms around their edges. He releases my hair. I run.
The crowd is thick, but I make it through. I push and bump against bodies who know I’m running, and bodies, who have no idea, and are still dancing and laughing with their friends.
When I make it outside, I make a beeline for the car, walking as fast as I can without calling any extra attention to myself by running.
“We have to leave,” I tell Jeff the moment I get into the car.
Without questioning me, he starts the car, and we drive off at a normal speed with me crouched down low and Jeff carefully watching our surrounds.
“What happened?”
“Cops.”
“Did they see you?”
“Yes, one grabbed me, and I accidentally knocked the other one out.”
“Shit Paige! How could you be so careless?!”
“I wasn’t. I was on my way out.”
He slams the steering wheel. “FUCK!”
“I’m sorry!”
“Did they get the stash? The money?”
“No,” I tell him, sliding up into my seat. “I still have everything.”
“Fucking stay down Paige!”
I slide back onto the floor. “I’m sorry,” I tell him again, trying my best to stay strong and not start crying.
“Just… Just stay down and be quiet. I need to make sure we’ve gotten out of this.”
For the next hour, we drive around aimlessly, while Jeff makes sure we aren’t being followed by anyone. Once he feels safe that no one saw us leave, he heads home.
My legs are cramping, and my back is aching from being curled up in such a small space for so long. I’m in pain, and I feel like a complete failure. I just wish I could close my eyes and have the world swallow me whole.
When we pull up outside the house, Jeff cuts the engine and sits there for a moment bouncing his leg in agitation.
“Get out,” he demands.
I struggle out of the cramped space and make my way out of the car. Jeff is standing at the front door, glaring at me while he waits for me to go inside.
The moment he shuts the door, he locks it tight and makes sure all the drapes are pulled. “Sit,” he tells me, pointing at the chairs surrounding the dining room table. I do as he says and watch him, biting my lip in worry, as he paces the room in front of me, running his hands over his head and not saying a word.
Finally, he pauses in front of me, his hands on his hips and his face set in anger.
“I’m sorry!” I blurt out. I don’t know what else to say right now.