Brutal Read Online Free PDF Page B

file, then looked at the photos. Should have never looked at those photos. Her unconscious, tiny body in that big hospital bed with tubes coming out from all over, stitches up and down her sides, tubes of all sizes between her little legs. I’m man enough to say I chucked in my garbage can.
    Now she’s sitting here eating pretzels. Looking at the file, I can’t figure out how she got from there to here.
    Rafe brings the shark of an attorney, Julian Perret, in while the Captain heads back to Venessa to release her. This is really fucking backwards. Even being in the same room with Julian Perret makes my skin crawl. This is the kind of guy you see coming, and you turn and walk the other way. I stay in the shadows, observing. The people he gets off are the same people I’m trying to lock up. Except for her, of course. The second the attorney starts yapping, I know we’re fucked. Having him here on her behalf is not good, not fucking good at all.
    “Mr. Gallo has plans with Ms. Cross this evening, so you have only moments to inform me of the charges that were brought against Ms. Cross, Captain Frisk,” he says, as the Captain prepares to leave the room.
    “I’m aware, Mr. Perret. We have ourselves a misunderstanding. It’s being corrected as we speak. You will be able to speak with Ms. Cross in a moment. Until then, wait here, please,” he calmly states and excuses himself.
    The Captain makes his way to Venessa, and I can’t help but notice how tired she looks. She works nights, so I’m guessing the stress of the events is wearing her out. I’m worn out myself, wondering what the fuck the Captain is doing, wishing I could be in there with her because she needs a champion whether she knows it or not.
     
     

 

     
    I know what you’re thinking: serves you right, Venessa. But, seriously? We all have issues. My ass is numb, these tights are crawling up, and my feet are swollen. I’m sick of sitting here eating pretzels one at a time, and the Captain’s reasons for bringing me here are bogus, and we both know it. Why would he have me arrested instead of just talking to me?
    Just as I prepare to stand and pick my tights from my ass, the Captain walks in looking tired and worn. God, I missed that man. He was a brilliant detective, and a second dad to me. Now he’s the big guy, the Captain, which we all knew was coming, even back then. True story: I started calling him Cap when I was ten because I knew he would be the big guy one day so, whatever excuse he’s about to give is fine with me, as long as it ends with “you’re free to go.” I’m a lot of things, but a fool isn’t one of them. I know he has an agenda. I grew up with cops. I’m pretty sure in school their first class was Agendas 101.
    I may love and miss him, and even though not a day passes that I don’t think of him, I can’t show him I’m vulnerable. The loss of my parents and sister affected his family, too. The fact that I’m alive and breathing is a constant reminder of what they’ve lost, and no one needs that reminder shoved in their face. The Captain, Diane, and Gary I know wouldn’t be proud of me, or understand why I’m driven to do what I’m doing. So, to be fair to them, I stayed gone.
    It’s been right about ten years, and I still wonder if Gary cleaned himself up, or if his parents gave up on him. Knowing the Cap and Diane, I don’t think they ever would give up, but the last I saw of Gary in passing, he’d lost so much weight I’d hardly recognized him. He was my best friend, my first crush and he broke my heart.
    Letting them all go was like losing my family all over again, but even today I stand behind my decision. Being here is seriously difficult. The looks of pity, these people thinking they have an idea of what I’ve been through. Yeah, they don’t. That’s why I stayed away from here too; poor little Venessa. Poor little Venessa, my ass,.I turned out just fine. You do what you must to survive. I remind myself of