by Sherri Hayes
“It’s not great, Anna. I’m sorry. The feds aren’t backing off. They seem to want to make an example out of him.”
“They can’t!”
Her scream pierced through my heart almost as much as her tears did.
“I’m sorry, Anna. I really am.”
“There . . . there has to be something. Something I can do.”
Emma became motionless, and for the longest time, the only sound in the room was Anna’s near silent sobs.
“There is . . . something. Maybe.”
This got Anna’s attention, as well as mine and Jade’s.
“You hold a lot of power here, Anna. More so than Stephan, really.”
Emma leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. I knew by her posture I wasn’t going to like what she was going to suggest.
“You lived with Ian Pierce for ten months. You have firsthand knowledge of what he did. What he’s capable of. All Stephan has is hearsay and observations, outside of the evidence of him purchasing you, which doesn’t help his credibility. You could offer to testify against Ian in exchange for Stephan’s freedom.”
“No!”
Everyone, including Jade, jumped at my intrusion.
“There is no way you can make her stand up in front of the man who tortured her for ten months and talk about the things he did to her. No.”
I looked over at Anna and saw a determination in her eyes that had been missing since that evening in Coleman’s condo.
“No one is making me. It’s my choice.”
“Please, Anna. Don’t do this. It will destroy you.”
She turned away from me and faced Emma again. “I want to do it. I have to.”
“Anna, you understand this will most likely mean that the media will find out who you are. Not just your name but what you look like, and maybe even where you live. People are going to have a lot of questions. They’re going to want details of your time with Pierce. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
“Stephan saved me. I won’t let him go to prison for it.”
Everyone was silent. I don’t think any of us could quite believe this was happening.
“Okay. I’ll approach the federal prosecutor with your proposal and get back to you.”
Emma didn’t stay long after that. She did bring Anna a stack of papers to look over as she always did. I had no idea what they were—Anna never shared that with either of us.
As soon as Emma drove away, Anna retreated into her room, and I was left to stew over what had just happened.
“Are you all right?” Jade asked.
“Not really,” I admitted.
“She’s right. It is her decision.”
“I wish it wasn’t.”
“It’ll work out. It has to.”
As much as I wanted to believe Jade, I’d seen enough of the world to know that wasn’t always the case. “I have to do something.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. I need to think.”
An hour later, it came to me. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t thought of it before, but I immediately picked up the phone and called Emma. Thankfully, being the weekend, she hadn’t spoken with the other lawyers yet and agreed to meet me for lunch.
We sat across from each other outside a little café with our food, when she decided I’d been quiet long enough. “I know you aren’t pleased with Anna’s decision, but I hope you know that as her attorney, I have to abide by her wishes.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“So what is it you wanted to talk to me about, then?”
“What about a compromise?”
“I’m listening.”
“Anna is scared to death of people. You know that. Getting in front of an entire court room . . . I’m not even sure if she could do it. No matter how much she wanted to. What if . . . what if she made a statement instead. Couldn’t they use that just as easily?”
“They could. It’s not as effective with a jury, though, if it goes to trial.”
“What if Jade and I added statements about our observations of Anna? That combined with Coleman’s and Anna’s has to be worth something, doesn’t it?”
“It’s possible. Let me feel out the prosecution and see what kind of a deal they are willing to make. As I told Anna, I think it’s more that they want to go after Stephan. Make an example out of him. I’m not sure why, though. He’s done a lot for people in this city.”
“He’s a rich boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth who thought he was above the law.”
She smirked. “Something like that.”
“Look. As much as I don’t like Coleman, I don’t really think he deserves to go to prison. He saved Anna. That has to count for something.”
“Are you willing to make a public statement to that affect?”
I nodded.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Anna off that witness stand.”
Chapter 2
Brianna
I sat on my bed hugging my knees to my chest as I stared blankly out the window. It was sunny today. Probably warm since it was the third Monday in August. That was only a guess, though, since I hadn’t been outside for almost a month. Other than to see Emma, my lawyer, I’d only left my room a handful of times, when Cal’s or Jade’s pleading did me in. I didn’t want to be around anyone. It had nothing to do with them. I felt . . . lost and . . . hollow inside.
Reaching up, I skimmed the edge of Stephan’s collar with my index finger. About a week after I’d moved in with Cal, he’d tried to get me to take it off. Jade had to come in between us, begging him to let it be, after I’d locked myself in my bathroom for most of the day. I knew Cal still didn’t like Stephan—just thinking his name caused me to whimper and my chest to constrict—but I wouldn’t let go of the one part of Stephan I had left. The only part that was still mine.
My gaze drifted to the nightstand beside my bed where I kept the papers Emma had brought. From the very beginning, she’d seemed to understand my need to know what was going on with Stephan, and this was her way of doing that. Anytime Stephan was in the papers or on the news, she would catalog it for me. She would never know how grateful I was to her for that.
Moisture pooled in my eyes as I let the sadness I felt engulf me. I missed him. I missed him so much. It hurt every day.
