So this chapter is a lot, but I figured it best to pack it all into one chapter.
CW: abuse
Something's Wrong – Marques Toliver
Baby I see you sitting there
Whisper to me all your fears
I know their terrifying
Just take my hand and go
To a distant land somewhere
Marvelous and grand, I swear
No need to hurt or have secrets
THREE WEEKS LATER
Olivia stalked Abby's social media again. She wasn't ready to accept that there was no future for her and her best friend of five years. After their fight, Olivia predicted that it would last no longer than 4 days before one of them caved and they reconciled. Olivia expected Abby to be the first to cave, but she never called or texted.
Olivia gave in and shot her a text after a week, asking to talk.
Now it had been almost three weeks. She frowned, scrolling Abby's Instagram page. She was still posting regularly, which admittedly hurt Olivia. It meant that she was moving on with her life, and Olivia didn't matter so much. She was still wearing beautiful dresses, going on vacations, promoting local restaurants and bars.
"Liv, my office, please." Dani pinged Olivia, pulling her from her stalking.
"What's up." Olivia sat across from Dani's desk in her office.
"I want in on the news cycle involving this attempted bombing in Portland."
"I'll reach out to BNC. They will probably try to fit you in this afternoon. How are we approaching it?"
"I want to go nuclear. We've been minding our business and staying in our lane for a few weeks, and I'm bored. I want to call out the double standard about white supremacy and terrorism. White boys are allowed to purchase AK47s and pipe bomb materials, with zero surveillance from the FBI, CIA or Department of Homeland Security. 9/11 branded Arabs and brown folks as terrorist, when the reality is that White men pose the biggest threat."
"Right on. This should be fun." Olivia grinned, jotting down her notes. "Twitter will be in shambles."
"Also, I was thinking of weighing in on the sex scandal in the Justice Department."
"What were you going to say?"
"That we should respect the privacy of the people involved." Dani said. "It's tragic, it's embarrassing, but no laws were broken, and therefore heads should not roll."
"No." Olivia shook her head. "That wouldn't be smart."
"Why not?"
"Heads are going to roll on this, there isn't anything you can do about it. Picking sides this late is just bringing trouble."
"But it's what is right."
"If you start picking fights with the judicial branch, then you appear meddling. Just let it slide."
"Okay." Dani nodded skeptically. "I'm going to trust you on this."
"Is there anything else?"
"Yes. Drinks after work?"
"Yeah, sure." Olivia agreed.
"You look tense. And worried." Dani's eyes narrowed. "Is everything okay?"
"Couldn't be better." Olivia lied, forcing a smile. "We have to grab drinks here or at your apartment. Not at a bar."
"Optics."
"Exactly."
"Well, I've got a fancy bottle that was a gift from I can't remember who with your name on it."
"As long as it is valued at under the legal charitable gift ceiling for representatives, I'll swing by at 6."
/
"You and Davis, eh?" Dani asked, pouring two paper dixie cups of dark liquor. "Still?"
"Wow. So this is what we are doing?" Olivia raised an eyebrow, kicking off her heels and sitting on Dani's couch. "You aren't even giving the liquor a chance to numb my senses."
"You told me over a month ago that there was no longer a... Conflict with the investigation. Since then, it's like nothing changed with you and Edison." Dani paused, trying to find the right words. "I assume that you and Fitz are..."
"Done." Olivia confirmed.
"I'm sorry."
"There is nothing for you to feel sorry for." Olivia said. "Just don't say that I shouldn't be pretending with Edison or that I'm making a big mistake."
"I wasn't." Dani chuckled. "But I do worry about you sometimes."
"You shouldn't. I'm fine."
"I still do." Dani said. "Sometimes I forget how young you are, and how much you are going through. You are under so much pressure. I just want to make sure you are also enjoying yourself. I mean, the work we do is important, but if there is no joy, then what is the point?"
"I appreciate your concern." Olivia said with honesty. "I am really gratefully to have you as a friend and boss."
"I want you to always feel comfortable coming to me with things." Dani said. "You know, it is never a burden."
"Can we talk about something else now?"
"Sure, sure." Dani said. "Have you tried the new shawarma joint that opened up across the Mall?"
"No, is it good?"
"I wouldn't know. I was hoping you had tried it." Dani laughed. "We will have to order it for the Friday office lunch."
"Fat chance, Dunbar hates shawarma." Olivia reminded.
"What do you think about Dunbar?" Dani pivoted.
"He's good at his job. A little combative at times, but he is good at his job." Olivia said honestly. "Why?"
"Sometimes I just feel like he doesn't... I don't know. Get me?"
"Not every staffer is going to be a woman of color from the wrong side of MLK Blvd. with an elite education." Olivia said. "He doesn't have to understand you. He just has to do his job. Which he has been doing."
"You are right." Dani sighed. "Sometimes I'd just like to see fewer White men running down these halls."
"Don't say that too loud." Olivia laughed. "One of them might hear you."
/
Fitz was doing better. Well, if better meant not feeling like public enemy #1, then he was doing better. He was still drinking – honestly – that seemed to be the only thing keeping him alive. He managed to keep it hidden from his mother while she was around, but he still usually ended up blacked out in his room in Santa Barbara.
All of his "friends" of the upper echelons still wanted nothing to do with him. He realized that quickly when all of the invitations he usually turned down to go vacationing in Europe or clubbing on the weekends dropped off, even after he cleared himself in the chambers of Congress.
Charlie still sent emails, when he gained access to WiFi in the Peace Corps, but all of the other BYE members found out about Big Gerry's relation to Fitz when the news broke. They scattered like Fitz's childhood friends.
Then there was Abby, who was his only real friend who didn't run. In the beginning, she checked in on him. She never said Olivia's name in front of him, but there was always an unspoken question lingering on her lips. What happened?
