DON'T BREAK THE RULES

Chapter 38 - Mistake

"Mr. McGollony," the Chief chuckled in distress, glancing towards the other officers who all seemed uneasy, eyeing one another but Marshall could see a few believed Jamie. That meant it was a matter of time before one of them spoke and it reached the news, the blogs, and the city would be in an uproar when it came to the name of Conor McAvela, sending cops to raid a home for no apparent reason; that would cause his reputation to slowly crumble. Even worse, rumours that they accepted this raid only for the money, would destroy their bureau. "I understand your frustration as I am as well, but is there any way this can be resolved discreetly?"

"No," Jamie refused, waving his hand dismissively, "you go back to Connor and tell him that if he wants to see Joe, he can come himself."

Chief Marshall left the appartement with a blank stare on his face. They all returned to their trucks and departed, driving back to the station in silence. It was obvious the other officers had questions, but Marshall remained quiet, entering the station and slamming his office door shut as he sat at his desk.

The instance he was secluded in his office, enough privacy to make a call, he instantly dialled Connor's number. He knew it was a breach of privacy, but he needed to understand what was going on.

Connor answered after the first ring. "He was there, wasn't he?"

"Connor, what the hell is happening right now?"

Connor was shocked to hear the solemn tone on the other end. "Excuse-me?"

"You said it was a missing's person report, that he was kidnapped and forced against his will to stay there."

He nodded his head. "Yes! Was he there?"

"He was," Marshall exhaled a sharp breath. "But Joe said he was there on his own will."

Instantly, Connor froze. "What?"

"Not only was this a waste of resources, but I did this whole thing on your call." He sent a shivering hand through his hair before reaching for a pen on his desk and throwing it across the room. "I could be in serious trouble because of this and this is all your fault. I trusted you, Connor."

"Keith, you have to listen to me. Jamie is not who he portrays to be—"

"What's in it with you anyway?" he spat nastily. "This whole thing on Jamie Willa; why are you so indulged into his life?" When Connor stuttered without a clear answer, Marshall interrupted him. "He's just a kid, leave him alone. I can't believe you'd do this to me."

"Keith, I—"

He slammed his fist against his desk, the sound making Connor jump in his seat, his lips sealed instantly. "I could be fired because of this." There was sweat that was starting to moisten the side of his face and he closed his eyes, a long exhale escaping his lips. "Connor, do not ever ask me for favors."

"You're not listening to me—"

"He said if you want to see Joe, then you can go see him by yourself. If any officers open their mouths, this could be all over the news and be such a bad look for us. I hope you realize the gravity of your selfish mistake."

"He's lying to you!"

"I don't care!" and instantly, the line disconnected.

Connor's mind was rushing with thoughts that he threw the cellphone across the entire room. Fred and Chris, both in his home at the moment, stood from their seats and waited for answers from Connor. But instead, Connor simply grabbed his jacket and stormed towards the door.

"I have something to take care of," his voice was low, menacing enough for both of them to remain quiet for a few seconds.

Chris only spoke when Connor reached the door, "If you're going to his apartment, you know that might be the end of you, Connor."

Fred shrugged his shoulders, "If what you told me is the truth, I wouldn't mind it being the end of you."

"I need to take care of all of this," he turned to Chris, "it stems from me anyway. It's my fault all of this happened."

"It sure is," Fred nodded his head, "you deserve a bullet in your head."

"Don't act like you had no part in this either," Chris hissed at Fred, glaring at him.

"I did not—"

"We don't have time to argue," Connor shouted, causing both of them to fall quiet. "I don't know how Jamie did it, but Joe is not safe over there. He's being held against his own will—I have to make sure he's alright. For all we know, if Jamie doesn't get his way, Joe could be dead in a few days, and nobody would go looking for him a second time. This is my only chance."

"At least let us come with you."

Although Connor wanted to, seeing the worry behind Chris' gaze as his fingers began quivering at his sides, he knew that would only put both of them in danger. And he had way too much care for Chris to allow him to face any sort of danger, hence why he simply shook his head.

"I'll be fine."