Jade kept telling me it would get better—this horrible feeling I had in my chest—but it hadn’t. It had been over two months since I’d seen him, touched him. Oscar said it had to be this way, and I understood. I would do what was best for Stephan. I had to. He’d done so much for me. Risked everything. I would be strong for him now. I would do what needed to be done . . . even if it killed me.
Oscar had arranged for me to have Emma. He’d come to see me himself a week after my birthday and brought with him the car Stephan had bought for me—the one I’d never gotten up the nerve to try and drive yet—along with the birthday gifts I’d left behind at Stephan’s condo. “Stephan says they’re yours, and you should have them with you.”
I hadn’t argued with him, although I didn’t completely agree. Stephan had bought me those things when I’d been his, and I wasn’t any longer.
Gripping the silver band of metal around my neck, I began to rock back and forth. I wanted his arms around me. I wanted to hear him whispering in my ear, telling me that everything would be okay. I just didn’t know if that was true in this case.
Emma said things weren’t looking good for Stephan. She and I had a long talk the first time she’d come over to see me. We’d sat in Cal’s living room for most of the day, me huddled in a chair in the corner, her on Cal’s couch. It had been sunny that day as well, the sun streaming in through the large windows, giving the illusion of warmth. All I’d felt was cold—cold and empty. Emma had explained, as Oscar had, that he and Stephan had felt it best for me to have my own legal counsel . . . just in case. Emma did most of the talking that day, until she’d asked me what I wanted. My answer had been simple—I wanted whateve
r was best for Stephan.
Since then, she had stopped by every Saturday morning and updated me on what was going on with the FBI investigation. The man in charge, Agent Rick Marco, seemed to want to see Stephan punished. Agent Marco didn’t appear to care what the truth was. He only cared that Stephan had given Ian a large sum of money without any explanation. With John’s ranting, it seemed at the very least Agent Marco was trying to pin kidnapping on Stephan. I’d only met Agent Marco once, and I didn’t like him.
The only thing that had kept Stephan from being charged up to this point was that, other than the money exchange, they couldn’t find any connection between Stephan and Ian. We’d thought that Oscar and Michael James, The Coleman Foundation’s new CFO, turning in the evidence they’d put together against Ian and a man named Jean Dumas, along with about twenty others, would change Agent Marco’s focus. According to Emma, what they’d accumulated could not only put Ian away for a long time, it also had the potential of dismantling a large underground black market. Instead of keeping Agent Marco at bay, though, it had done the exact opposite. I knew I had to do something.
A knock on my bedroom door caused me to jump. I turned my head toward the door, watching . . . waiting. It was most likely Jade . . . or Cal. Either way, they’d let themselves in eventually. They always did.
Sure enough, the door slowly opened, and Cal poked his head inside the room. “Hey.”
I didn’t answer. Cal meant well, and he was nice enough to let me stay in his house, but we didn’t talk much. He wanted me to be normal, and that wasn’t something I would ever be again. I also knew he blamed Stephan, at least in part, for the way I was. I wish he could understand, but it wasn’t something I could explain. I loved Stephan. I missed him. But he wasn’t the reason I was messed up.
“Can I come in?”
“Okay.”
He hesitated and then walked into the room. Cal kept the door open behind him, having learned from experience that closing it would cause me to feel trapped. He crossed to the chair in the corner by the window, and I sat back against the headboard, tapping my fingers absentmindedly against my leg.
As soon as I began the rhythmic motion, I could hear Stephan’s voice in my head telling me to stop fidgeting. I immediately sat on my hands to stop the mindless action.
Movement at the door drew my attention away from Cal. Jade appeared and stood in the doorway. They were both here. In my room. Had something happened?
I quickly turned my gaze back on Cal. “What . . . what’s happened? Is Stephan—”
“Coleman’s fine.” The sharp edge in Cal’s tone reminded me, yet again, of his feelings regarding Stephan.
No one spoke for several minutes while I tried to calm myself. If Cal said Stephan was fine, I had to believe him. I didn’t think he would lie to me. Not about that.
“Anna, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Okay.”
When Cal didn’t continue, I started to worry. What if something had happened and he wasn’t sure how to tell me?
Just as I felt the air in my lungs constrict with anxiety, Cal leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. I tried to brace myself as best I could, but I could already feel the pressure in my chest increasing, tightening.
“I asked Emma to have lunch with me today.”
“Wha-wh-why?”
“Anna, I want you to hear me out, okay?”
I didn’t respond, and after a minute he continued.
“I don’t like the idea of you testifying against that man.” I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off. “No. He . . . Anna, you have trouble talking to regular people. You have trouble talking to me—someone you’ve known nearly all your life. How do you think it’s going to be for you to sit up there in a room full of strangers and confront the man who owned you for ten months? I don’t want to see you go through that, Anna. I don’t.”