Nonetheless, eventually she faded away too. Now that she was done with school, she eventually stopped calling and texting to check in on him. He knew she got a job in D.C. and was seeing someone, but that was all though Instagram. He couldn't blame her, even. Maybe she just got tired of the pitiful excuse for a friend that he was.
Ironically, Olivia was still there, inescapable. Her relationship with Edison Davis was raising his profile so that now they were inescapable. Every so often, he would find himself googling her name. He would see recent pictures of them at events. Pictures of them going in and out of restaurants. Pictures of her hand firmly clasped in his, or his hand resting on her waist, or the worst of all – her smiling up at him. All of the things she swore meant nothing in the beginning were now very, very real.
But nothing compared to seeing them in person in the Capitol rotunda. His stomach churned at the memory. He replayed the image of Edison's hands on her shoulders how in sync they looked together. He couldn't escape how relaxed she looked with him. And then when his eyes connected with hers, he felt the wind knocked from his chest, over and over.
He hated Olivia. How he got from unconditional love to unadulterated hate, he didn't know. But seeing her in Edison's arms like that while he was about to go testify against his own father, made him loathe her. When things got bad for him, she was more interested in protecting herself, than being there for him.
And now look at them. She was on the arm of a rising Congressman, and he was sitting in his car outside of a liquor store, with a certain notification on his phone that made it difficult to breathe.
BNC: Fitzgerald "Big Gerry" Grant Jr. Found Dead on a Caribbean Island. Apparent Suicide.
Fitz stumbled into the liquor store with his baseball cap pulled down tightly, lest anybody recognize him. He was already halfway gone, but he ran out of his stash and needed some more liquid numbness to get through the night.
He paid for his $15 bottle of scotch and retreated to the safety of the tinted windows on his car. He drank until he needed to breathe and tossed the bottle to his passenger seat.
He was about to pull out of the parking lot, when he caught a glimpse of himself in his rear view mirror. He was crying, but he didn't even realize it. He looked like a little boy, so scared and vulnerable.
He was too drunk to drive, he now realized. And he was too drunk to control himself, as he just sat there, sobbing.
He felt awful. He didn't know why he was really crying. He hated Big Gerry. He was happy that he was dead. Happy that he no longer had the albatross around his neck that was his fugitive father.
But he couldn't stop crying.
/
"How long are you going to keep this up?" Edison asked, clearly annoyed. They were in the back of Edison's car, being chauffeured home from an event. Olivia couldn't help but scroll her phone, ignoring Edison for most of the night. She was still stalking Abby's posts. It had been a month.
"I don't know." Olivia mumbled. She kept bouncing between her Instagram and Twitter, looking for something she had been missing before.
"Liv." Edison said, frowning when he saw what she was looking at. "It's been a month."
"I know." Olivia said.
"Maybe it's time to—"
"Abby is my best friend." Olivia cut him off, knowing the words that would follow.
"Move on." He finished. Ever since her fight with Abby, she hadn't been the same. She was distracted, always checking for texts from her. He knew that she was not okay after her break up from Fitz, but he was worried that this would be the straw to break her.
Olivia shot him a death glare before returning to her scrolling.
"Well, at least try and pretend to be interested in the programming next time." Edison sighed, checking his own phone. The driver pulled up outside of her apartment building. "Goodnight, Olivia."
"Night, Edison." Olivia went up to her apartment and poured herself a glass of wine from her kitchen cabinet. She pulled her laptop out,
Combing through her profiles, she pinned a few things down about Abby's social media presence. Since she had been with Chip, there were no photos of anybody but her and Chip. She had always posted frequent pictures of her with friends, even people she didn't particularly like. It was how she moved in her dizzying social life. Now it was just either pictures of herself or of her with Chip. One or two with some of Chip's family members.
*ding*
BNC: "Big Gerry" Grant Jr. Found Dead in Caribbean Island. Apparent Suicide.
Olivia gasped. Big Gerry was dead. He could no longer be prosecuted for his war crimes. Sure, his accomplices would face lengthy years of prosecution and scrutiny, but Big Gerry was dead. Fitz was free. He was no longer tied to his terrible father.
Also, his father was dead. She thought about what he might be doing right now. Was he sad? Was he relieved? Was he both? Was he okay?
She returned to Abby's profile, pushing out any thoughts about Fitz. He was none of her concern anymore, and while she hoped he was handling it well, she couldn't dwell on it. It wasn't healthy, and she had to focus on Abby.
Then it hit her. There was another thing. She noticed it in a picture of a yachting trip off of Cape Cod on July 4th. She had her arms around Chip from behind and she was resting her head on his shoulder.
There was something in her expression, even though she was smiling, that made her gut churn. She analyzed the picture. It was August, but Abby was wearing a long sleeve shirt. She scrolled to the next one. Then the one after that. Abby was wearing long sleeves in all of them, in the summer. This trend only started over the past couple of weeks.
"What are you hiding, Abby?" Olivia said out loud.
She clicked on Chip's profile, scrolling back years. There was no other woman on his page, even going back to high school. She went to the pictures he was tagged in on Facebook and scrolled back.
That is where he found his last girlfriend, Alice Sterling, another socialite from a wealthy family turned Instagram influencer. Even though they broke up after Valentine's Day, she hadn't posted anything since then. In fact, as Olivia looked into her, her Twitter, Facebook, and lifestyle blog had gone dark since February 17th. She googled her name. She was arrested for drug possession before the end of February, and pretty much fell off of the face of the earth.
Olivia scrolled back and forth through the social media posts documenting every second of Alice Sterling's life from what organic fruit spread she had for breakfast to... nothing. Radio silence.
An acidic uneasiness rose in Olivia's belly. She knew Abby better than anybody else. Something was off. She wasn't sure if it was necessarily a negative thing, but her gut was leading her there.
