It's a not so secret, secret
31
Frank’s POV
My head was spinning, pounding, screaming and deafeningly silent at the same time. The feeling of Gerard’s hand clamped tight around my own was doing nothing to soothe me. If anything, I could feel the shaking that left his body and seemed to enter mine, bringing with it a raging fear and sickening image; Billie was out there, he could be hurting my son, and I was sat useless in the back of a police cruiser.
My fear doesn’t disperse a single bit when the deputy pulls to a stop outside of my home and a car with red flashing lights is already parked in the driveway.
My heart sinks and before the car is even shifted into park, I’m throwing the door open and stumbling out into the night. I ignore Gerard’s voice behind me as he shouts my name, focused only on what could be happening inside.
In the living room, curled up into a ball and looking as if he wants to disappear completely, is Nathan. His eyes, rimmed with red, flit anxiously around the room before landing on me. “Dad!” He exclaims, jumping to his feet and throwing himself into my arms. He buries his face in my shoulder, letting out a cry. “I was so scared, I’m so sorry.”
I make some hushing noises, shaking my head and pulling him close to me. “No, no. None of this is your fault, okay? Don’t ever apologize for whatever that twisted bastard did to you.”
I feel a hand settle on my shoulder, squeezing softly, and I look up to see Gerard. His jaw is clenched and he’s not looking at me. I follow his gaze and meet the eyes of another boy over Nathan’s shoulder. He sits looking awkward on the sofa, biting his lip and bouncing his leg. “Who’s this?” Gerard wonders.
Nate untangles himself from my arms and sniffles, stepping back. “This is Cole,” He replies in a voice that sounds nothing more than defeated. He goes back to the other boys side, sitting down and interlacing their fingers. “The guy I’ve been seeing.” Cole looks nervous, glancing back and forth between Gerard and I, and then back to Nathan. He remains silent, so Nathan presses on. “Guys, he saved me from Billie.”
That catches my attention and I feel that sickening twist in my stomach again. “Billie? He was here?”
Nathan swallows visibly hard and nods, his hand tightening around the other boys. “He snuck in through my window,” He admits, tears choking his voice and making his words crack, his lip quiver. “He kept telling me he was trying to help me, saying that you and Gee lied to me. He said you were a whore and Gee was nothing but a client and then--” His voice cuts off again and he takes a shaky breath. “Then he attacked me. Cole was the one that stopped it. He pushed him out of the fucking window.”
“Then you have him?” Gerard demands of the officer sitting opposite Nathan and Cole on the other sofa. “You have Billie in custody?”
The officer, looking new to his job and nervous, shakes his head slowly. “I’m afraid not. There was no one else here when we arrived. No sign that Billie was even here at all.”
“Except for the fucking blood soaking my sheets!” Nate shrieks, arms swinging around in a dramatic gesture. “The bruises on my fucking chest! Do you want to get the ME again and ask him to do another test to make sure I was raped!?”
His outburst has him in tears again, leaning into Cole’s side, and my stomach churns at the thought of anyone taking advantage of my son like that. The officer raises both hands in a sign of surrender, his eyes sad. “I’m not saying that you were lying,” He explains in a calming voice. “There’s plenty of evidence to suggest you were raped, but until we get a positive identification that some of the DNA here matches Billie, I can’t make that kind of accusation.”
“Can I speak to you--” I ask the cop through clenched teeth, crossing my arms tightly across my chest and narrowing my eyes. “Not in front of my kid?”
The officer hesitates, but stands and follows me out of the room, back outside into the cool night air. I hadn’t realized before how chilled the night was, but now I regret not having a jacket. “Billie isn’t just wanted for kidnapping and rape anymore,” I inform the cop. Since he’s been interrogating Nathan, I assume he doesn’t have this new information, which is verified by the way his eyes widen in surprise. “I came here straight from the station and they’ve got a warrant out for his arrest now. For murder. So I don’t care if you believe Nathan or not, but I do and I know he’s telling the truth. Billie is out there, and he’s not the type to just give up and admit defeat; He’s going to come back for me and for Nathan.”
The officer nods instantly and retrieves a walkie near his shoulder, hitting the button and speaking into the static. “Officer Burton here, I need a round the clock patrol for my current location. Effective immediately.”
There’s a minute pause before another voice beeps through. “Copy that. A patrol car is on the way.”
The officer-- Burton, I guess- nods once and turns back to me. “I’ve got a kid about Nathan’s age,” He admits, his face looking paler than normal under the dull moonlight glow. For a moment, I don’t understand why this new information is important, until I realize that he’s trying to identify with me. He’s imagining his own kid in Nathan’s place, and he’s not pleased with what he sees. So he nods again and shifts closer, his voice defiant in the surrounding silence. “Anything you can tell me about this Billie guy that might be helpful? I promise you, Mr. Iero, that I will personally catch this fucker. For you and for Nathan.”