To be honest, I didn’t want that either. I didn’t know if I could do it. If it prevented Stephan from being put in prison because of me, then I would have to. He’d saved me. He’d given me my freedom, my life. I’d been told about that girl—the one Ian had before me. That could have been me. It probably would have, if not for Stephan. I would do anything for him. Even stand up in front of a room full of strangers and face the man who had not only raped and tortured me for ten months but who’d also made me think I was no longer a person, only a thing to be used and abused in any way he or his friends saw fit. A chill settled in my bones, and I hugged myself tighter.
Cal appeared oblivious to the war being waged inside me. He was too focused on what he wanted to say. Sighing, he stood and walked to stand in front of the window. “I want to offer you a deal.”
I looked over at Jade. Her face wasn’t giving anything away, which made me think she wasn’t thrilled with whatever this deal was.
“Emma’s going to talk to Oscar and see if they can come up with a solution to get Coleman off the hook without requiring you to testify. You’d still have to give an official statement against Ian Pierce but hopefully not have to make an appearance in court. As a family friend, and as an upstanding member of the community, I’d publicly go on record that what Coleman did to get you away from Ian Pierce should be commended, not punished. I have friends in the media. So does my dad. I can use them if I have to. And it’s not a secret that I’m not a big fan of Coleman’s personally. My coming out in support of what he did would make an impression. Especially if I emphasize that fact in any statements I make to the press.”
“I don’t . . . understand.” He’d said a deal, and he didn’t like Stephan. Why would he do this?
He took a deep breath and met my gaze. His eyes were almost pleading. It was so unlike him that it had me concerned about what would come out of his mouth next.
“In exchange for me doing this, defending Coleman, doing what I can to keep him out of prison, I want you to get counseling, Anna. I want you to talk to someone who can help you . . . help you get through what . . . whatever it is you went through.” He clenched his teeth when he spoke his next words. “Someone who doesn’t have a hidden agenda to try and get you into his bed.”
Before I could say anything—defend Stephan—Jade was across the room and standing between Cal and me. She didn’t say anything. At least, not anything I could hear. She just laid her hand flat on his chest, until he closed his eyes and stepped away.
Cal walked toward the door, leaving Jade standing on the far side of the room alone. He reached the door and stopped. Without turning around, he lifted his head as if he were looking at something in the other room. “Think about it, Anna. Please.”
Before I could even consider answering him, he was gone.
I could feel Jade watching me, but all I wanted to do was hide in my bed, so that’s what I did. Burrowing under the covers, I rolled over and closed my eyes. Several minutes later, I heard her leave the room, closing the door behind her. It was only then that I let myself think about what Cal had said. He wanted me to talk to someone. Talk to them about what had happened to me.
A shiver ran through my body from head to foot, and I curled up into a tight ball, clutching the sheets around me. I just wanted the world to go away.
Somewhere along the line I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes, it was dark outside. Pushing the sheets aside, I walked into the small bathroom connected to my room. My bathroom at Cal’s was nothing like the one I’d had at Stephan’s. This one was nice, but it was less than half the size. I turned on the light and got a drink of water using the cup I kept next to the sink.
A part of me registered that my hair was sticking out in various places and that I was wearing the same clothes I’d put on two days ago. Usually I didn’t change unless Jade or Cal said something. Most of the time it was Jade. She would come in with food or under the pretense of wanting to talk to me and mention that maybe a nice shower would make me feel better. It didn’t, but both of them seemed to be happier after I emerged sho
wered and in clean clothes.
I don’t know how long I was in the bathroom, but when I walked back into my room, Jade was sitting on the end of my bed. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
She had a serious expression on her face, so I knew she had something to say. “Cal went into town to get a pizza for dinner. He should be back soon.”
I nodded, climbing back into my bed.
“I talked to Cal about this afternoon. I know you don’t like what he had to say, but I think his heart is in the right place.” She reached out and touched the tips of my fingers before retracting her hand. “He’s worried about you.”
“I’m fine.” It was the same phrase I repeated almost daily. I was fine. Or as fine as I was going to ever be. There was no magic cure. Nothing that would make my past go away. This was my life now. I would survive, just as I had before.
“I know you’re doing the best you can. After what you’ve been through, I can’t imagine it’s easy.” She paused. “I also know leaving Stephan was really hard for you to do.”
Jade was the only one who understood about Stephan. “I miss him.”
She reached out again. This time, her fingers lingered over mine. “Of course you do. You love him.”
We both sat in silence for a long time. I could hear the crickets outside playing their mating song. When I’d first moved in, the sound had kept me up at night. Now it was a reminder that there was a world outside my small room.
“Jade?” She glanced up at me and waited. It was one of the things I liked about her. She wasn’t impatient. “Do you think Cal speaking up for Stephan . . . would help him?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. Cal said Emma was going to talk to Oscar and see what he thinks. I can’t see where it would hurt, though. Your man needs all the people in his corner he can get right now, and Cal’s right about one thing. With him being an old family friend, his endorsement could turn the media to Stephan’s side. That might put some pressure on Agent Marco and get him to back off.” She gave my hand a small squeeze before releasing it.
I looked down, picking at the fabric of my pants. “He’s not . . .” I took a deep breath and tried once more. “He’s not my . . . man anymore.”