Olivia dialed the number of an old contact, who was now studying law at Georgetown. They met at a Harvard Law admissions panel mixer her Junior year. At the time, he was a Dartmouth senior thinking of going to law school after a gap year or two. Now, he was starting his 2L at Georgetown with an enviable externship at the Department of Justice.
"David Rosen." She said, the second the line connected.
"Olivia? It's like after midnight... What do you need?"
"I have a favor to ask."
/
Fitz spent the night in the liquor store parking lot. He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but all he could remember was uncontrollably sobbing from the news of Big Gerry's suicide.
Maybe it was better that he was making it home around 5am, because his mother was probably asleep. He couldn't face her, hungover like this. He just wanted the warmth of his bed and something to alleviate the biting headache he had.
When he got home, he plopped down on his bed. He stared at the ceiling, processing everything that just happened.
He was officially free from Big Gerry. He was no longer tied to the man that he hated more than anybody else. He felt a definite weight lifted off of him, but that left nothing in its place. There was an emptiness settling into him that made it hard to breathe.
He had nothing now. No money. No friends. No Olivia. No father.
The realization of all of these things hit his chest like a truck. He had to make some changes. He couldn't be this lonely forever.
/
It wasn't easy getting David Rosen to pull up the details of Alice Sterling's arrest. Olivia used all of the tricks in her political arsenal. It also turned out that being a senior staffer to a congresswoman was pretty effective, but what finally moved David was her explaining her real concerns for Abby.
Alice Sterling was arrested for possession of opioids after a routine traffic stop led to a car search. She pleaded not guilty, but then an attorney was retained, and she took a plea deal. Apparently, two weeks later, she was 5150'd for suicidal behavior by the Putneys. After that, she was checked into a rehab program. The funder for this program was not listed. She was released a month later and was living a quiet life in Maryland.
Olivia found herself outside of Alice's apartment like a crazy person. But all of the facts made her incredibly worried for Abby. If her suspicions were true, Alice was in an abusive relationship and went through something similar of what Abby is going through.
Olivia walked up to the humble, but still well-kept apartment complex, buzzing unit 108. There was no response. Olivia buzzed again. No response. She was about to turn to make her trek back to the metro, when a woman walking up the street with two armfuls of groceries caught her eye. It was the exact person, who she had obsessed over the last 48-hours.
"Hi." Olivia began. "Are you Alice?"
"No." Alice said warily. She was the exact person Olivia saw in the pictures with Chip, although her hair was dyed and cut differently.
"My name is Olivia. Can I help you with those?" Olivia realized that she was struggling to balance the two overflowing paper bags of produce.
"No." Alice picked up her pace, walking around Olivia. She struggled to open the gate with her hands full.
"Here, let me get that for you."
"No. I'm fine." Alice said shortly. "I don't know who you are, what paper sent you, but you need to leave me alone."
"I'm not with the press. I just want to chat for a second, Alice. I have a few questions that I think you can answer."
"You have the wrong person." Alice lied. "No Alice lives in this building."
"I know that you used to date Chip Putney." Olivia blurted. "And I know that you struggled after that breakup."
"Please leave me alone." Alice managed to open the gate, slipping behind it, and shutting it quickly behind her. "I have nothing to say."
"I'm not out to get you." Olivia said, stepping up to the gate. "My best friend is dating him, and she has stopped talking to me."
"Your best friend is Abby Whelan?" Alice paused for a second, adjusting her bags.
"Yes." Olivia answered.
"I'm sorry." Alice shook her head. "I can't."
"Please, don't walk away." Olivia pleaded, as Alice retreated further past the gate. "You are the only hope I have for getting my best friend back."
"I literally can't. I'm sorry" Alice's face contorted into a mix of regret and pity. There were definite tears that told Olivia more than words.
"Alice, wait." Olivia pleaded as her only lead slipped into the apartment building. "Fuck."
/
Fitz swiped once more on his screen, before getting up to answer his door. After picking himself up from the news of Big Gerry's death, he realized he didn't have to be this lonely anymore. He was young, handsome, and had no strings.
He was moving back to Boston for his final semester. Olivia wasn't coming back. He might not find another her, but he had women before her, and he had a great time with them. Moping around for someone who didn't give a shit about him was useless. He could have almost any girl in his apartment in thirty minutes, just by a few swipes of his thumb.
So that is what he did. He didn't have the black AmEx to attract women with, but he did have a smart phone. He downloaded a few dating apps, and in no time, had a slate of prospectives who would all be there in 5 minutes if he asked.
"You must be Amber." He smiled, when he opened his door. Despite her texting that she was chilling twenty minutes ago, she had a full face of makeup, her brunette hair neatly curled, and a tight crop-top, legging combo that was not meant for chilling. "Come in."
/
"Abby." Olivia said into her phone, as if she was on the other line. It was her voicemail. The first one she'd left all day. "I know that you don't want to talk to me, and I understand why... But we need to talk... Please. Just come outside. I'm at your place right now. We need to talk."
Olivia hung up and stared at the townhome. The lights were on in Abby's room, and her car was parked outside. She waited for ten minutes, feeling foolish. It wasn't lost on her that being a Black woman loitering in one of the nicest neighborhoods in D.C. was a ticking time bomb for a private security guard to roll up on her.
She walked up the steps, ringing Abby's doorbell.
No answer.
She rang it again, but still nothing. She knocked on the door, hoping that the sound of her knuckles against the oak door reached her.
"Hi Olivia." Chip answered, wearing pressed khakis and a crisp button down, standing squarely in the door frame. "What can I do for you?"
"Is Abby home?"
"No, she is not."
"Do you mind if I wait until she does come home?" Olivia asked.
"I do, actually." He had the smuggest look on his face, not budging from his stance.
"Abby." Olivia called out into the apartment. "It's Liv."
"She's not home." Chip reinstated.
"Her car is in the driveway."
"Look, even if she was home, she doesn't want to talk to you. All of your texts, voicemails, DMs... It's just embarrassing and frankly hard to watch. Move on. She sure has."
