Disconnected

Chapter Thirty- Nine

Daniella

"Vincent Hans and Marco Robbins." Michael reaches across the cold, metal table and grabs my hands.

"Who are they?" I ask. Are they the officers who arrested him? Is he making sure I know their names so I can get some information or something?

"Those are the names of those two scumbags who hurt you." He replies, stroking my palms with his fingers.

"Michael," I sigh, grabbing on to his fingers. "Why don't you just tell them exactly what happened? Then you wouldn't be in here for hours and hours. Just tell them why you did it."

"I need to protect my little princess. Telling them the truth would make them question you. I don't want that." He smiles softly and runs his fingers up my arms and shoulders, as if mapping my body in his brain because he will never see it again. He wants to remember the way I feel just in case he goes to prison. I can't let that happen.

"You have to tell them the truth. I can't ask you to sit in jail for me, Michael. None of this was ever supposed to happen. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to ask me to do anything for you." He smiles, lifting his hands up to my face and cupping my cheeks in his palms. He struggles to keep them near me as the chain keeping his wrists attached to the table pulls him down.

I place both of my hands on his wrists, covering the cold metal cuffs around them. "You don't have to go through this alone." A tear rolls down my cheek, more threatening to follow it. "I can't let you do this for me. Just tell them it was self defense. Please. That's the truth. All they want is the truth."

"They want a confession. Not the truth. They would love to have an arrest of this magnitude on their resumes." Michael corrects me. "Besides," he drops his voice to a whisper. "I wanted them dead. I would have killed both of them if I had the chance. But I had to get you out of there."

I lean towards Michael, placing my forehead against his, my eyes squeezed shut to force my tears back.

He is really going through with this.

He is going to sit in prison for the rest of his life just so they don't ask me about the attack. I can't believe how incredibly unselfish he is being. This is not the Michael I first met. He has changed. Wether he realizes it or not.

The door opens and the officer walks in with another close behind. "Okay." He points to the hallway. "It's time for you to leave now."

"Just one more minute please. I'm almost done." I ask, grabbing tightly on to Michael's hands. I never want to let them go.

"No!" He asserts himself. "You have to leave now." His face fills with rage. All I am asking is one more minute with him. Why is he so obsessed with getting me away from him?

"Please-" I beg.

"Out! Now, little girl! That's an order!" He shouts, making me cringe at the volume of his voice.

Michael stands and pulls at the chains bounding him to the table. "Hey! Don't talk to her like that!" He growls, pulling at the chains so he can charge at the officers.

"Michael," I place my hand on his cheek. "Sit down. It's alright. I'll be back soon." I smile, missing his other cheek softly.

I push my chair back in and walk past the officer, his eyes locked on me the entire time.

He steps out of the room and closes the door behind him. "Wait." He calls out for me as I walk down the hallway. I turn around to speak with him, although he does not deserve a single second of my time after the way he has treated me today. "We can use your connection with him to get a solid confession out of him." He informs me of his plan.

I shake my head, the other boys coming in to view as they walk towards me. They probably want to know how it went with Michael.

He requested me specifically. The officers wouldn't let them come in. Only I was allowed.

"You don't need a confession." I sigh. "I'll tell you what happened that night. I want to give a statement."

"Daniella, no!" Ashton protests. "Not without a lawyer!" He places a hand on my shoulder in concern for incriminating either me or Michael.

"I have to tell him what happened or Michael is going to go down for this." I explain. All of their faces are filled with worry. They don't know what is going to happen if I go in there with him.

"Come on then. Right this way. "He places his hand on my back and leads me down the hallway.