by Lane Hart
“Can I hide out here for a while in one of the spare bedrooms?” I ask Cassie and Derek.
“Sure,” Derek replies.
“Thanks, and I’ll move all my boxes out as soon as I figure out where to put them. I’m not sure I can go home again,” I say honestly.
“Don’t worry about it,” he tells me. Standing up, he offers me a hand to pull me off the floor, which I accept.
“Goodnight,” I tell them both before I shuffle my tired feet down the hall and fall onto the guest bed.
My life had a simple plan just a week ago. Then I met a handsome man at a club and had sex with him. That one impulsive decision changed everything.
And because of it, I have no fucking clue what the future holds.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Trick
“Mr. Foxx, let’s go. Your attorney’s here to see you,” one of the police officers says as he unlocks the cell door and slides it open for me.
That’s surprising to hear since I haven’t called any attorneys, but I’m grateful to have even a temporary distraction from the sickening images of Mina and that asshole seared into my memory. If I live a hundred years, I’ll never stop seeing the pain on her face. And I’ll never be remorseful for hurting him for Mina. My only regret is that I didn’t kill him. The more I think about how long it must have been going on, the more I want that son of a bitch dead.
For my one phone call when they first brought me in, I reached out to Jude. He was sound asleep and a little grumpy since it was the middle of the night, but he said he would make some calls and try to find me an attorney. He even offered to use his credit card to pay the retainer over the phone. Apparently, he was able to locate some poor soul, who agreed to spend his Saturday sunrise at the police department with me.
I stand up from the uncomfortable cot that reminds me of Afghanistan, still dressed in my wrinkled tee and jeans I was wearing when I came in a few hours ago. Since I haven’t officially been charged with anything, they haven’t put me in the ugly orange jumpsuit yet. They did clean up my busted knuckles and bandage them.
The officer locks the handcuffs back around my wrists, in front of me this time, before leading the way to a small room.
Inside, there’s a middle-aged, balding man in a suit I don’t recognize standing next to a beautiful woman I couldn’t possibly forget.
“Alyssa!” I say, trying to reach out and hug her before I remember my wrists are cuffed. She wraps her arms around my neck anyways.
“I’m Mr. Carter’s assistant for today. That’s the only way I could see you,” she whispers in my ear.
“Right,” I answer in understanding.
“Mr. Foxx, I’m Benjamin Carter. Sorry to meet you under these circumstances,” the attorney says, and I shake his offered hand as best I can. “Have a seat,” he motions toward the gray folding chair on one side of the metal table while he and Alyssa take the two on the opposite side. The attorney pulls out a manila folder from his leather satchel and places it on the table, along with a yellow legal pad.
“What the hell happened, Patrick?” Alyssa asks, resting her chin on her knuckles. That’s when I notice the big, shining rock on her finger for the first time.
“You’re engaged?” I ask, and wait for the usual heartache to sucker punch me. Before the tournament, Nate and Alyssa were just dating, but now it’s official --- she’s really gonna marry another man.
Alyssa lowers her hand and looks at her ring a moment before responding. All I can think about is what Mina’s gonna do today. Certainly, she’s not planning on going through with the wedding. And that’s when I realize that the familiar heartache and bruising to my ego over Alyssa’s rejection is thankfully absent. She never cared about me romantically, and maybe I only tried to make us something we weren’t because of the guilt I felt about coming home without Austin. I wanted to step up and take care of his family since I couldn’t keep him alive for them.
“Ah, yeah. Nathan just proposed last night,” Alyssa finally answers. “We were supposed to head back home this morning, but Jude called and filled us in…”
“I’m happy for you,” I tell her honestly. “Nate’s a good man, and I know he loves you and Grayson.”
“Yeah, he is, and he does,” she agrees with a smile. “So, back to your situation. What were you thinking? Jude said that you’ve got a really great IFC contract waiting for you and that this might make it disappear.”
“It had to be done,” I tell her and the attorney with a clenched jaw. “And if I ever see my father again, I’ll fucking kill him.”
“Patrick!” Alyssa exclaims.
“Now, Mr. Foxx, let’s not make this worse,” the attorney starts.
“Worse,” I scoff, slumping down further in the metal seat. “It doesn’t get any worse than the shit that asshole has done to Mina for who the fuck knows how long.”
“Mina?” Alyssa asks.
“My stepsister.”
“What has he done to her?” the attorney asks.
“I-I don’t actually know,” I admit. “All I know for certain is what I saw him doing to her last night.”
“Mr. Foxx, I know this might not be easy, but I need you to tell me everything that happened if you want me to try and make these charges go away,” the attorney says.
Exhaling, I scrub my cuffed hands over my face to try and find the words to explain the horrific images I can’t stop seeing because they’re running on repeat.
“He was…he forced himself on her. He had her by the hair, and she was crying. The look on her face…she was fucking broken, like that wasn’t the first time he’d done that to her.”
“Oh my God,” Alyssa mutters.
“You’re saying you walked in on your father sexually assaulting your stepsister?” the attorney asks quietly, and I nod.
“I’m so sorry, Patrick,” Alyssa says, reaching over to cover the top of my bandaged hand with hers.