Olivia regarded his looming frame. He had a good 10 inches on her, but she was quicker. She thought of what Fitz taught her and with one surprising knee to his nuts had Chip doubled over, clutching his crotch in pain. She slipped past him, walking into the apartment.
"Abby?" Olivia called, walking through the apartment. She knew she had a limited timeframe. Any second now, Charles Chip Putney would recover from her initial attack and be on her. If her suspicions of what he had been doing to Abby were correct, then he could do just the same to her.
"Liv, what are you doing?" Abby was in the living room, sitting stiffly and at attention on the couch, with tears streaming down her face. Wearing a long sleeve hoodie, she seemed smaller than her 5 foot 9 frame.
"Come with me."
"I can't."
"Come with me." Olivia snapped, extending her hand. Abby stayed frozen. Olivia had never seen her so still and terrified in all of the years that she knew her. "Everything will be okay, I promise."
"You should go right now." Abby insisted, looking past her to Chip, who had recovered from the initial blow Olivia gave him.
"That was a cute move back there. Cute enough for me to forget it ever happened."
Olivia turned to Charles "Chip" Putney, squaring her shoulders. "I'm going to walk out of these doors with my best friend, and you will not stop us."
Chip crossed his arms across his chest with a half chuckle. "Who's best friend? I don't think Abby wants to go with you."
"Abby." Olivia pleaded. "Stand up."
Abby was frozen in her seat.
"Everything will be okay, I promise." Olivia said calmly, even though her heart was racing against her chest. "Take my hand."
There were multiple seconds of deafening silence with Olivia's hand extended, until she finally withdrew it to her side.
"I see." Olivia nodded. "I'm sorry for—"
Abby stood, her eyes trained on Chip. She awkwardly shifted towards Olivia. Her clammy, trembling hand connected to Olivia's.
"You aren't going anywhere" Chip smirked, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Come on." Olivia took a few cautious steps, pulling Abby along. Chip grabbed Abby's arm in a firm grip that made her gasp.
"Let go." In an impulsive moment, Olivia reached for the poker by the fireplace, swinging it at Chip's knees. They connected with the back of his knees with an uneventful thud, making his legs crumble from under him. She placed two forceful swings into his gut, before dropping the poker and dragging Abby away with her.
Once they were out the door, Olivia stopped at the driver's side of Abby's car. "Unlock it."
"He has the keys." Tears were flowing freely from Abby's eyes.
"Shit. Okay. There is a restaurant up the street. We can call an uber from there." Olivia cursed grabbing Abby's hand and walked briskly down the street. She knew better than to run. That would only cause more problems. They made it two blocks until a private security car pulled up to them with lights blaring.
"Stop and put your hands above your head." The loudspeaker on the cop car announced.
Olivia stopped dead in her tracks and obeyed. The look on her face made Abby do the same.
An officer emerged from the car, with his baton bouncing back and forth from his hand into the air. "What could you be running for in a neighborhood like this?"
"We were not running. We were just going for a walk." Olivia said calmly, even though her hands were shaking. She clasped them together, to hide her fear.
"Let me see some ID."
"I'm reaching into purse for my license. I am not armed, and I have no items on me that could hurt you." Olivia's slowly reached for her ID. She handed it over to the officer.
"And you, Missy?" The officer asked Abby, as he examined Olivia's ID.
"I don't have my wallet on me." Abby admitted.
"Interesting." The officer chuckled. He shined a flashlight in their eyes, despite the sun being a few hours from setting. "We got a call about an assault. An African American woman, about five foot four. A Caucasian woman as her accomplice. Ginger. Five nine. You two seem about that height."
"This is an honest mistake." Abby said as the second officer started to pat her down.
"Abby." Olivia warned. "Let them do their job. We have no weapons on us."
"Put your hands above your head." The first officer said.
"Why?" Olivia questioned.
"Just put your hands above your head."
"Are we under arrest?"
"Put your hands above your head." He insisted.
"Are we being detained?" Olivia insisted, keeping her hands out and in clear site, but not complying to their demands. Abby obeyed their demands, crossing her wrists above her head.
"Yes."
"On what grounds?"
"Assault." The officer began to pull out his handcuffs.
Olivia didn't say anything. It was in this moment, that she knew she fucked up big time. She put her hands above her head.
"Stop resisting." The officer pushed Olivia against the neighboring gate.
"I'm not resisting." Olivia said calmly, wincing at the impact to the cold iron of the gate. After she was cuffed, he moved on to Abby. Abby was oddly calm and complacent, as the officer pulled her hands behind her back and cuffed her. When he slid the cuffs up her wrists, she tensed with pain. Olivia noticed a deep bruise on her wrist, that she didn't see before.
"Get in the back." The officer barked at them.
Abby voluntarily went first into the back of the squad car, much to Olivia's surprise. She expected her wealthy, privileged friend to pitch a fit – to demand to speak to her lawyer or her billionaire father. But Abby simply nodded, ducking her head without any assistance into the back of the car.
Once they were on the way to the station, Olivia scooted closer to Abby, who had her head leaned against the window, looking out at the city blocks, slipping by.
"I'm sorry." Olivia whispered. "I didn't mean—"
"Stop talking." Abby said shortly.
"Abby, I—"
"Shut. Up." Abby said in a tone Olivia had never heard from her before. Yes, they were in deep shit, but there was something else going on with her. Olivia leaned back to her side, silently watching the shell that used to be her best friend.
The security guard drove them to the Arlington police station. Olivia watched the guard exchange a few quiet words with an officer, and then they were pushed into a holding cell separate from the other arrestees.
"Where is our phone call?" Olivia asked an indifferent officer in passing. "Okay." Olivia nodded. "I see what is going on here."
"You don't." Abby said softly.
"What?" Olivia turned back to her.
"Shhh." Abby shushed. She nodded for Olivia to cross the holding cell to the corner she was in.
