Worth the Wait (Picking up the Pieces #4)

by Jessica Prince

  “I think I have an idea.”

  Everyone eventually cleared out not too long after Savannah and Ben left to go put whatever her insane idea was into motion. With promises to stop by Brett’s house later that night once I was released, they left me and Brett alone in my hospital room, curled up in the tiny bed together. Neither of us had said a word for hours as we lay together. Finally, having had enough of the silent tension that filled the room, Brett broke the silence.

  “I can’t lose you, beauty,” he spoke quietly against my neck. The agony in his voice caused my silent tears to fall even faster. I wanted so desperately to tell him that he wasn’t going to, but I couldn’t force the lie past my lips. Because that’s exactly what it would have been. A lie. If whatever harebrained scheme Savannah was working up fell through, I knew exactly what I would do. I would take my kids and run. I’d leave behind the life and people I’d come to love if it meant keeping them safe.

  “I love you,” was the only response I was able to give him. “No matter what, Brett, I will always love you.”

  There was a soft knock on the door before another word could be said. Savannah came through, pulling us both out of the depressing thoughts running through our heads.

  “Hey, sweets, how you feeling?”

  “I’ve been better. I’ll be great if this plan of yours works.”

  She graced me with a small smile before pushing the door all the way open. Ben walked through, quickly followed by a short, older man. If I had to guess, I would have put him in his late sixties, early seventies. He had a gentle disposition and a kind face. With his white hair and round belly, it felt like I was meeting the real life Santa Claus.

  “Kenzie, Brett, this is our boss, Bradford Pruett. He’s the founding partner of Pruett & Carter.”

  “The law firm here in town?” I asked in confusion.

  “Yeah, I’m a paralegal there and Ben’s an associate. We specialize in handling family law cases.”

  “Oh, dear girl,” Mr. Pruett said softly as he walked up to my bed and extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I just wish it could have been under different circumstances.”

  I sat up in the bed as Brett moved to the chair next to it to give me room, and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”

  “When you told us the name of the law firm Lance works for earlier, I knew it sounded familiar, but it took me a moment to figure out where I’d heard that name before. Then it hit me.”

  “You see, Ms. Webster,” Mr. Pruett chimed in. “My cousin is Reginald Spaulding.” When I just continued to look at him in bemusement, he pressed forward. “The Spaulding in Spaulding, Jefferies, & Dunn and the managing partner of the firm.”

  My eyes grew wide and my mouth dropped as I tried to wrap my brain around what he’d just said. Unable to form an intelligible sentence, I was struck mute as Brett spoke an excited, “No shit?” from beside me.

  “That’s right. Our family founded that firm years and years ago. It was actually where I started my career before deciding something smaller was more my pace. I moved here and started up my practice, but I’ve remained close with all of my relatives in Ohio. I make an effort to travel there at least twice a year. Funny thing, that six degrees of separation, isn’t it?”

  “Mr. Pruett, please forgive me, but I’m just not seeing how this pertains to my situation.”

  Ben stepped forward and placed his hand on the old man’s shoulder. “We did some digging into your allegations against Lance. We wanted to make absolutely certain there wasn’t anything left out there that could lead back to him being the one accepting bribes.”

  Hope burst in my chest as Ben talked. “Were you able to find anything?”

  “Our highly skilled, very well paid private detective was able to track something down,” Mr. Pruett answered.

  The grin that spread across Savannah’s face was positively beaming. “Apparently, the dude turns into a talker after he gets off. He had a little thing on the side he’d spill all his dirty little secrets to after they had sex. Only problem was, he didn’t take into account how pissed off she might be when he up and left her to come track you down. Turned out, she had his bun cooking in her oven when he bailed. The woman’s all too happy to spill every last dirty detail as revenge for being knocked up and ditched.”

  “You’re kidding me,” I gasped.

  “It’s also been discovered that he enjoyed videotaping some of his more…illicit adventures. My guess is he didn’t expect Baby Mama to make copies of her own as a failsafe. He’d know all of this if he bothered to return any of her calls.”

  “Oh, my God!” I laughed. “Never underestimate a woman scorned.”

  “No matter how smart a man is, it’s guaranteed their dicks will always make them stupid in the end.”

  The three men in the room all turned to glower at Savannah.

  “What?” she asked with a shrug. “Don’t act like it’s not the truth.”

  Ben chuckled and shook his head. “Anyway, it would appear the asshole thinks he’s so untouchable that he managed to let this slide past his radar.”

  “So what now?” Brett asked.

  Mr. Pruett’s gaze bounced between the two of us. “Well, I think that with this, paired with the assault charges for what he did to Ms. Webster, it’s safe to say his career will be coming to an abrupt end.”

  “And jail time?” I cut in.

  “Well, he’ll have to go to trial for the assault. Charges will undoubtedly be pressed for the bribery, not to mention that he framed a colleague. At the bare minimum, he’ll lose his license and be hit with unbelievably steep fines.”

  “So there’s no guarantee he’ll serve serious time for any of this?” I could see the muscle ticking in Brett’s jaw as his hands clenched into fists by his sides. He looked like he was ready to blow. He was out for blood where Lance was concerned. Anything less than hard time wasn’t going to cut it for him.

