I've Got This Friend

Chapter 15

Sorry for shortie chapters! These days/nights end up being LONG and I'd rather you get something than have to wait. Hopefully you're enjoying this, plot and all, let me know what you're thinking please! Xox

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The days after the arrest flew by. As usual, Mae was swamped at work and Opie was busy bringing Clay up to speed. He was furious, as expected, but Opie promised to clean up the mess accordingly. The new, still unofficial and slightly awkward, couple spent their evenings together once his kids were asleep.

"Mae Callahan." She answered with flash of anger, highly annoyed at the late phone call. If she'd moved just a little faster when the phone rang she would have already been in her car.

"Miss Callahan, Deputy Chief Hale. How are you?"

"Busy." She sighed. "What can I do for you?"

She could hear the anxious kind of hesitation in his voice as he began to speak. "I'm calling to let you know the results came back, there were no prints. The DA won't be charging you."

Mae felt the sudden urge to cry tears of joy but she composed herself. "That's great news," she sniffled. "Thank you."

"I did want to speak with you about what you said, the person you think set you and Opie up."

"Yeah, you know, I was wrong about that. It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes but thank you."

She hung up without a formal goodbye but the phone rang again almost immediately.

"Mae Callahan," she snapped. There was silence for a second. "Hello?"

"Hey beautiful."

She instantly knew it was Jude. "Direct contact, I'm shocked. You prefer the whole creeping at a distance thing, don't you?"

"Wow, those bikers gave you some balls. I have to say I miss the sweet, self conscious Mae. The one I could manipulate." He chuckled and Mae focused on steadying her breathing. "You gained some weight too, no more druggie stick figure."

"Jude, I didn't go to the cops." She said as she pulled her cell from her purse and began texting Opie. "I stopped using and stopped hanging out with you guys because of Janet, that's it. Please, leave us alone."

"I don't believe you," he snapped. "Prison is hard, Mae. They do things there, it's hell. You sent me there. You have no idea but you will."

"No, Jude." Mae stifled a cry. "Don't you think I would have told them you killed Janet? Don't you think I would have changed my name or something?"

"I don't like that color on you." The words rolled off his tongue and she knew just from the change in his voice he'd just shot up or taken a hit of something. "Yellow is bad on someone so pale."

Mae swallowed hard and swore she could feel his eyes on her. He had to be outside her window, in the bushes or even a parked car. Swallowing her panic she looked at her yellow blouse and nodded, she actually did think the same thing that morning. "Yeah, you're right, I was short on laundry. Look, what's your endgame? What do you want, how can I end this?"

"I'm having fun." The line went dead and Mae burst into tears.

The phone rang again and she snatched it up, sobbing, and hollered. "Please, leave me alone!"

"Mae?" Opie was already jumping on his bike.

"Jesus, Ope. I need you."

"I'm coming. I tried to call your cell after you text me, is it off?"

She looked at the screen. "No."

"I'm coming to you." He said knowing her office was the safest place she could be if not with him.

--

The receptionist took Opie right back to Mae's office. As soon as the door clicked Opie was beside her, crushing her against his body. She trembled despite how tightly he held her. As she went through the conversation, veiled threats and all, Mae could feel his overtly visceral reaction.

"I'm going to fucking kill, Mae." His lips brushed against her hair as he spoke, his eyes stared out the window but he didn't see anything.

"Please, please do it." She nodded. "He's going to hurt me, Opie."

"No. He's not." When she looked up at him, her wide innocent eyes filled with tears, his heart skipped a beat. "I'm going to take you back to my place, I don't want you at yours."

"He's out there!" She stepped away from him and, panicking, pointed out the window. "He's watching me, he's watching us."

Opie sank down in her chair and extended his hand to her. Carefully, she took it and, as he tugged her gently, curled up in his lap. "Call security. Tell them you think you see someone out there. They're military, they won't miss him if he's there. We'll leave and we won't be followed."

She called the front desk and they sent two guards right out. "I want to go back." She buried her face in his neck and chuckled through the tears. "Remember the night we met?" Her breath tickled his skin as she spoke. "It feels like forever ago. Everything was nice, no one had died and I wasn't being stalked." Looking him in the eye she rolled her eyes. "Starting a relationship during trauma isn't a good thing."

"I've been into you since I first saw you at Hanna's, Mae." Opie laughed at his own crush and how foolish he felt. "I rode by and saw you getting out of your car and I couldn't take my eyes off you. This wasn't started during trauma, babe."

She smiled and nodded. "You're a good man Opie Winston."

Cupping her face, Opie kissed Mae as his hands traveled around her waist and held her close. "You'll see the truth soon enough."

"They're out there." She popped up. "Let's go now, I'll tell them to make sure no one follows us even though he knows where I live already."

"Hey, self-defense is an easy out for a shooting." Grabbing her messenger bag he took her hand and headed out to the parking lot.