Succumbing To His Fear by River Mitchell Page A

at me. I rubbed my hand over my heart to show him that I was with him. I knew he understood when he nodded and turned away. I really didn’t want to leave him, but I had to comfort Griffin and Lily and get to Hayley’s.
    When I got back to the car, both Griffin and Lily were in tears but I needed them to stay in the car. “Hang in there guys. Can you do that for me? Be strong for a few more minutes and then I can give you lots of cuddles and explain everything.” They both nodded, but I knew they were confused and scared. It took twenty minutes to get to Hayley’s, and the whole way I tried to figure out how I could help Fear.
    I got the kids out of the car, carrying Lily while Griffin held my hand, and we approached the front door. Before we even knocked, it was opened and Tate was there. He looked at us, wide eyed. Griffin and Lily were crying and holding me tight, and I’m sure I was white as a sheet. He opened the door wide and told us to come in. We walked straight into the living room, and there was Hayley, holding her son in her arms.
    “I’m really sorry to have to tell you this, but Fear was just arrested.” Mouth vomit. Everything that had just happened came pouring out all at once. Tate noticed that I was struggling with comforting both Griffin and Lily and sat down next to me to pull Griffin onto his lap. Griffin went willingly, absorbing the strength and warmth that was being offered. “They told me they were taking him to the police station on Robertson Street. When the officer asked Fear what he wanted me to do, he told me to come here, but I understand if you want us to leave.”
    “No, we want you here, and so does Fear. Tate, can you call the guys and tell them to come over so we can figure out what to do?” Tate pulled his phone from his pocket and started sending off texts. I could feel my emotions trying to break free. My eyes had been watering on and off since the moment I saw Fear with a gun pointed at his head. So far, I was winning the battle and keeping a lid on it, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to win for much longer.
    Hayley’s house quickly became a hive of activity. All the guys were there, and the kids were sleeping in Hayley’s room so we were able to speak freely without having to worry about little ears. We’d tried repeatedly to get some information from the police, but nobody was divulging anything. I even tried to contact Detective Dickhead but he hadn’t returned any of my calls. It was obvious to all of us that whatever was going on had something to do Fear and Hayley’s mum, but none of us could understand how they could think Fear had anything to do with it.
    We were still brainstorming a couple of hours later when my phone rang. “Hello.”
    “Alfie?” One word from Fear and the battle was lost. Tears began falling freely down my cheeks. “Baby, don’t cry. I don’t get long on the phone.” Taking in a deep breath, I tried to get myself together.
    “Sorry, I’m good, what do you need? Are they letting you come home?” I started asking question after question, not giving him an opportunity to answer.
    “I need you to get the guys to find me a lawyer. They’re saying it was me. That I killed Tula.” His voice had gone from soft and comforting to hard and emotionless.
    “Fear, you were with me that night. All night. Tell them that. I will gladly come down and tell them myself.” None of this seemed right. Something about the whole situation was off. “I’ve already called my family lawyer. I’m just waiting for a call back. Can you tell me what else they’ve said?”
    “Nothing, I was left alone in a room for hours and when they told me why I was being questioned and detained, I told them I was going to call my lawyer. This is all fucked.”
    “Don’t worry. I’ll have a lawyer there within the hour.” I heard someone telling him his time was up. “We’re all here, Fear. Hayley is being strong and she loves you. The guys are all here and