Alpha Squad: Boot Camp

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter FourteenFelicity had spent hours by herself in one of the holding cells of the station ever since the interrogation had ended. Or had been paused, whatever it was. She still had no idea what time it was or long she had been in custody.

All she could do was lie down on the cot in the corner and stare at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the plaster.

Since her short chat with Sean McMillan, her unexpected ally, she had been able to survive the rest of the questioning with her head held high. And it seemed that Detective Nye's patience had worn thin instead; she hadn't seen him ever since he left the interrogation ages ago.

Perhaps he had given up?

Another person she hadn't seen was her lawyer, whoever that was meant to be. Clearly the police weren't too concerned about her civil rights. Whether that was because they were generally incompetent or because being a shifter made her a second-rate citizen, she couldn't be sure.

Either way, this could only last for so long, until someone had to intervene. If not Adam, then surely whoever was in charge of this sad excuse for a police force. And when that happened, she would have her revenge, ensuring that the horrible detective got into trouble for everything he'd done to her.

Felicity had run out of ceiling to inspect, so she turned onto her side and stared at the wall instead. Her mind wandered; no point dwelling on the injustice that was happening to her in here. She thought about her relationship with Adam instead. What a whirlwind it had been.

She'd dated before, obviously, but nothing could compare. Not every shifter found their true mate, but when they did, the connection was undeniable. It was a force of nature that could not be negotiated or argued with.

Although she was in here, she knew he was out there doing his best to fix things. And deep inside her heart, she knew that he would be successful.

Funnily, even though they had consummated their relationship already, she didn't know all that much about him. She'd tried to get more of an insight into who he was the other night, but their conversation had been cut short by the arrival of Detective Nye with her arrest warrant.

But at the same time, that didn't really matter. Felicity knew that he only wanted what was best for her. She could trust him with her life.

Similarly, had the tables been turned, she would have done anything for him.

This knowledge was a huge comfort to her.

That was when it hit her. This feeling of reassurance, that everything was going to be okay—it had gradually grown stronger just during the last few minutes. She wasn't alone anymore; Adam had arrived. He was in the building somewhere.

She sat upright with her feet up on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around her legs. If he was inside, that could only mean one thing; he had discovered something that would help, and she would soon get out of here.

Felicity closed her eyes and focused on his presence. Yes, he was definitely getting closer.

She thought she could hear voices elsewhere in the building, but it wasn't clear enough to understand what they were saying.

Where are you? Are you okay? Adam's thoughts infiltrated her own.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Yes, I'm fine. I'm so glad you made it.

The longer she waited, the harder her heart hammered away in her chest. She was getting giddy and impatient. This cell seemed so small and oppressive all of a sudden.

Relax, Adam will be here soon.

Sure enough, she could hear a heavy door being unlocked some distance away, followed by multiple pairs of footsteps.

Adam came into view, along with Detective McMillan.

Felicity jumped up and approached the door of her cell. Finally!

"Ms. Weir, in light of some brand new evidence, I'm releasing you effective immediately. You are free to go." Detective McMillan smiled at her.

"Thank you, Sean," Felicity said.

Adam raised an eyebrow. You're on a first name basis with this guy?

Felicity suppressed a smile. It's a long story. What did you find out?

She followed Adam out of the holding area and into the main part of the police station, near the interrogation rooms where she’d been held earlier. All the while, he telepathically explained exactly what had happened. From watching Detective Nye make the phone call outside the station early in the morning, to following him across town, right until he uncovered the evidence that he had concealed in Felicity's flat.

What was it? Felicity asked.

Adam, who had been eager to explain everything so far, now hesitated.

You'd rather not know; trust me.

Actually, I do want to know. Especially if it was in my living room!

"Why don't the both of you wait here, while I get the paperwork for your release ready? I won't be long," Sean said.

Felicity nodded, then turned to face Adam again. Are you going to tell me what you found or not?

Fine!

Rather than explain it, Adam opened his mind to her so that she could see exactly what he had seen at her house that morning. It was like a movie; first images of the detective going through her things, then a close up of the cabinet in her living room. Far toward the back of the top drawer, Felicity could see a small collection of see-through plastic baggies, like the kind you see drug dealers use on TV. Inside each of them, a blood-stained lock of hair.

It was like a little collection of trophies belonging to a serial killer.

Felicity shuddered at the thought. This was how Victor Domnall tried to present shifters to the world? Like scary killers, who keep track of their body count with a catalog of hair clippings? How outrageous.