"What?" Olivia asked again.
"Keep your fucking voice down." Abby barely whispered. "This place is crawling with them."
"With who?" Olivia whispered back. "Cops?"
"Shhh." Abby warned. "You should not have come to my apartment."
"What is going on? Why haven't they read us our rights? Why aren't we in the cell with the other arrestees? Why haven't we been booked?" Olivia demanded, softening her tone. "What is happening to you, Abby?"
"He's coming."
"Who?"
"Shh." Abby looked to the door of their cell as an all too familiar face appeared. "He's here."
Olivia's eyes flashed to Chip Putney, grinning and shaking hands with the very security guards who escorted them to the separate holding cell.
"You gals are lucky to have such an upstanding friend. Mr. Putney here has agreed to pay your bail."
"That might stand, if we had been booked or even arraigned." Olivia snarled. "This is nothing more than a miscarriage of justice and an abuse of power."
"Careful, Liv" Chip stepped to her, inches from her face, looking down at her. Her nickname on his glib lips made her skin crawl and bile rise to the back of her throat. "You wouldn't want to come off as ungrateful, because I could easily just bail out my girlfriend and leave you to fend for yourself in the general holding cell."
"The amount of laws broken in this incident is unconscionable. We have rights—" Olivia began.
"Olivia." Abby spoke up. "It's over."
"Abby." Olivia looked to her best friend in disbelief.
Chip spoke up. "I'm willing to forgive a misstep or two of you putting your hands on me, but make no mistake. You, Olivia Pope, will not attempt to contact my Abigail Whelan. You will not text her, call her, contact her, or come back to her residence. She is dead to you and vice versa."
"That's not your decision to make." Olivia looked to Abby, who kept her eyes trained to the ground. "Abby?"
"It starts now. Either agree or go join the ladies in general." Chip stepped between Olivia and Abby, blocking her view. "Actually, I don't need you to agree. You so much as think about contacting her, I will have you charged with assault. You will be prosecuted to the maximum degree. You will kiss your fancy little job on the Hill goodbye, because when the State of Virginia is through with you, you will be spending your free time googling whether Gettysburger hires felons. They don't, by the way. My aunt sits on their board of trustees."
Olivia stared into Chip's chest, hoping that Abby might peak around her chest, telling her to defy him, but she didn't.
"Fuck you." Olivia spat.
Chip pursed his lips. "Alright then. Suit yourself. Come on Abs." Chip walked out with Abby under his arm. Olivia could have sworn that Abby tried to look over her shoulder at her, but Chip's arm remained in a firm hold on her.
Once they left, Olivia turned to the nearest guard. "Can I get my phone call?"
"Ha." The same guard who arrested her scoffed.
"I—"
"You will stay here for the standard holding hours." He smirked in the dirtiest grin. "That is what you get for resisting arrest."
"I didn't resist—"
"Careful, child. I haven't charged you with resisting arrest, but one more misstep and I might be tempted."
Olivia stepped back from the bars, taking a seat on the bench. She took a deep breath, collecting herself.
"What is your badge number?"
"Why would I tell you that?"
"You don't have to. I caught it when you slammed me against an iron gate. Unnecessary roughness can get you suspended in this age. At least a desk job, which to be honest, can't be that much of a demotion from being an errand boy for a political family. Oh wait, that's corruption. I bet the U.S. Atorney's Office would have a field day with that one."
"You have no idea who you are up against."
"Oh, I know exactly who I am up against. Get me my phone call, and maybe I leave your name out of the federal investigation I will bring down on this entire precinct. Your boss may have a lot of assets and power, but that means he has more to lose."
/
Olivia was allowed a single, three-minute phone call, despite the laws allowing her 300 minutes to any numbers. She called Dani, explaining the conditions of her arrest a rapid speed. Within twenty minutes, Oliva was released into Dani's custody.
"I'm so sorry, for putting you in this position, and I—" Olivia began the second she was allowed to cross over the front desk to Dani.
"Shhh." Dani warned. "I will drive you home. You can explain then. Not now."
Olivia nodded, following Dani to her car.
"So you went up against a Putney." Dani said, as she reversed her car out of her parking spot.
"I tried to rescue my best friend from an abusive relationship. I should have gone about it smarter." Olivia lamented. "I should not have kneed him in the balls."
"You kneed a Putney in the balls?" Dani raised an eyebrow.
"Regrettably, yes. And took an iron poker to his knees."
"Good." Dani turned onto the interstate. "That family deserves a good ball busting. I almost wish I was there to get it on camera."
They shared an uninhibited laugh, that let Olivia know that everything was alright with her boss. "I'm scared for Abby. I had my suspicions that she was in trouble before this."
"How did you know?"
"Abby is beautiful, and she loves showing off her skin. But in all of her Instagram posts, she's been wearing long sleeves. I've also never seen her so scared – so terrified – of a person as I did today. It's like he had a magic spell on her..."
"What else?" Dani edged.
"Part of me saw something new in her when she was earning her master's degree. She was finally coming into her own, and being proud of her own abilities, not just coasting on her family's name and money. Then, all of the sudden, she got hooked by Chip Putney, and... She has started to distance herself. Maybe it is her maturing from her college friends, but I didn't even recognize her today. She was a total shell of the Abby I was proud to call my friend. I think she is in real trouble."
"You think."
"I know that she is in danger." Olivia corrected. "I did some research on Chip's last girlfriend. She broke up from him, and less than a week later, she's arrested with possession of opioids, despite having no prior history of drugs. Her life is ruined, she's shipped off to rehab and her whole career went down the drain. I don't want the same for Abby."
"So, you want to go to war with the Putney dynasty?"
Olivia was silent for a moment, watching the blocks slide by from Dani's passenger seat. "If that is what it takes to get my best friend back, then maybe I want to wage war against the Putneys."
"Then do what it takes." Dani squeezed her hand. "And let me know how I can help."
