Dead Before She Cared - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 "Let go of her! Get her off!" Officers swarmed in, wrestling a completely feral Valerie off Chloe. Chloe's eyes rolled back, gasping wildly for air. She looked at my mangled body near the trash, then at Valerie's murderous face. She snapped. A murder charge? She couldn't take the fall for this! Using the chaotic scramble as cover, Chloe scrambled up and sprinted for the alley exit. "Hey! Stop right there!" Two patrol officers moved fast. They lunged forward, caught her in a chokehold, and slammed her to the pavement. "Get off me! I didn't kill her!

Valerie made me do it!" Chloe thrashed, shrieking at the top of her lungs. " I'm just an intern! I don't know anything!" "Based on security footage and witness statements, you're under arrest for assault and falsifying medical records." A cop snapped handcuffs onto her wrists. " _You're coming with us." Feeling the cold steel on her wrists, imagining mob execution and a life sentence, Chloe's eyes rolled back. Her knees buckled. She fainted right on the spot. "Cut the crap. Put her in the ambulance. We question her the second she wakes up," the cop snorted, not buying it for a second.

Back in the alley, two bulky cops pinned Valerie's arms. Her hair was a wild mess. Her bloodshot eyes stared at my body zipped into a black body bag. She looked like an empty shell. "Gemma... You're joking with Mom, right? You're just sleeping, right...?" she mumbled under her breath. My soul hovered above, watching her cold and detached. Right then, deep engines roared at the alley entrance. Three solid black stretch Cadillacs swung sideways, blocking the street and cutting off all exits. My soul shuddered at the sight of those familiar cars. Doors flew open.

Four heavily armed bodyguards in _Suits jumped out, eyes scanning the area. The cops lowered their hands to their holsters, instantly on high alert. The heavy thud of leather boots echoed against the concrete. Aman stepped out in a tailored charcoal suit. His face was hardened granite, radiating a suffocating, absolute authority. My father. The real boss of the family-Sylvan. He ignored the police barricade. Flanked by bodyguards, he crossed the yellow tape and walked straight up to Valerie, and caught her with a brutal slap across the face. A brutal slap cracked across Valerie's face.

Her head whipped sideways. Blood spurted from the corner of her mouth. "That's for Gemma," Sylvan's voice boomed like thunder. His eyes burned with pure fury. "Look at you, Valerie. Trying to act tough for the old men, you killed your own daughter!" Valerie's ears rang. She cupped her swollen cheek. The guilt and rage bottled up inside her exploded. She spat blood and shrieked back at Sylvan: "Stop acting so righteous, Sylvan! You backed me up when you handed her training over to me and went completely hands-off! Now you wanna act like a loving father?!" "She was your blood!