Her Keeper

by Rianna Campbell

  “I’ve said everything I’m going to say.”

  The detective sat back in his chair and looked at Parker hard. “You know, I’m probably losing my mind, but I believe you. Unfortunately, what I believe doesn’t count for shit if I can’t prove it.”

  “I understand.”

  “Do you? You really prepared to go to prison for this? And what if this guy dies in the hospital? You’d be looking at manslaughter charges, maybe worse.”

  “I understand.”

  The detective gave him another long, hard look.

  “My best guess, and again it doesn’t count for shit, mind you, would be that you’re protecting someone, but I can’t figure out why.”

  Parker said nothing. He wasn’t getting sucked into this conversation. The detective was trying to play the nice guy, trying to be helpful, and he might have even been sincere about it, but Parker wasn’t going to give him what he wanted. He was keeping Amanda as far away from this as possible.

  “You’re sure you don’t have anything else to say?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Alright then,” the detective sighed, heaving himself out of his chair and picking up the file folder. “You’ll be arraigned tomorrow morning. Sometime between nine and noon if you’re lucky. If not, you could be waiting in court all day until they get to you. In the meantime, if you change your mind just let the guard know.”

  Parker spent a sleepless night propped up on his cot. With nothing else to do but think, he’d played the events of the day over and over again. Yesterday morning he’d woken up feeling like he was on top of the world. And then he’d taken one hell of a tumble. He was somewhere around rock bottom at the moment.

  There was one moment he kept coming back to again and again, and each time he relived it was like poking at a wound. But he just couldn’t stop picturing Amanda’s face when she’d seen the blood on his hands. She’d backed away as if she was afraid and that had absolutely gutted him.

  Even though she’d tried to cover it, demanding to stay, he’d still seen the fear in her eyes, and he would never forget it. The only thing he could do was to let her go, and without her, he might as well spend the rest of his life in prison.

  He loved her completely and no one else was ever going to be able to fill that void. And when she moved on, which she would inevitably do, he couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t do something stupid.

  Like beat a man to death and end up in jail?

  He wanted her to be happy and to have everything she wanted- everything she deserved- but if he couldn’t be the one to give it to her, he couldn’t stand by and watch someone else do it in his place.

  And as a bonus, he could finally let Jackson off the hook for good. He could stop worrying about him and looking out for him and finally start focusing on making a life for himself with Janie. Lord knows, Jackson would have had a hard time making that decision for himself, but Parker didn’t want to be a burden on him anymore.

  Yup, prison was seeming better and better by the minute. And what the hell did that say about him?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  After a two-hour wait, it was finally Parker’s turn before the judge. He ignored the people sitting in the gallery, some of them with notepads or laptops in their hands. Reporters covering their assigned court for whatever paper or website they worked for.

  He was cuffed and still wearing his bloody clothes, minus the laces on his boots, his belt, and his watch. He must have looked exactly like the thug the District Attorney’s office was currently making him out to be.

  He blocked out most of what was said because it didn’t really matter. His plea would be the same either way. No trial, no argument from him. He flexed his bruised and swollen hands, which were stiff and painful. He'd torn most of his stitches and doubted there was much that could be done for them now.

  “Your honor, due to the violent nature of the case and the possibility of additional charges should the victim die of his injuries, we’d like to request twenty-five thousand dollars cash or fifty thousand dollars bond.”

  “Noted. Mr. Hanson, are you represented by counsel?” the judge asked. She was an older woman with steel gray streaks in her dark hair and a no-nonsense stare that any high school teacher would envy.

  “No, your honor.”

  “I would strongly advise you to seek legal representation in this matter. These charges are not to be taken lightly, Mr. Hanson.”

  “I understand that, ma’am.”

  “Alright,” she sighed, clearly assuming he was too stupid for his own good. Maybe she had a point, but it was a little late to do anything about it now. “How do you plead?”

  Before Parker could open his mouth, he heard the door to the courtroom swing open and a whole lot of footsteps, led by a series of quick taps on the floor. He looked absently over his shoulder and did a double-take.

  He’d seen Alexandra dressed for work and it was damned intimidating. At the moment she was walking briskly up the aisle in a pair of four-inch stilettos, her black suit perfectly tailored to give her the cleanest lines possible. Her hair was pin-straight and she wore dark red lipstick.

  She absolutely looked like she would eat anyone who crossed her for breakfast and then top it off with a mimosa. It was hard to remember that she was the same woman who’d hugged him nearly to death at dinner just a few days ago.

  “Our apologies, your honor, but if we could have a moment of the Court’s time,” Alexandra said, addressing the judge from the other side of the swinging gate. And it wasn’t just Alexandra. He saw her father, Connor, Jackson… Ian? And behind them all was Amanda.

  He sucked in a breath and clenched his teeth. Why did she never do as she was told? He'd wanted to keep her as far away from this as possible, so what does she do? She waltzes right in and brings her whole damn family with her.

  But beneath the anger was a goddamn kernel of hope. He’d tried so many times to crush it, to destroy it entirely, but he just hadn’t been able to. Hope was what had gotten him into all this trouble in the first place.