The attorney clears his throat as he shuffles some papers around in his file. “Well Mr. Foxx, um, Mrs. Foxx, your stepmother, claims that you were also having sex with your stepsister, Wilhelmina Hightower. And Wilhelmina acknowledged it.”
“I was,” I admit, cringing at the awful reminder that my father and I have been with the same woman. He didn’t deserve to lay a single fucking finger on Mina, and I have no doubt as to how she feels about my father. She hates him, probably even more than I do. “Mina and I…it was entirely consensual, nothing like that bastard did to her. So what does my relationship with her have to do with anything?” I ask the attorney caustically.
“Miss Hightower didn’t mention the, ah, sexual assault at all in her statement either,” he replies.
“No shit,” I grumble followed by a sigh. “Admitting she was…” I can’t even say the R-word. “That’s probably not something that would be easy for her to talk about. Especially if it’s been going on for a while.”
“Unfortunately, unless she admits to him forcing himself on her, all we have is an adult female getting caught having sex with a man by another man she’s also sleeping with, a standard lover’s quarrel. And in that case, you’re the only one who ends up serving an active prison sentence.”
“I’m not gonna make Mina talk about that shit to save my ass,” I tell him adamantly. I can’t begin to imagine how she must be feeling now that I know the truth. She was obviously ashamed or embarrassed if she didn’t think she could be honest with me about what he was doing to her.
“Then you’re likely going to be facing felony charges for aggravated assault,” the attorney tells me. “The District Attorney is waiting to see the extent of your father’s injuries before deciding on the charge. You could be looking at a few years at worst or a few months in prison at best.”
“I don’t care what the charges or the punishments are. I’m not forcing Mina to say anything!”
“Patrick, maybe I could try talking to her,” Alyssa offers. “Just to explain everything that’s going on.”
&nbs
p; “No. I don’t want anyone pressuring her. There’s no way she would talk to you, someone she doesn’t even know. She and I were…we were close, and she never even hinted that he was doing this to her. If I had known…”
“You would’ve put him in the hospital sooner,” Alyssa finishes with a sad smile.
“Exactly. I don’t know why she didn’t tell me…”
“Maybe because she knew you would end up here and that’s not what she wanted for you,” Alyssa suggests. “Patrick, I don’t know anything about this girl, but I’m certain she wouldn’t want you serving a prison sentence, losing your freedom and a chance at an IFC contract for that evil asshole.”
“It doesn’t matter what she wants,” I tell her. “He deserves to hurt for what he’s done to her. I don’t even…I don’t know how many times…”
“And she’s the only one who can put him away, to make him pay for what he’s done by coming forward with all those details,” the attorney says.
“Just let me try to talk to her. I won’t pressure her if she refuses, I promise,” Alyssa tells me with a squeeze of my cuffed hand. “It’s worth a try if it saves you and punishes that bastard, so he gets everything he deserves. This is a chance to make sure she stays safe, away from him for good, Patrick.”
There’s no way Mina will talk to a stranger about what happened. I have a feeling she’s never told anyone. But how could her mother not know what was taking place under the same roof? And what about Bridgette? Did she know? Has she been victimized by that bastard too? After he gets out of the hospital, the girls could both be in danger again, and all I can do is keep beating his ass or eventually kill him. Either way, I’ll end up back here wearing an orange jumpsuit for a very long time.
“Fine,” I relent. “Talk to her and see if he’s ever hurt her younger sister. I’ll give you Mina’s address and her fiancé’s.”
“Fiancé’s?” the lawyer and Alyssa both echo at the same time.
“Ah, yeah. Did I forget to mention that part?” I fudge with a wince. “She’s supposed to be getting married. Later today. In a few hours. That’s what I came here for after the tournament.”
“Oh, wow,” Alyssa mutters.
“That complicates things a little,” the attorneys says. “And that’s not a good thing for you. Even if you can get Miss Hightower to admit to the abuse, we’re gonna need concrete dates and details to try and make a strong case against your father. Otherwise, it’s just his word against hers, a woman sleeping with a man other than her fiancé before her wedding. Your father could very well be a free man in a few days while you’ll become a convicted felon.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Mina
“Mina, someone’s here for you,” Cassie says with a shake to my shoulders, interrupting a really wonderful dream that involved a sexy Marine on his knees, looking up at me with intense golden eyes while he French kissed me between my legs.
It takes me a minute to remember where I am as I blink my heavy, swollen eyelids open and glance around the mostly empty room except for a plain oak dresser. I’m in the guest room at Derek’s.
Oh, that’s right. Last night my stepbrother walked in and got an eyeful of my own personal hell before he beat his father to a pulp and got arrested. Now I unfortunately remember how I got here.
I eventually passed out in Derek’s guest room after finding out he had some side ass, just like me. That’s how I came to be face down on an unfamiliar mattress, still wearing all my clothes.
“Mina? You gonna come down?” Cassie asks.
“Yeah.”
Wait, she said someone’s here to see me? Patrick?
That’s all it takes to get me up and moving.
“Patrick?” I call out while jogging down the stairs, only to come to an abrupt stop when I see a pretty brunette in a cute, blue summer dress standing in the living room.