My head was spinning, pounding, screaming and deafeningly silent at the same time. The feeling of Gerard’s hand clamped tight around my own was doing nothing to soothe me. If anything, I could feel the shaking that left his body and seemed to enter mine, bringing with it a raging fear and sickening image; Billie was out there, he could be hurting my son, and I was sat useless in the back of a police cruiser.
My fear doesn’t disperse a single bit when the deputy pulls to a stop outside of my home and a car with red flashing lights is already parked in the driveway.
My heart sinks and before the car is even shifted into park, I’m throwing the door open and stumbling out into the night. I ignore Gerard’s voice behind me as he shouts my name, focused only on what could be happening inside.
In the living room, curled up into a ball and looking as if he wants to disappear completely, is Nathan. His eyes, rimmed with red, flit anxiously around the room before landing on me. “Dad!” He exclaims, jumping to his feet and throwing himself into my arms. He buries his face in my shoulder, letting out a cry. “I was so scared, I’m so sorry.”
I make some hushing noises, shaking my head and pulling him close to me. “No, no. None of this is your fault, okay? Don’t ever apologize for whatever that twisted bastard did to you.”
I feel a hand settle on my shoulder, squeezing softly, and I look up to see Gerard. His jaw is clenched and he’s not looking at me. I follow his gaze and meet the eyes of another boy over Nathan’s shoulder. He sits looking awkward on the sofa, biting his lip and bouncing his leg. “Who’s this?” Gerard wonders.
Nate untangles himself from my arms and sniffles, stepping back. “This is Cole,” He replies in a voice that sounds nothing more than defeated. He goes back to the other boys side, sitting down and interlacing their fingers. “The guy I’ve been seeing.” Cole looks nervous, glancing back and forth between Gerard and I, and then back to Nathan. He remains silent, so Nathan presses on. “Guys, he saved me from Billie.”
That catches my attention and I feel that sickening twist in my stomach again. “Billie? He was here?”
Nathan swallows visibly hard and nods, his hand tightening around the other boys. “He snuck in through my window,” He admits, tears choking his voice and making his words crack, his lip quiver. “He kept telling me he was trying to help me, saying that you and Gee lied to me. He said you were a whore and Gee was nothing but a client and then--” His voice cuts off again and he takes a shaky breath. “Then he attacked me. Cole was the one that stopped it. He pushed him out of the fucking window.”
“Then you have him?” Gerard demands of the officer sitting opposite Nathan and Cole on the other sofa. “You have Billie in custody?”
The officer, looking new to his job and nervous, shakes his head slowly. “I’m afraid not. There was no one else here when we arrived. No sign that Billie was even here at all.”
“Except for the fucking blood soaking my sheets!” Nate shrieks, arms swinging around in a dramatic gesture. “The bruises on my fucking chest! Do you want to get the ME again and ask him to do another test to make sure I was raped!?”
His outburst has him in tears again, leaning into Cole’s side, and my stomach churns at the thought of anyone taking advantage of my son like that. The officer raises both hands in a sign of surrender, his eyes sad. “I’m not saying that you were lying,” He explains in a calming voice. “There’s plenty of evidence to suggest you were raped, but until we get a positive identification that some of the DNA here matches Billie, I can’t make that kind of accusation.”
“Can I speak to you--” I ask the cop through clenched teeth, crossing my arms tightly across my chest and narrowing my eyes. “Not in front of my kid?”
The officer hesitates, but stands and follows me out of the room, back outside into the cool night air. I hadn’t realized before how chilled the night was, but now I regret not having a jacket. “Billie isn’t just wanted for kidnapping and rape anymore,” I inform the cop. Since he’s been interrogating Nathan, I assume he doesn’t have this new information, which is verified by the way his eyes widen in surprise. “I came here straight from the station and they’ve got a warrant out for his arrest now. For murder. So I don’t care if you believe Nathan or not, but I do and I know he’s telling the truth. Billie is out there, and he’s not the type to just give up and admit defeat; He’s going to come back for me and for Nathan.”
The officer nods instantly and retrieves a walkie near his shoulder, hitting the button and speaking into the static. “Officer Burton here, I need a round the clock patrol for my current location. Effective immediately.”
There’s a minute pause before another voice beeps through. “Copy that. A patrol car is on the way.”
The officer-- Burton, I guess- nods once and turns back to me. “I’ve got a kid about Nathan’s age,” He admits, his face looking paler than normal under the dull moonlight glow. For a moment, I don’t understand why this new information is important, until I realize that he’s trying to identify with me. He’s imagining his own kid in Nathan’s place, and he’s not pleased with what he sees. So he nods again and shifts closer, his voice defiant in the surrounding silence. “Anything you can tell me about this Billie guy that might be helpful? I promise you, Mr. Iero, that I will personally catch this fucker. For you and for Nathan.”
@What the fuck way
Your so very welcome! <3
12/31/16