  “Are you counsel in this case?” The judge asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Alexandra turned to Parker, and gave him a glare that told him he’d better cooperate or there would be hell to pay. He wasn’t sure what punishment she’d be able to deliver when he was safely inside a jail cell, but he didn’t doubt she’d think of something.

  “Are we, Mr. Hanson?” She asked.

  He was tempted to say no and to tell the judge to kick them all out of the courtroom. But then he looked at them, all of them. They all wore expressions of concern, angry concern in some cases, but…

  “Sure,” Parker sighed. “I mean, yes, Your Honor.”

  “Excellent,” Alexandra replied. She and her father moved through the swinging door and came to stand beside him.

  “Your Honor, our client shouldn’t even be here right now, but since he is here, we’d like to request that he be released on his own recognizance pending a hearing on our motion to dismiss, which we intend to file immediately after this proceeding.”

  “Counselor, this is an arraignment. Your client enters a plea and bail is set. That is all.”

  “I understand, Your Honor,” Mr. Hughes said. “But if we could have a little latitude, we’d like to explain why we think Mr. Hanson should be released without bond.”

  The judge seemed to consider it for a moment and then sighed.

  “A very little latitude, Counselor.”

  “Thank you,” Mr. Hughes replied. He cleared his throat and then took off running.

  “Your Honor, the defendant was protecting a young woman who was under attack by the alleged victim in this case. A woman, I might add, who is in the courtroom today and ready to testify to that effect. His actions clearly fall under the category of defense of others, and I think you’ll find that precedence is on our side.”

  “Thin ice,” the judge warned him.

  “Your Honor, the victim was beaten to within an inch of hi
s life,” the opposing counsel interjected. “He’s still not out of the woods and the defendant could very well still be facing a homicide charge.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Alexandra countered. “Parker Hanson is a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged after he served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is licensed and permitted to carry a concealed weapon, which he had with him last night. He chose to leave his weapon in his colleague’s vehicle rather than use it. If Mr. Hanson had intended to kill the alleged victim, he certainly had the means to do so. He chose not to.”

  Mr. Hughes put his hand on Alexandra’s arm as if trying to settle her down. The judge looked like she was on the verge of tossing them in a jail cell, and Parker had stopped hearing anything.

  He hadn't even thought about using his sidearm last night. If he had, Colin would be dead. Parker had been angry and running on adrenaline, but maybe he wasn't as much like his father as he thought.

  His father would certainly have used every weapon available to him because he'd never cared about anyone but himself. Parker had only cared about Amanda. That had to count for something, right?

  “Your Honor,” Mr. Hughes interjected. “We understand that this is not the purpose of this hearing, we’re merely trying to illustrate why we do not feel that Mr. Hanson is a danger to anyone. And since the girl in question is my daughter,” his voice cracked and he paused to clear his throat. “I happen to think that Mr. Hanson demonstrated considerable restraint.”

  Mr. Hughes looked at Parker and gave him a nod of approval and Parker, astonished at the turn of events, returned it.

  “Not to mention that we have at least a dozen people, all upstanding citizens themselves, that have happily volunteered to act as character witnesses for Mr. Hanson,” Alexandra added, getting in one more shot across the bow.

  “Your argument has been duly noted, but it’s time we got to the point,” the judge declared, effectively ending any further discussion. “Mr. Hanson, I’ll ask you again, how do you plead?”

  Alexandra glared at him and Parker in turn looked at Amanda. He’d avoided looking at her but he needed to know. Would she have that same look of fear on her face? Or would she look at him the way she had before?

  She met his eyes without hesitation and she wasn’t afraid. She was fucking pissed. He almost smiled to see the fire in her eyes and wanted so badly to reach out to her. She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips, letting him know exactly how much she was dying to lay into him. It might be worth it just to see what she’d do.

  “Mr. Hanson, I’m afraid I need an answer,” the judge said, clearly running out of patience with this whole thing.

  “Not guilty, your honor.”

  Parker was almost certain he’d seen Alexandra’s body relax and heard her sigh of relief. Mr. Hughes put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, letting him know that he’d done the right thing.

  “Your plea is so entered,” the judge replied. “Having considered both arguments, and in light of new information, the defendant is hereby released on his own recognizance until such time as he is required to appear in court. Should you fail to appear, a warrant will be issued for your arrest and you will be held without bail or bond until a disposition is reached in your case. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Parker said with a nod.

  “Good. Now you, Mr. Hughes.” The judge pointed her gavel at him and glared over her glasses.

  “Yes, your honor?” He responded, smiling slightly.

  “This isn’t an episode of Law and Order. I’m giving you a pass this time, but if you try anything like this again in my courtroom, I’ll find you in contempt.”

  “That won’t be an issue, your honor. This will be my last case.”

  Alexandra drew in a sudden breath but quickly covered it by clearing her throat.

  “Same applies to you, Ms. Hughes.” The judge pointed to her and Alexandra nodded her understanding. The judge pursed her lips, seeming to consider something for a moment. “File your motion, Richard and we’ll see what you’ve got.”