/
When Dani pulled up to Olivia's apartment, Edison's car was parked on the street.
"I called him." Dani explained. "After you called me."
"Why would you—"
"Please don't be mad." Dani warned. "I was just conscious of your arrangement with him, and… I thought about the optics."
"Right." Olivia sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get upset."
"Are you sure that you are okay? Do you want me to come inside?"
"I'm okay, thank you." Olivia insisted, offering her a weak smile. "Thank you for everything today."
"Don't come into work tomorrow. Take as much time as you need."
"I'm fine. We have the live stream tomorrow morning, and—"
"I know how to do a live stream, Liv. You were just handcuffed and spent a majority of the day in jail. Please take some time."
"I'll work from home tomorrow." Olivia said. "I need to work."
"Alright." Dani accepted. "Call me if you need anything."
Dani stayed stalling in her car until Olivia was safely inside the building, she found Edison waiting at her apartment door.
"Olivia." He said, concerningly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Olivia said, letting him hug her briefly. He took her hands in his, noticing the irritated skin around her wrists. "Did they hurt you? They used excessive force."
"They always use excessive force." Olivia pulled her hands back, walking past him into her apartment. She poured herself a glass of wine, somewhat annoyed that Edison followed her into her apartment. She just wanted to be alone.
"Why didn't you call?"
"They wouldn't give me my phone call." Olivia said, taking a sip. Her adrenaline was waning, and she instantly felt the effects of the wine. Her body was beginning to ache and yearn for a bed. Even if she had unlimited calls, she wouldn't have called him. For the past month, he had been downplaying her concerns for Abby – to the point where things were tense between them. She wasn't even interested in an I told you so moment. She was just... tired.
"What happened?" Edison asked. "All I got from Dani was that you were being held at the Arlington County jail."
"I tried to rescue Abby."
"What?" Edison exclaimed, then reigned in his tone. "I thought you agreed to drop this whole thing?"
"I never agreed to that, you only heard what you wanted to hear." Olivia said in a low voice. "I went to rescue her. Chip is abusing her. I'm not sure how much, but she needs help."
"How did you end up in jail?"
"I took an iron poker to Chip Putney's knees."
"You what?" Edison didn't even try to hide his shock. "Do you know how reckless that was?"
"I did what needed to be done." Olivia snapped. "You should have seen the type of control he had over her. It was like she was brainwashed. She wanted out so bad, but at the end of the day, she went home with him... Knowing what he would do to her."
"Are they going to press charges?" Edison asked.
"No. Well... Maybe." Olivia admitted. "He threatened felony assault charges if I tried to contact her again."
"The Putneys have a long memory... And they aren't exactly known for being generous or reasonable in courts."
"I have to get her out." Olivia held her head in her hands. "They can threaten me all they want, but I'm not giving up."
"You can't try to contact her." Edison warned. "Or Chip will make good on his threat."
"I can't leave her, Edison." Olivia raised her voice. "She is in danger, and I have to do something about it."
"Because an iron poker is so effective?" Edison matched her tone. "You can't afford to be this stupid, Liv."
"I can't afford to lose my friend." Olivia snapped back.
"What actual proof do you have? That she seemed off? That Chip is a dick?
"I have my gut."
"All you have is a sketchy ex-girlfriend and a hunch."
"Why are you so hesitant?"
"The Putneys are more powerful than the Kennedys." Edison sighed. "Even if Abby is in a dangerous situation, you have to consider that things are kept quiet for a reason."
"Do you hear yourself?" Olivia said, letting her hurt seep through her voice. "Oh my god, you are such a fucking coward." She shook her head, walking towards her bedroom with her wine.
"Olivia come back here." Edison boomed.
"I am going to rest. I'd appreciate it if you locked the door on your way out."
Olivia downed the glass of wine and fell onto her bead spread, waiting for the sound of Edison shutting the front door behind him. Then a call came through from David.
"What?" Olivia snapped, carrying over her frustration.
"You could be a little nicer to me." David said. "I don't know why you are looking into this Alice girl, but I had a slow day... So I did. Check your email."
Olivia obeyed. "Holy shit."
"Exactly. These images were recorded by the body cam of an Alexandria Police officer, but there was never an arrest or a report or anything else. The whole incident was literally dissolved—"
"Thank you, David. Bye." She hung up.
/
As Olivia placed her last call to her mutual friends of Abby's she was already filled with dread mixed with an odd sense of hope. It wasn't just her. Abby had ghosted everybody. It wasn't as blunt, but all of their mutual friends from college admitted that Abby hadn't responded to their invitations, so they just let it go and eventually stopped inviting her.
"Liv?" Quinn Perkin's chipper voice came through the connection. "How are you? What's up?"
"Hi Quinn, I'm fine, thanks. I don't need much of your time, but I have a question... Have you talked to Abby lately?"
"Yeah... We grabbed drinks the other day." Quinn said nonchalantly.
"When exactly?" Olivia pressed.
"Uh, well... Let me check my calendar. Oh yeah, here it is. It was back in like June."
"Nothing since?"
"She was supposed to come down to Atlanta for a weekend, but she flaked. I think her job is pretty demanding right now..." Quinn finally picked up on Olivia's tone. "Did something happen between you two? Are you not talking? You two were like inseparable in college."
"Yeah." Liv admitted vaguely. "We actually did."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I can reach out to her on your behalf." Quinn offered. "I am sure that whatever this is, it will pass."
"No." Olivia said too quickly. "It's still a little fresh. I just wanted to check in on her."
"Well I haven't talked with her in a while. You know, Fitz probably has. They go, like, way back... Although I know he has his hands tied with that whole... thing."
"Thanks Quinn, it was great catching up with you. I have to go now." Olivia hung up.
She had been avoiding the inevitable phone call to Fitz all day. If anybody would have maintained contact with her, it was him. She shouldn't let her own issues with him get in the way of saving her friend.