“Um, you’re here to see me?” I ask, my shoulders slumping in disappointment that it’s not the man I want to see.
“Mina? Hi, I’m Alyssa, a friend of Patrick’s,” she says, offering me her hand.
“Austin’s wife?” I ask while accepting the handshake and quickly pulling away.
“Ah, yeah,” she answers in surprise before glancing at Derek, who is lurking behind the sofa. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”
“Um, sure,” I say. “Back porch okay?” I ask Derek, who nods absently.
“That will work,” Alyssa replies. I lead the way out the back door, taking a seat in one of the two matching, white Adirondack chairs that face the ocean. It’s a gray, cloudy day, with a storm coming, making the waves crash angrily into the shore. The scenery fits my depressed and fretful mood. Seeing the beautiful woman Patrick admitted he wanted here doesn’t help.
“So Patrick called you?” I ask Alyssa, the jealousy behind the words burning my throat.
“He called Jude, one of the owners of Havoc who knew my fiancé, son and I were still in Florida.”
“Oh,” I say on an exhale, relieved to know that she’s not on his speed dial. The part about her having a fiancé makes me warm up to her a little more. Unlike me, she doesn’t seem like the type of woman to screw around behind her fiancé’s back.
“Is he still at the police station?” I ask.
“Yeah. The attorney Jude hired for Patrick said they’re holding him until they determine his father’s injuries and decide how to charge him.”
I nod, figuring it wouldn’t be as simple as just letting him walk out the front door.
“Did he tell you he was offered an IFC contract?” she asks, surprising me with the change in topic.
“Ah, he mentioned something about a contract and said he had to go back to Havoc for training,” I answer.
“He has a really great offer, but Jude said that if he gets charged and convicted of assault, he’ll probably lose it,” she tells me, making me feel even guiltier.
“They shouldn’t charge him. His father instigated the whole thing and will probably recover just fine,” I argue.
“I know. Unfortunately, the police are taking it more seriously,” Alyssa says. “But you could help him.”
“Me?” I ask in disbelief.
“From what little bit Patrick said to us for why he did what he did, you could help them bring a case against his father.”
What could Patrick have said? It all happened so fast that there’s no way he could’ve figured out the entire truth.
“Listen, Alyssa, I’m not sure what Patrick told you, but there’s nothing for me to do. Anything that I say, my mother will just tell everyone is a lie. If she doesn’t believe me, then no one else will either.”
“That’s not true,” she replies. “I believe you, and Patrick believes you.”
Tears burn my eyes, and my throat closes up hearing those words.
“He doesn’t hate me?” I ask her, my voice cracking.
“God, no. He said…he thought his father forced himself on you, and that it wasn’t the first time.”
I nod as the emotion overflows from my eyes and falls down my cheeks. Last night I thought that Patrick was just jealous, assuming something was going on between his father and me, but he really knows…
“He was also worried about your sister…” Alyssa starts, but I shake my head.
“It was just me. I let him…I did it for her,” I tell her through the sobs. While I cry into my palms, Alyssa, a woman I just met, rubs her hand over my back, comfortingly telling me over and over again that she believes me.
“I don’t know what to do,” I tell her when the sobs subside. “How could Patrick…how could anyone be with me once they find out?”
“Because he loves you. You didn’t do anything wrong. He knows that, and he hurts for what you suffered through.”
“I don’t know if it’s that easy,” I say as I wipe away the tears. “And there’s no way he could love me, knowing what he does…”
“It may not be easy, but talking to someone might be what’s bes
t for you. We could find you a psychiatrist to help you get through this. If you won’t do it for yourself, then do it for Patrick.”
“Let me think about it,” I tell her.
“Okay, of course. Nothing needs to be decided today. But the longer you wait, the worse it is for Patrick.”
I nod in understanding as she gets to her feet to leave.
“The attorney said the district attorney will need dates and details to make a strong case. So, as you remember things, it might be easier to write them down. That’s how they can make the charges stick if you decide that’s what you want.”
“Pfft,” I laugh non-humorously. “If they want details, I have pages and pages of details and the dates. I wrote every single incident down since it started. Every single one.”
“Oh my God. That’s so horrible, but it’s also a good thing, Mina! You turn that over, and it may be all they need.”
“Do you think they’ll let Patrick out if I give my journals to them?” I look up and ask her.
“There’s no way for me to know. I can talk to his attorney, see what he thinks, but I bet it would be a great start.”
“Okay,” I agree, getting to my feet. “Will you go with me? Tell me who to give everything to?”
“Sure,” Alyssa says as I head back inside the house with her on my heels.
Rummaging through the stacks of boxes sitting around the living room, it takes me a minute to find the one with the shoebox full of journals.
“I’m ready,” I say to Alyssa, cradling the rectangular box in my arms.
“All…all of that is…?” she asks with a gaping mouth.
“Yeah,” I answer on a sigh. “Every single page.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Trick
“Foxx, you’re free to go,” an officer says just a few hours after I spoke to Alyssa and my attorney.
Apparently, a decision has been made about the charges, and I guess someone posted my bail.