  “Thank you, your Honor.”

  “We’re adjourned until… one forty-five.” The judge banged her gavel, everyone else in the room got to their feet and the Courtroom started to empty.

  Alexandra leaned over and said something to Connor and Amanda, who had both come forward as soon as the judge had left the room. Connor was listening intently but Amanda… Amanda was staring daggers at him as he was led away by the bailiff, Mr. Hughes following close behind.

  “There’s still a bit of red tape to get through, I’m afraid, and you’ll have to sign something promising to appear for any and all future court appointments, but hopefully we’ll have you out within the hour. Just hang in there, son.”

  Mr. Hughes clapped him on the back and Parker felt himself choke up. He was overwhelmed that Mr. Hughes had been willing to help him. Not only that, he seemed to be… grateful? Or at least he seemed to understand.

  He knew that Mr. Hughes would have come if Amanda had asked him, but to see that he genuinely didn’t believe Parker deserved to go to jail filled him with some emotion he’d never felt before.

  He still had serious doubts that he would be okay with Parker dating his daughter, but to know that he didn’t think Parker was a monster was something, at least.

  But, what did Amanda think? Clearly, she’d been the one to call in the cavalry, but she’d also been very obviously angry with him. He didn’t want to hope that she still might want him, but he couldn’t help it. He needed to know because if she didn’t, it would kill a piece of his soul.

  When the fuck did I get so poetic?

  He was glad no one else could hear what he was thinking. The guys at work would never let him live it down. And that was another thing that made his throat tighten up and his eyes water.

  Connor, Jackson, even Ian… They’d all come out. For him. After he was such an ass, even Ian had come to back him up. And the rest had apparently agreed to be character witnesses?

  He’d been so wrong about so many things. That damn kernel of hope expanded and spread, despite his attempts to swallow it down again.

  “Unfortunately, you’ll have to go back to the jail to be processed out, but we’ll be waiting for you there.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” Parker replied, his voice thick.

  “You saved my daughter’s life. This doesn’t even begin to repay the favor,” Mr. Hughes said, shaking Parker’s still cuffed hands.

  ✽✽✽

  Amanda checked her watch for the fifth time and swore under her breath.

  “What’s taking them so long?” she asked, chewing her thumbnail into oblivion.

  “Bureaucracy. Red tape. Take your pick,” Alexandra replied. She was almost as antsy as Amanda was, arms crossed, pacing back and forth, her heels causing a staccato rhythm on the tile floor.

  “It shouldn’t be much longer,” her father assured them, still tapping out something on his cell phone. He’d been practically glued to the damn thing for the last hour that they’d been waiting.

  “Did you mean what you said?” Alexandra asked, stopping in front of where he sat. “About it being your last case?”

  “Yes, I did,” he replied warily.

  “Because you don’t really do trial work anymore, right? This was a special case, obviously.”

  “No, DD,” he replied, using his pet name for her to soften the news. Alexandra had been embarrassed in her teens and early twenty when he called her his “darling daughter” so he’d shortened it to DD.

  “You don’t mean you’re retiring,” Alexandra asked, confusion and a little panic pitching her voice up an octave.

  “It’s time,” he replied with a shrug. “Honestly, I should have retired years ago.”

  “You’re not even sixty yet.”

  “True, but I already have more money than I need and I think it’s about time I started enjoying my life before I’m too old to do the th
ings I want to do.”

  “Like mom?” Amanda muttered. She clapped a hand over her mouth but the damage had been done.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Alexandra asked, her eyes going wide. She looked at Amanda and then back at her father.

  “Thank you, Pumpkin,” her father said with a fair bit of sarcasm.

  “Sorry, Daddy.” Amanda grimaced.

  “No, I- we should have told you weeks ago, but we just couldn't seem to find the right time.”

  “Tell us what, exactly?” Alexandra asked.

  “Your mother and I have been… seeing each other again. Working things out. It’s going… better than I could have hoped.” Her father’s eyes drifted away, going a little hazy as a small smile formed on his lips. “We still have some things to deal with, but… I’m going to ask her to marry me. Again.”

  “How did you know about this?” Alexandra demanded, putting her hands on her hips, one hip jutting out at a belligerent angle.

  “I caught them sucking face at the hotel the day before your rehearsal dinner.”

  “After we heard you in the broom closet with Parker. I presume it was Parker?” her father asked, looking a little green around the gills.

  “It was, but nothing really happened. At least not what you’re thinking.”

  “Oh, my God!” Alexandra shouted, throwing her hands in the air. “Why didn’t anyone tell me any of this?”

  “It was your wedding weekend. I didn’t want to pull attention or upset you,” Amanda replied with a shrug. She looked away so Alexandra wouldn’t read the guilt all over her face. The truth was, by the time Alexandra and Connor had come back from their honeymoon, Amanda was totally lost in Parker. She’d forgotten about everything else, including about her parents and their… canoodling.

  “So, let me catch up, here,” Alexandra said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You were the one in the closet?”

  “Yup,” Amanda confessed.

  “And you let me go on and on about it literally an hour afterward and didn’t tell me?”

  “Also yes.”