Chapter 0311

We're at the police station for a long, long time before we get any hint of what’s going on.

Since we’re not under arrest, I’m allowed to sit with Daniel in an uncomfortable grey chair in the lobby, with lots of cops’ eyes on

us. We don’t say much, even though Daniel takes my hand and holds it tight. His lawyer — our lawyer, I guess — shows up about

forty-five minutes later and stands stolidly next to us.

“Say nothing,” he snaps, staring straight ahead. “They want you for questions, but you don’t have to say a god damn thing. If you

say anything it all, your only answer is ‘I can’t recall.’ Got it?”

“Yeah,” Daniel replies, but I just nod my head, too tired and overwhelmed and exhausted to do anything more.

Jerome didn’t come in with us. He was taken, with a lot of Kent's other men, to the other part of the station to be booked.

“Why didn’t we get arrested?” I ask after a long while of silence.

“Because we didn’t do anything, Fay,” Daniel sighs. “They don’t have any crimes to arrest us for.”

“Enough,” the lawyer snaps. So we both clam up.

The minutes drip past. And all I can do in that time is...speculate. About what happened. About whether Kent is alive or dead.

Unconsciously, my hand drifts to my stomach and rests there. And when I notice where I put it, I don’t pull it away.

Were still sitting in those chairs at what must be one or two in the morning when we finally find out what’s taking so long. And,

unsurprisingly, it’s lvan that breaks the news.

“Where is he,” lvan snaps, striding across the room to us, several detectives at his back.

Daniel and I look up at him confused. Ivan, still in his bulletproof NYPD vest and his face as stern as it was before, just glares at

us, waiting.

“What are you talking about?” Daniel sighs, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. He’s not even being defiant, I know.

He’s just exhausted.

“Kent!” Ivan snaps, glaring at us. “We didn’t see him leave. We didn’t find him in the house. We know that place he built is full of

little rat holes to hide in — so where is he?”

My mouth falls open. “You — you didn’t find Kent?”

Ivan just glares at me and shifts his eyes to Daniel as Daniel starts to laugh.

“What?” Ivan snaps.

“He’s not in the house,” he says, smirking.

“How do you know that?”

“Marco DeBrassi,” Daniel says, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, still smirking up at Ivan. “Did you find him in the

house?”

“No,” lvan says, his eyes narrowing as he studies Daniel. “DeBrassi left hours before the raid — he was alone in the car.”

“Which car?” Daniel asks.

“Escalade,” Ivan answers, fast. “Black.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Daniel says, laughing a little, smirking at Ivan as he leans further back in his chair. “Marco is dad’s driver. If you

think dad let Marco take the escalade out for a joy ride, alone...” Daniel starts to laugh harder, shaking his head at Ivan like the

fool he is. “You had a full perimeter on the house, didn’t you? And you let Marco out, but you didn’t check the back seat...”

Daniel's laughter fills the room now.

Ivan lets out a long string of curses, turning and kicking hard at one of the metal chairs that fill the waiting room. It skitters across

the floor, falling on its side.

I stare at Daniel as Ivan and the detectives walk away, apparently needing to go back to the drawing board.

“Is that true?” I whisper to Daniel. “Did he — did he leave the house? How did you know?”

“Because,” Daniel whispers back to

me, low enough that not even th

lawyer can he éayodserfously

think dad's Ftis going to hang around,

Fay, sulking, the minute he finds out

you're pregnant and he could be the

father?” Please read the original

content at .

My eyes go wide as I figure it out. “No,” I whisper back, shaking my head. “He — he’d want answers.”

“Exactly,” Daniel murmurs.

He went to a doctor, I think, my mind whirring. Or a clinic, to get his sperm tested. But which one?

“Enough of that,” the lawyer scolds, stepping closer to us. “I’m serious, kids. Not another word.”

And so we shut up, both of us sitting waiting, wondering. When will they catch Kent?

Or...will they? At all?

Kent sits in a chair in the doctor's

main office, his head h aging low, his

Ss sresgad aorase his chest.

rco dozes in the chair next to him.

Please read the original content at

.

For the third time, the doctor peeks

his head in through inoue

you...Sure gu w@oltt to come

into ithe house, Mr. Lippert?” he asks

quietly. “You'll be more comfortable

in here.” Please read the original

content at .