to tell what he’s saying. My body begins to sag.
The cops close in around the cage door. I feel so empty as I watch on at the scene unfolding around me. Derrick doesn’t move and Luke just hovers over him. Suddenly, Luke turns to look at me. His lips move as he mouths, “I love you,” to me. Tears fall uncontrollably down my face.
Unexpectedly, Luke bends over and grasps one of Derrick’s arms. He tugs at the arm and, as if by some form of magic, Derrick’s body begins to move naturally. Derrick is up on his feet and alive, but Luke quickly secures Derrick’s other arm and holds both of them tightly. He whispers something else to Derrick, but again, I can’t make it out.
Closing my eyes, I finally release the breath I had been holding in the entire time.
I rise up and watch as the cops flood through the cage door. I find myself following Mike through the chaos of the crowd to the edge of the scene. Derrick struggles against Luke’s grip, but he’s weak and Luke easily holds him steady while the police flock around them.
Handcuffs lock around Derrick’s wrists and I notice with surprise as I approach that Stewart is also being restrained and led away, swearing and angry. Big Mike nods at me and heads in closer to assist, while I hang back.
I jump in surprise when the loudspeaker erupts with the announcer’s voice. He asks everyone to please stay in their seats while the police do what they need to do. The man’s voice assures everyone that they shouldn’t be alarmed.
Luke steps back, allowing the police the space to do their job. After a few moments, Derrick has been read his rights and is escorted out of the ring, bruised and beaten in more ways than one. The crowd is all but murmurs and whispers as they watch the police walk away with him in cuffs.
Detective Sloan appears next to me with folded arms watching the arrests, looking pleased with himself.
“Forensics, eh? A little bit of CSI and some lab work sure does make a difference to an investigation.”
I forget for the moment that I’m usually very annoyed with the man.
“The knife?”
“The knife,” he nods. “And his buddy is going down for falsifying his alibi too. We fucking hate that.”
“Forgive me for saying I told you so,” I can’t help myself.
Detective Sloan looks directly at me and grins, obviously pleased with his arrests and able to take the jab.
“Not only do I forgive you… but well, I’m sorry for doubting your story. I’ll make it up to you by adding a few more charges on him for the obstruction of justice… And you? You doing ok?”
Detective Sloan pulls a cigarette from his top pocket and lights it while I think.
“You know. I think I will be.”
“Well, good. Seeing your man let loose a few swings into him couldn’t have hurt either,” he winks. “I suppose we could have arrested Baptiste after the first round, but… I figured we owed you.”
He marches off chuckling, leaving me to wonder what to make of it all.
“Fucking hell Sloan, if you only knew,” I mutter to myself.
It’s over. My nightmare is finally over.
Derrick is alive and in police custody likely to be tried for assault, attempted rape, intention to commit murder and obstruction of justice. And most important of all, Luke is alive and never committed the crime that he had contemplated.
Luke is looking over from the cage stairs where he must have been waiting for Sloan to be finished with me. I smile at him, and he smiles softly in return and bounds away from the commotion behind him. The crowd’s eyes are on him as he descends towards me and I notice that behind him, Big Mike is unashamedly smiling bright rows of teeth in our direction.
Luke's gloved hands are covered in blood, the blood of the man who tried to rape and kill me. But I don’t care. Luke didn’t kill him and that’s all that matters to me right now. He turned away the monster I feared dwelled within him.
Strong arms wrap around me as
The cops close in around the cage door. I feel so empty as I watch on at the scene unfolding around me. Derrick doesn’t move and Luke just hovers over him. Suddenly, Luke turns to look at me. His lips move as he mouths, “I love you,” to me. Tears fall uncontrollably down my face.
Unexpectedly, Luke bends over and grasps one of Derrick’s arms. He tugs at the arm and, as if by some form of magic, Derrick’s body begins to move naturally. Derrick is up on his feet and alive, but Luke quickly secures Derrick’s other arm and holds both of them tightly. He whispers something else to Derrick, but again, I can’t make it out.
Closing my eyes, I finally release the breath I had been holding in the entire time.
I rise up and watch as the cops flood through the cage door. I find myself following Mike through the chaos of the crowd to the edge of the scene. Derrick struggles against Luke’s grip, but he’s weak and Luke easily holds him steady while the police flock around them.
Handcuffs lock around Derrick’s wrists and I notice with surprise as I approach that Stewart is also being restrained and led away, swearing and angry. Big Mike nods at me and heads in closer to assist, while I hang back.
I jump in surprise when the loudspeaker erupts with the announcer’s voice. He asks everyone to please stay in their seats while the police do what they need to do. The man’s voice assures everyone that they shouldn’t be alarmed.
Luke steps back, allowing the police the space to do their job. After a few moments, Derrick has been read his rights and is escorted out of the ring, bruised and beaten in more ways than one. The crowd is all but murmurs and whispers as they watch the police walk away with him in cuffs.
Detective Sloan appears next to me with folded arms watching the arrests, looking pleased with himself.
“Forensics, eh? A little bit of CSI and some lab work sure does make a difference to an investigation.”
I forget for the moment that I’m usually very annoyed with the man.
“The knife?”
“The knife,” he nods. “And his buddy is going down for falsifying his alibi too. We fucking hate that.”
“Forgive me for saying I told you so,” I can’t help myself.
Detective Sloan looks directly at me and grins, obviously pleased with his arrests and able to take the jab.
“Not only do I forgive you… but well, I’m sorry for doubting your story. I’ll make it up to you by adding a few more charges on him for the obstruction of justice… And you? You doing ok?”
Detective Sloan pulls a cigarette from his top pocket and lights it while I think.
“You know. I think I will be.”
“Well, good. Seeing your man let loose a few swings into him couldn’t have hurt either,” he winks. “I suppose we could have arrested Baptiste after the first round, but… I figured we owed you.”
He marches off chuckling, leaving me to wonder what to make of it all.
“Fucking hell Sloan, if you only knew,” I mutter to myself.
It’s over. My nightmare is finally over.
Derrick is alive and in police custody likely to be tried for assault, attempted rape, intention to commit murder and obstruction of justice. And most important of all, Luke is alive and never committed the crime that he had contemplated.
Luke is looking over from the cage stairs where he must have been waiting for Sloan to be finished with me. I smile at him, and he smiles softly in return and bounds away from the commotion behind him. The crowd’s eyes are on him as he descends towards me and I notice that behind him, Big Mike is unashamedly smiling bright rows of teeth in our direction.
Luke's gloved hands are covered in blood, the blood of the man who tried to rape and kill me. But I don’t care. Luke didn’t kill him and that’s all that matters to me right now. He turned away the monster I feared dwelled within him.
Strong arms wrap around me as
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