After three rings, the line went silent. She had to check her phone to make sure it wasn't rejected, but there were three seconds and counting, meaning that he was on the other end.
"Fitz?" Saying his name brought tears to her eyes. There was no response. "Fitz, are you there? I need you to say something."
After two more dreadful seconds, he offered a cold, "I'm here."
"Okay." Olivia inhaled, building her confidence. "I'm calling to see if you have been in contact with Abby in the past month or so."
"Why do you want to know?"
"Just answer the question." Olivia ignored his defensiveness.
"We drifted apart after..." Fitz didn't complete his sentence. Abby was there for him in the initial fallout of their breakup. She checked in on him, tried to cheer him up and pull him out of the drunken grave of despair he dug for himself. When she got the job in D.C., he assumed she gave up on him. He was a pitiful mess after the breakup, so she was more than justified.
"Fitz, I—" Olivia began, but couldn't find the air to say need your help. Then, a third voice joined their connection. It was an undeniably feminine voice in the same room as Fitz.
"Why are you all the way over there?" A sleepy woman said. "Come back to bed."
"You have company." Olivia stated. "I'm going to hang up now."
"Yeah, you do that." Fitz said gruffly, ending the call before she could.
/
"What are we doing here?" Abby asked, as Chip parked at a wharf along the Potomac river.
"I know things got out of hand the other day." Chip opened her car door, helping her out. "The man you saw is not the man I am."
Abby didn't respond, knowing that he wasn't done with his speech.
"I just get so protective of you, baby." Chip continued as he walked her down the wooden platform to a boat. "You are so special to me, and I just see the incredible things we will do in this country laid out before me, and I just… I want it all. You are my everything... So seeing your old past come in and try to snatch you away... I overreacted, so this is my apology."
Abby was still silent, letting him help her into the boat. There was a picnic basket and some candles. She took her seat, silently waiting for him to join her. He untied the boat from the dock and cranked the engine until they were gliding out into the water. He lit some candles, illuminating her face. He took her hands in his, gently rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "Please forgive me."
Abby looked at his earnest face and then at the cheesy apology effort. She did not forgive him, but she had no choice. They were on a path together. She swallowed hard, fixing a smile on her face. "I forgive you, baby."
"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that." He sighed.
"Just promise me something."
"What?"
"That you will never hurt me." Abby said softly. "You scared me the other day."
"Oh, Abby." He kissed her hand repeatedly. "I promise that I will never ever do anything that brings harm to you."
"Okay." She accepted, letting him kiss her on the lips. Her phone buzzed in her purse, so she pulled back to answer it. It was a text.
Fitz: Hey stranger! I'm in town this week. We are getting drinks, and it is non-negotiable.
"Who is that?" Chip asked.
"It's an old friend that I haven't heard from in a while." Abby said.
"You didn't answer me. Who?"
"Fitz Grant. We grew up together and were at Harvard at the same time. He's—"
"I know exactly who he is. What does he want?"
"To meet up for drinks."
Chip scoffed. "That's a bold move, considering we are together. What type of loser openly lusts after a taken woman?"
"It's not like that." Abby defended. "Fitz and I are like siblings. We've seen each other through a lot of things."
"Well, you don't need him anymore." Chip took her phone from her.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm blocking him."
"No." Abby reached for her phone, but he held it an arm's length away.
"Why are you so defensive?" Chip raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to grab drinks with him? A loser son of a bitch? And I mean that literally because he is actually the son of a bitch. Do you know how bad it would be if you were seen in public with him?"
"If you block him, he's going to find another way to talk to me. Let me brush him off gently."
Chip regarded her closely. "Okay. Let me see it before you hit send."
Abby: Hey there! I'm actually all tied up this weekend. Maybe another time?
"Alright send it."
Abby sent it, immediately getting a response.
Fitz: No worries! Maybe we can set up a virtual happy hour or something.
Abby: I'll look at my calendar and get back to you.
Chip pressed send on the text for Abby. She wouldn't be getting back to him, but the vague illusion of it was enough for now. Chip silenced Abby's phone and dropped it in the picnic basket, pulling out a bottle of wine. Neither of them saw the next text.
Fitz: Sounds good. I want you to know that I'm in a better place now. Trying to move on.
/
Fitz scanned the crowded bar, feeling extremely out of place. He wasn't familiar with the D.C. scene, which for the most part felt too traditional and stiff. On top of that, for the better part of the year, he hadn't been going out at all. He couldn't afford to ever since he was cut off, and the press had only now stopped hounding him in the street. It had been over a month since the hearing on Capitol Hill, and people were slowly moving on. The Big Gerry scandal was still being analyzed and processed, but he was cleared from any involvement. So his main sources of pleasure were inviting girls into his apartment and the supply of cheap scotch that never seemed to run dry.
So stepping out for the first time was a little jarring. But he was there for a reason. He spotted her by her hair – red and glossy in a sea of muted, conservative colors. She was sitting at the bar in a cream turtleneck, with her hand resting gently on the arm of a well-dressed man he assumed was Chip Putney.
He deliberately walked up to the empty seat two down from Chip and ordered a scotch. He took a sip, paused for a moment, before glancing over at Abby. She was looking dead at him, but the second their eyes connected, she dropped them to her drink.
"Abby Whelan." Fitz faked surprise. "What a coincidence!"
"Fitz." Abby's eyes widened as she glanced between Chip and Fitz. "What are you doing here?"
"My hotel is up the street." He lied, "I thought I would step in for a night cap."
In reality, he caught a train to D.C. immediately after his text exchange with her. With no real plan and a few missed calls to her, he waited until she geotagged her location on social media before tracking her down to this bar. Between Olivia's concerning phone call and Abby's texts that sounded nothing like her, he knew something was wrong. The Abby he knew never kept a calendar and the Abby he knew would never pass up on an opportunity to get drinks, without a clear reason. If Olivia had not been in contact with her, then something was very wrong. That paired with the Putney reputation, gave him enough pause. The way Abby was freezing up like she was about to get sold out confirmed his suspicion that something wasn't right.