Felicity wanted to believe that nobody would take that seriously, but after everything that had happened, especially the arson attack on the shifter camp, she wasn't so sure anymore. People seemed eager to accept any story as long as it fit into their preconceived notions.

About that fire , Adam's thoughts entered hers again.

Yeah?

It turns out the same people were behind it. Domnall's guys. One of them was proudly bragging about it when Eric arrested them.

She sat back, stunned, and let the information sink in for a bit. Domnall's men did everything? Save for Detective Nasty, nobody in town had anything to do with it?

It looks like that.

That should have been a relief, only Felicity couldn't quite believe it yet. The whole situation seemed utterly surreal; like she was about to wake up and find herself back in that stupid holding cell again.

Trust me, this is really over. Adam put his arm around her.

She tried to focus on breathing deeply and calmly. Her entire body was still tense, and her mind was still racing as she tried to put the last pieces of the puzzle together. She wanted to believe Adam, of course, but she was too frazzled. Sleep deprivation was taking its toll.

"Are we going to be done here soon?" Adam called out.

A split second later, Sean McMillan stuck his head around one of the open doorways within view. "Almost done, I do apologize for the delay!"

Just as McMillan vanished again, the main entrance door burst open, revealing a grumpy looking Detective Nye with Adam's brother, Eric, right behind him.

Felicity kept her eyes locked on the detective, who glared at her as Eric proceeded to shove him straight past her position. Serves him right.

"Don't think you people have won, just because you arrested me!" Detective Nye said. "This isn't over! It will never be over! The Sons will not rest until your kind is eradicated!"

Felicity held her breath, but didn't respond. After her first one-to-one talk with the man, it was obvious that his prejudices against shifters ran deep. It wasn't a huge surprise to discover now that his loyalties lay firmly with Victor Domnall and his hateful organization.

The only unusual thing about this was his apparent willingness to admit to it. Most Sons of Domnall members Felicity had heard of being captured during her old days at the Alliance never confessed to anything.

She shrugged.

It didn't matter. If he wanted to go down screaming, that was his right.

Just as Adam's brother and Detective Nasty disappeared through one of the doors leading to the holding cells, the rest of Alpha Squad arrived.

The mood in the station shifted instantly; policemen that had been focused deeply on their work just a second earlier completely stopped whatever they were doing. Conversations were interrupted, phone calls went unanswered.

"Major Williams." A portly man with gray hair approached and shook her hand. "I apologize deeply for what has happened here. We had no idea of Detective Nye's involvement, or we wouldn't have allowed for things to escalate as they have."

The major did not answer immediately; instead, she approached Felicity and Adam.

"Chief Inspector Huddersfield," she said, raising her voice. "It is not me you ought to apologize to!"

She nodded first at Felicity, then at Adam.

"Good work, soldier."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Adam responded.

"Felicity Weir, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Major Williams said as she shook her hand.

Felicity nodded. She had been suspicious about Alpha Squad's purpose in town from the moment they'd arrived, but perhaps they weren't so bad after all. Shame they kicked Adam out because of her…

"If you don't mind, I have some questions I'd like to ask you," the major said.

Adam straightened himself and was about to protest, when Major Williams raised her hand to calm him down. "Don't worry, not right now. You've been through a lot. I would love the chance to clear up a few things with you, though. Whenever it's convenient."

Felicity nodded. That was fair enough.

You don't have to if you don't want to, Adam thought.

It's fine. Perhaps I'll ask her a few things as well.

Major Williams nodded at the two of them and marched straight into what appeared to be the chief inspector's office. The lecture that followed was loud enough that even the humans in the room could clearly hear it.

Meanwhile, McMillan returned, holding a stack of papers.

"All done. You are free to go, Felicity Weir."

She smiled at him gratefully and tugged at Adam's arm. "Let's go then," she said.

They were almost all the way out of the station when she stopped in her tracks. "The refugees! Has anyone checked into the refugees while I was in here?"

Adam pulled her close to him. "Don't worry, Blackwood has been spending some time there since the fire, just helping out with the rebuild. And anyway, it's only been a day and a half. I'm sure they’ve been fine."

Felicity breathed a sigh of relief.

Adam led the way out, pushing the main doors of the police station open. The square outside was abuzz with activity. But they weren't just protesters that waited in front of the station; there were camera crews and reporters, all rushing up to Felicity and Adam, unleashing a barrage of questions their way.

"No comment! We have nothing to say!" Adam declared, as he guided Felicity through the frenzy.

Just great. This is the last thing I needed right now, Felicity thought.

Don't worry. The major will hold a press conference tomorrow, and everything will be sorted, Adam tried to reassure her.

I hope so.