"Ok, Miss Steele. I'm just going to ask you a few questions," one of the cops who brought us in was interviewing me. Mr. Gorgeous was also being interviewed separately, while the three men were thrown in a holding cell. "So you said you were going home from your father's place?" "Yes." "Can you give me his address?" I hesitated for a second; I technically wasn't supposed to give the manor's location to anyone, particularly the cops. "I-I don't remember it exactly. We just moved here not too long ago." "I understand. Can you give me your address?" "Um, I think it's fifty-eight Leith Street?" I knew my address, but I had to sound convincing. He nodded and wrote this down.
"Ok, so you were walking home when you ran into these three men, right?" "That's right." "And they attacked you in the middle of the street?" "Yes." "We've verified this with the local security cameras; you've got nothing to worry about, Miss Steele. They won't be bothering you again," he tried to sound as reassuring as possible. His hand scribbled down some more and then he grinned up at me. "Are you alright?" "I think so…" "Any injuries? Does it hurt anywhere?" "N-no, I'm fine… I think." "Ok, good. You were knocked down pretty hard back there, and Mr. Grey's insisting we send you to the hospital for a scan." "Mr. Grey?" Who's that?
Before he could answer, the office door slid open. Another older officer and Mr. Gorgeous entered. Mr. Gorgeous flawless blue eyes immediately locked onto me. "Officer Doyle?" The other cop asked my questioner. "Got everything we need, sir. Don't worry, Miss; we'll press charges on your account. You don't have to do anything else." "And I'd like to offer my lawyer to represent her case," we all blinked stunned to Mr. Gorgeous. Whoa! Personal lawyers aren't cheap; why would he offer that to me? Even the police seemed stunned by such generosity. "Um, sir; that's not really necessary. The state provides a lawyer." "Nevertheless, I'd prefer if she was represented by mine. This will be a quick case; there's overwhelming evidence. The cost will be nothing to bear." "Uhhhhhhh," both policemen just looked at each other dumbstruck. "W-well, ok then. I'll have a statement sent to their office." "Please do. Now, if you please, I'd like a word with Miss Steele." Wait, how'd he know my name? Who is this guy?
The cops just glanced at one another again before shrugging. "Alright, we'll go fill in these reports. Call us if you need anything, Miss Steele." "Some water for her would be great, gentlemen," Mr. Gorgeous directed. "Erm, yes sir," they said, shutting the office door behind them; they left it open a crack, just in case. Mr. Gorgeous waited until we were alone before gazing down at me; his expression much softer this time.
"How are you feeling, Miss Steele?" "Um, a-alright, thank you?" "That was quite a fall you had back there. After we're done here, I'll have them take you to the hospital for examination." "Oh, no! That's ok; I'll be fine, really!" My hand shot up in protest. He did not look amused. "Miss Steele, you hit your head on the concrete. You may have a concussion, even if you don't feel it now." "Uh…. um…. ok?" I…. didn't really know what to say to that; maybe I did have a concussion, after all. That's when I remembered….
"Erm, sir… t-than-…. thank you, for saving me back there." Mr. Gorgeous didn't say anything for a second, instead electing to watch me intently. Eventually his stance softened. "No thanks required. I acted on impulse." "Your impulse was to tackle the guy?" I immediately regretted asking this. I shouldn't have said that…. Oh god, Ana; what's wrong with you today? He didn't answer right away again, still gazing down at me. His eyes narrowed a sliver.
"I misspoke; my body acted on its own accord. I saw him holding you down and just… acted." I guess that's all the explanation I'm going to get. Good enough! "Well, thank you, sir. You….. really did save me." Another natural pause fell over us; it didn't feel so awkward this time… for some reason. Soon enough, his mouth finally opened again. "It's ok if you're not ok right now, Miss Steele. Take your time recovering from this, especially if anything comes up at the hospital." Ok, this was getting weird; I had to address the elephant in the room sometime. Now seemed like as good a time as any. I drew in a big breath and peered up at him a bit shyly.
"Um, can I ask you something?" "Yes." "Why are you being so kind and attentive to me?" "What?" The lines on his face began to tighten. "I-I mean, we don't know each other. Why do you care? Why did you offer me your lawyer?" To my surprise and horror, Mr. Gorgeous didn't respond right away. His eyes scrolled off into space, looking almost like he didn't have an on-hand answer to my question. After a while, his lips parted just a tad and he spun around. With his back facing me, he eventually found the answer he was looking for.
"I cannot give you an adequate answer, Miss Steele. It's a personal story, but it deeply irritates me seeing mobsters hurt women." A personal story? I wonder if he saw someone get hurt in the past. "I'm sorry I can't offer a more satisfying response," he then gazed back over his shoulder to me with those endless blue eyes. "Oh! No, it's fine; I understand." Maybe he saw someone get hurt in the past and is trying to compensate what she went through by being kind to me. It's impossible to say…. But I hope that's not the case. I hope it's nothing like the story of me getting stabbed eight years ago for this one guy. Funny, I never think about it, but I didn't even see what he looked like. Hope he's doing ok now too.
"Your worries are over now, Miss Steele. I'll handle everything from here on; all you have to do is go to the hospital and do whatever the doctors say. Do you understand?" "Uh… w-well, thank you, sir. But I'm a grown woman; I can deal with stuff on my end." His lips seemed to fight both smiling and frowning at the same time; as if they wanted to do both. I don't think he was used to being told "no" a lot. "I said I will handle it. Just leave it to me; I'd prefer to oversee matters myself." "Really, you don't have to do that. It's too much trouble for you to do for a stranger like me." "I'll be the judge of that." "I…."
"Anastasia!" We both suddenly turned to see the office door ram open. A heaving and sweaty Paul Clayton was standing there, staring at me with the widest of eyes. He had this aura of worry about him. And it didn't take long for him to dash over to my side.