He leaned in to kiss her cheek, and it wasn't lost on him that Chip's jaw tightened even more when he did so.
"Fitz, this is my boyfriend Chip Putney."
"It's nice to meet you." Fitz extended his hand.
"Likewise." Chip nodded, giving Fitz's hand a short but uncomfortably tight shake.
"Has Harvard kicked you out already?" Abby asked. "What are you doing down here in the middle of the week?"
"Just tying up some loose ends." Fitz said. "I might be keeping my ear to the ground for a job after I graduate in December."
"I didn't realize you were interested in working in D.C."
"I'm keeping my options open."
"Politics?"
"Nah." He denied. "Even if I wanted to, I doubt anybody will vote for someone with the Grant name for the next generation or so."
"Chip is running for the Virginia General Assembly in the next election." Abby bragged, smoothing down the fabric on Chip's jacket. "We are announcing next spring."
"We?" Fitz raised an eyebrow. "You two are really serious, eh?"
"This woman is pretty special." Chip smirked, kissing her cheek. "I'd be a fool to let her slip away from me."
"To you two." Fitz tipped his glass in the air before taking a sip. "I'm happy for you, Abby."
"If you end up staying in the DMV, maybe Chip can set you up with one of his friends. Chip knows all of the eligible bachelorettes in Virginia."
"We could double date." Chip squeezed Abby's side. His possessiveness was cringey. The Abby he knew would never fall for his demanding PDA. But she let it happen. If he wasn't mistaken, there was almost a flinch in her every time he touched her.
There was an awkward moment of silence between the three of them. "Well, I don't want to intrude on what seems like a lovely and romantic evening. Chip, it was nice to meet you. Abby, I'm in town until Sunday. Maybe you could find some time in your calendar to catch up with an old friend."
/
Edison showed up with an apology bottle of wine. Olivia didn't greet him with any affection that he expected, but instead she stepped aside to let him in.
"I'm sorry." He began. "I should have been more sensitive the other day—"
"I'm going after the Putneys." Olivia said.
"I still think you are making a mistake." Edison began, "but—"
"I don't need your approval or your permission or your buts."
"You have to understand where I'm coming from. If the Putneys decide to go after you, which they will, I am a liability. They will make it incredibly hard for me to do my job in congress, and I don't think you will be able to live with that."
"You want me to leave my friend in an abusive relationship, one that could possibly end up killing her, because it would make your job harder?" Olivia asked, her voice raising in anger. "Are you fucking insane?"
"Now, calm down, Olivia." Edison tried to placate her. He took a step towards her, gently touching her arms. "You know that is not what I mean."
"I'm getting her out, and you can either help me save her, or you can leave. The choice is up to you." Olivia stepped away, putting some distance between them. "But I will not stand here and beg you to care."
"I do care." Edison said. "I want to help. I just think that you are letting this consume you, and it isn't healthy. I mean, you have to think about how it affects everybody else. What if the Putneys target me, for being associated with you? Do you know how hard they can make it for Dani to get any substantial work done? I know that you are worried, but you need to take a step back and take a deep breath. You can't just go in, guns blazing against a political dynasty."
Olivia stared at him for a moment, before cracking an eerie smile. "You should go."
"No. That is not what I want." Edison resisted, stepping towards her. "We just need to talk through this like adults."
"No, you have said enough for me to see exactly what kind of man you are. It's time for you to go. We are through here. I won't be attending any more of your dinners or public events. Go and never speak to me unless it is official congressional business."
"Olivia—"
"I have work to do." Olivia crossed her arms.
"This is you breaking up with me?"
"Yes, now leave." It was the casual way she was dismissing him that made it all bizarre to him. Like he was a delivery man lingering for a tip that would never come.
"Well, I guess we both new this part was coming." Edison shook his head. "Goodbye, Olivia."
Olivia did not exhale until the door clicked behind him. She poured herself a glass of the wine and settled back at her kitchen counter with her notes spread out. She had a pretty simple goal – to get Abby out – but no idea of how to execute it. After she was nearly finished with her first glass, she felt the presence of someone outside of her door. There were two distinguishable feet on the other side, blocking the hallway light. She tensed.
Did Chip send someone to intimidate her? To break in and rough her up? Olivia waited there, frozen. She didn't lock the door behind Edison. She was two steps away from her knives, which could justifiably be used in self-defense. She was also four steps from the door, where she could flip the locks. But then the mystery figure would know that she was scared.
Olivia carefully reached for the biggest knife and inched towards the door. She carefully peeked through the viewing glass to see the last person she'd ever expect to see standing at her door.
/
Fitz called an Uber to an address that was once deleted from his phone. There was no amount of scotch or time that could erase this apartment from his memory. As the car neared its destination, he was starting to fill with regret and nerves.
What was he doing? What if she wasn't there? Or worse – what if she was there with Edison? As the neighborhoods outside of his uber became more familiar, he convinced himself that he was doing the right thing. The only thing certain to him was that Abby was in some kind of danger. She was the only person he could turn to. She wouldn't have called him if she wasn't reasonably worried about Abby.
"Is this it?" The driver asked as he stopped outside of her apartment building.
"Yeah. Thanks." Fitz jogged up the steps and tried the broken door to see if it opened with the right pressure. It creaked open, just like it always did.
When he reached her door, he hesitated. He wasn't ready to face her. He stood there for a solid minute, preparing himself for being in the same room as her. By the time he came upon the confidence to knock, the door opened.
There she was. Dressed in white, hugging her cardigan around her tighter, and oddly trying to hide a knife in her hand behind her back. "Hi." She said softly, barely getting the two-letter word out.
"We need to help Abby."