Chapter 19 Going down!!
Trenton’s POV
I didn’t hear the knock.N
It was the bang.
The door crashed open and before I could blink, the house was full with uniforms, guns drawn, voices barking commands over each other.N
“Trenton! Hands where we can see them!”
“What the…” I froze, instinctively lifting my hands. One second I was scrolling through texts, the next, I had the full weight of law enforcement crashing into my living room.
“Sophie!” I shouted. “What the hell is going on?!“N
“Trenton?” she whimpered.N
My stomach sank.
This wasn’t a mistake.
And then I saw him. Officer Ramirez… my oldest friend on the force…stepping in behind the others. His face was hard. Distant. Like he didn’t even recognize me.N
“Ramirez?” My voice pitched up. “What is this?”
He didn’t answer. Just gave the others a curt nod.N
Two officers came at me….one cuffing my wrists behind my back before I had time to process it, the other reading me my rights like we were in some kind of twisted movie.
I didn’t resist. I couldn’t.”
Then Sophie started screaming.
“Wait… no, no! What are you doing?!”
They were cuffing her too.
“What the hell?” I tried lunging forward, but the officer behind me yanked me back. “Why are you arresting her?!“>
She was sobbing, struggling like she didn’t understand…but I did. I just didn’t want to believe it.”
My heart pounded as I looked at Ramirez.
“This has to be a mistake,” I told him, voice low. Urgent. “You know what happened. You helped me cover it…back then. With Sophie. With Lesley.”
He wouldn’t meet my eyes. Not at first.
“Things changed, Trent,” he said finally. His voice didn’t carry any emotion. “It’s out of my hands now.“>
“What does that even mean?” I hissed. “You said it was handled. That it would disappear.“>
“That was before,” he said quietly. “Before the investigation reopened. Before they pulled surveillance. Before they found out you knew. That you helped her.“@
“I didn’t help her,” I snapped. “She was falling apart….pregnant…panicking. I did what I had to do.“>
“Exactly.” He looked me straight in the eye now. “And that’s called aiding and abetting, Trenton.”
Sophie cried harder behind me, struggling as they led her toward the door. “Trenton…don’t let them take me!”
Everything was going wrong.
And all I could do was watch as the woman I stayed for… the woman I protected…was dragged away right beside me.”
And somewhere in the silence that followed, I realized, maybe Ramirez was right.“]
Everyone pays, eventually.
***
They uncuffed me just long enough to drag me through booking, then shoved me into a holding room. No clock. No windows.
It wasn’t until they pulled me back out that I saw her.”
Lesley.
She was sitting across the hall, calm as ever. A detective sat beside her, nodding slowly as she spoke. Her posture was perfect. Her expression unreadable.
She looked… untouchable.
My chest tightened.”
No blood. No bruises. No evidence of trauma from the shooting.
So why the hell was she here?!
One of the officers guiding me slowed down just enough for me to get a longer look, like they wanted me to see her. And then it clicked. Not all at once, but in pieces. Ugly, snapping pieces.
James.D
That bastard.
That bastard.
Lesley’s first love. And I…stupid, loyal Trenton…had given him information months ago. Back when Lesley first went dark and James came sniffing around.
He told me he just wanted closure.}
I believed him.
I gave him her last known address. Told myself! was doing Lesley a favor. Clearing out her ghosts.
But James wasn’t closure.
He was chaos.
And now it was hitting me… that’s what they meant by aiding and abetting. Not Sophie. Not just her. Him.
! helped a criminal find her.
And now she was giving a statement.”
I almost laughed.
Before the officers could yank me past the room, Lesley looked up.
She stood slowly, stepped to the door, and gestured to one of the guards. “Give us a moment, please.” They hesitated. She leaned in close. I stared at her.
Still beautiful. Still dangerous.
“You want to know something else, Trenton?” Her voice was sharp. “That baby Sophie’s carrying?“>
My breath hitched.
“It’s not yours.”
I blinked. “What?”
Her smile widened… tight, smug, victorious. “Do the math.”
And then she turned on her heel and walked away.
I didn’t say anything.
Didn’t scream. Didn’t chase.
I just stood there, cold and cuffed with one realization.”
“I was going down.“E
