CHAPTER 12

All around could be heard, several screams and groans, but at the moment he couldn't open his eyes or move his head to the side. And so he blacked out again. I woke up later, I didn't even know how much time had passed, I had ropes tying my hands, I was lying on the cold floor of a cell, with me four other men tied up, all of them in bad shape, all of them very hurt, and in a corner was the captain, also tied up, he had bruises on his face and that wasn't made up for by the grenade that hit them that day. Yes, he was beaten. What was happening? Where are we? Were we captured? I tried to think, but my head wasn't helping. Before he thought of anything else, the cell door opened and six armed men entered, they grabbed the captain and pulled him out of the cell. He was thrown into a room, where several questions were asked and a rain of punches and kicks were delivered. A few questions were answered, but nothing that could harm the other police stationed in the Northern territories. He recognized one of the bandits, he was from the Tolliver gang, along with some from other gangs, as they were wanted on posters as a fugitive. And it was amazing, how close several bad men from various gangs were. After interminable minutes of assaulting the captain, they brought him out unconscious and threw him on the cell floor. They laughed and mocked those who were there, passing by and kicking the prisoners several times. My ribs hurt so much, it was shortness of breath, I heard the latch being closed on the cell. I looked at the captain and saw blood running from his nose and mouth, he had been badly beaten, I crawled across the cell and cut a piece of my shirt and tried to clean it. The man was unconscious for hours, when he finally woke up, groaned and muttered:

- We have to get out of here, or they will kill us.

Sweat trickled down my entire body when I woke up with a start. For the thousandth time, these horrible nightmares spoiled my rest, but this time it was so realistic that Philip didn't know what to do.

He went downstairs, after a cold shower, and went to the kitchen and took a big drink of water, going to the room where he intended to read and stay until dawn.

When the day broke, Philip had already decided to spend the afternoon at Elizabeth's house and see how she was doing. She doesn't get out of her head. He stopped by the cafe early and asked Clara for the muffins and snacks Elizabeth liked and went home. It took some time to gather courage and knock on the door, but when I got my hands in position to knock, that door was opened at once and Elizabeth with black eyes appeared... Her marks, all of them were very dark at the moment, her face still had a small bump on the side, the fingerprints on her neck were a terrifying sight. Philip's heart failed to feel the pain of that woman, he would give everything in his life so that he could remove that pain from her, the more he looked at her, the more angry he felt at those monsters, Philip's eyes shone, showing all the hatred for her situation, that's when she gave the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, making his soul find a huge peace. She had a power over him with a simple smile, she took the basket he was carrying and invited him in, she set the table for them to have lunch, while tea was almost ready on the stove.

'Um, you're just in time for some fresh tea, Officer.

- I made the appointment of my stomach. And laughed at his joke when her belly rumbled loudly.

- Sorry Elizabeth, I haven't eaten anything since your accident yesterday morning, my anger was so great that I forgot.

Elizabeth placed her hand over his hand, which was on the table, saying that she and the baby were fine and that he and Bill arrived at the right time and once again she looked into his eyes and thanked him. Elizabeth's fingers tingled, her body tingled, only Jack did that to her. She looked into his eyes again, her eyes searching the depths of his soul and said:

- What will be will be. God knows what he's doing, it must just be a trial.

Philip, he had never felt such warmth in his body here before, when her hands came over his, his fingers tingled and his mouth went dry. It was such a wonderful feeling, but at the same time terrifying, how did she have this power over him? He couldn't explain what was going on. He looked at Elizabeth, the blue of her eyes, they were changing color, as she stared at him, they looked like they were questioning him. It was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen, she communicated with her eyes, they seemed to say I trust you or something.

- Calm down police! Maybe one day we'll both understand that...

She fingered her wedding band and smiled. He felt a good feeling at that moment, you could say he felt loved.

They had a snack and ate a lot, various subjects about Hope Valle and others in general were discussed, he asked how the pain was, that's when she said she wasn't taking any medication, because she didn't want to harm the baby and she was strong, she would to hold on. He couldn't resist and lifting his hand caressed her face, where there was a huge bruise, a mixture of feelings and heat passing through her body and mind. Elizabeth held his hand and laid her face on it, as if feeling his caress, a lonely tear slipped from her eyes, which he dried, telling her that everything would be fine. When they realized the time, it was already late, it was past Philip's round time, she was having such a pleasant conversation that he didn't even notice the hours passing. He knew he had to leave, but his body and mind didn't want to leave her side. Philip felt anxious, he didn't know when, but he developed a sense of protection for her and the more he got to know this woman, the more he talked to her the more he wanted to know. But he needed to go on his rounds, his work didn't stop, he knew the terrible pain she would be feeling, that's why he asked her to rest and take care of herself a little, to eat well, because that way the pain would be less and her body would be better. react soon. So he left and went on his way. Elizabeth just hadn't told him that Rosemary would fill in for three days to a week, during which time she would stay home until the bruises started to clear up.