“Drive,” he ordered, refusing to let her turn around.
Dylan got out of the car and staggered before righting himself. Lynn held him around the waist. “Dylan, maybe this isn’t such a good idea. You should be in bed.”
“I agree. I’ll get Jessie and she can take me to bed.”
He managed to wink at her, even though he felt lightheaded and groggy.
“You’re fooling around now? Stop messing with me,” Lynn scoffed.
“Better that than tearing a hole in someone.” If his parents thought having Jessie arrested and taking Will would make him come around to their way of thinking, they had another think coming. Why would they do something this stupid and sure to piss him off?
“Well, you just keep your temper when we go in there, or they’ll arrest you too.”
“I’ll be good. I just want her back.”
“Well, let’s go get her.”
They walked up to the desk. “Where is Jessie Thompson being held?” he asked the Sergeant.
“You mean Langley?” At Dylan’s nod, the officer said, “She’s downstairs in a holding cell. You’ll want to check with the lieutenant in charge of the case.” The sergeant pointed to an office.
Dylan needed to get that Langley changed to McBride—fast.
He burst into the lieutenant’s office, shoving the door open and letting it bounce off the wall.
“I’ll have to call you back,” the lieutenant told the person on the phone. He hung up and stared up at Dylan standing over his desk. “I planned to come and see you today. How’re you feeling, Sheriff?”
“Like shit and getting worse the longer you hold my fiancée in a cell.”
“Well, now. I had a hunch something didn’t add up about her arrest. Your parents insisted the two of you weren’t seeing each other and she took Will to get back at you for the baby she lost several years ago.”
“That’s a load of bullshit. She and I have been seeing each other for months. We lost our baby about eight years ago, but she doesn’t have any hard feelings toward me. It’s my mother we’re both pissed at. My parents are just trying to keep us apart.” God, he felt like a teenager again, having to explain every damn thing he did. “I’ve denied them access to Will over the last few months. They’re angry at her because of it.” He hated having to explain himself and his life to a fellow officer, but he didn’t have a choice. He wanted Jessie out of jail. Now.
His mind didn’t work as fast as he’d like, but something occurred to him. “Why didn’t she call a lawyer and have him get her out of here?”
“She didn’t ask for a lawyer, just wanted to know if you’re all right. She said if you weren’t here today to call Owen McBride. After that, she exercised her right to remain silent, and we took her to a holding cell downstairs. We checked with the hospital and gave her an update on you last night. After that, she said you’d clear everything up when you were able and she’d wait.”
“She’s just going to sit in a cell and wait for me?”
“That’s what she said. I called the hospital this morning. They said you were still unconscious. I went down to see if she wanted to change her mind about the lawyer and told her you were still out cold. She hasn’t slept. She’s worried about you. She begged me to call and check on Will. I tried your parents earlier, but didn’t get an answer.”
“You need to let her out. Now. She didn’t kidnap my son. I left him with her yesterday.”
“He did,” Lynn confirmed, trying to help. “She came to the station and picked Will up. The sheriff knew she had him. They’ve been seeing each other for months now.”
Dylan wanted this to be over. He leaned heavily on the desk and got angrier by the minute. His head hurt, but his heart ached even more thinking of Jessie locked up and worried about him and Will.
The lieutenant picked up his phone and dialed. “This is Lieutenant Stowe. I’m sending Sheriff McBride downstairs to see Jessie Langley. We’ll release her as soon as I get the paperwork together.”
Dylan let out the breath he’d been holding and stood up to his full height. He extended his hand to the lieutenant and they shook. “I can’t thank you enough for not making this difficult.”
“I couldn’t imagine that woman stealing anyone’s child. She was more concerned about him than herself. I’m sorry your boy had to see the officers arrest her. I understand your son screamed for her all the way down the hall when your parents took him away. He yelled for his mommy. The officers suspected something wasn’t right when they heard him calling her that.”