  But I had other plans. The last thing I wanted was to sit through a trial. I didn’t want to have to see Lance every single day or testify against him. I just wanted it to go away. I wanted him to go away. I didn’t care about revenge or payback. I just wanted the chance to get back to the life I’d built. I wanted to live happily, knowing that I never had to look over my shoulder again, and that my children were always safe.

  “I’m not pressing charges,” I stated firmly, catching everyone’s undivided attention.

  “What? Are you kidding me?” Brett shouted, shooting up from his chair and leaning over me. “Beauty, you can’t let him get away with this. He needs to pay.”

  “Honey,” I said softly, stroking his cheek, covered in stubble from a few days of missed shaves. “I don’t care about vengeance or making him pay. None of that matters to me. The only thing that matters is that he’s out of our lives for good. Don’t you see? With this information, we can make that happen.”

  “How do you plan on doing that?” I could see the uncertainty in his eyes. He honestly believed that unless Lance was in jail, there was no escaping him. But I knew otherwise.

  “I know Lance. The only way to really get to him is to hit him where it hurts. His career and reputation are all that’s ever mattered to him. That’s why I thought I was safe when I took the twins and ran the first time. But this time, I have undisputable evidence. He can’t slither his way out of it this time. This can work, baby. You have to trust me.”

  Releasing a frustrated breath, Brett sat on the corner of the bed and ran his hands through his hair. The room remained deathly silent as everyone waited for his reaction. After a few minutes, he finally looked back at me. “Are you sure about this, baby?”

  “I’m positive,” I smiled.

  “All right. What’s the plan?”

  It took a lot of convincing to get Brett on board with my plan, but after an hour of talking, Savannah, Ben and Mr. Pruett left my hospital room having agreed that what I wanted to do would garner the best outcome for me and the twins in the
end.

  “I can’t believe we’re just gonna let that fucker walk,” Brett grumbled once everyone was gone. He climbed back into the bed with me and wrapped me in his arms, planting a gentle kiss on my lips, mindful of the split from Lance’s attack.

  “It’s all going to work out for the best. I promise.”

  “I hope you’re right,” he sighed.

  I looked up at him with a grin. “I am. Now take me home. I want to be back under the same roof with my family.”

  His dark eyes shined brightly as he smiled back at me. “Whatever you want, beauty.”

  “You don’t have to go in there with me,” I told Brett as we stood with Mr. Pruett inside the Sheriff’s department. He stood rigid, his eyes laser-focused on the door we were about to walk through.

  “Like fuck I’m letting you in there with that man by yourself.”

  “I’m going to be alone. Mr. Pruett’s going to be there with me.”

  I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at the frown Brett shot me. He’d been anxious all morning long, wanting to put the meeting off until I was healed. But I was finished with waiting. When we’d left the hospital the day before, my entire body felt lighter, like the thousand pound weight I’d been carrying on my shoulders all those years had finally lifted. I knew my plan was going to work; I felt it bone-deep. My mood finally matched the beauty of the day. I was walking on cloud nine until we arrived home.

  I hadn’t been prepared for the tears in my babies’ eyes when they took in the bruises on my face.

  “Mommy!” Callie cried out, running over to me. I tried to suppress the wince as she barreled into me, but the jarring of my ribs sent a shockwave of pain through me. “I’m sowwy,” she whimpered as she pulled back, afraid of hurting me any worse.

  “It’s okay, honey pot.” I took her hand and led her to the couch, Brett and Cameron following after me. When I was seated somewhat comfortably, I opened my arms so she could climb up into my lap. Once she settled, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged my little girl tightly.

  “Brett said you was in a assident.”

  “That’s right, baby. But Mommy’s okay now. Just a few bumps and bruises.”

  I looked over to where Cam sat with Brett, his head hanging low as he clutched on to Brett’s arm like a vise.

  “What’s the matter, bubs?” I asked, reaching over to lift his chin. One loan tear trailed down his cheek from those hazel eyes. “Oh, honey. I’m going to be all right. Don’t be sad.”

  “Was it Daddy?” he asked in a huffed voice. His words were quiet but the impact they hit me with felt like a two-ton car.

  Brett’s entire body went solid as a rock as he looked over at me. “What?” I asked my son.

  “Did Daddy give you all those bow-bows? He always yelled and gave you bow-bows when we lived with him. I don’t like him. He’s a meanie and I never wanna see him again.”

  Pain sliced through my chest. I’d failed at protecting them from Lance’s violence. I thought I’d kept them away from it, not allowing them to see what their own father had been capable of, but I’d let them down. Never again. If it took the rest of my life, I would make sure I never ever had to see the pained expression in my children’s eyes that I was seeing right then. I would make it up to them. I would make it right.

  “You don’t have to worry about him anymore, sweetie. He’s gone. It’s just us now, okay?”

  “Can Brett be our new daddy?” Callie looked up into my eyes and asked so sincerely, so earnestly.

  “Yeah,” Cameron shouted. “I want Brett to be my new daddy! I love him and he’s nice and he always buys us pwesents and makes us burritos at night.”

  My gaze wandered over to Brett to see his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. When he looked at me in question, I gave him a small nod, letting him know it was okay.

  “I’d love nothing more than to be y’all’s daddy,” Brett told my kids, his voice raspy as he tried to hold back his tears. “I’ll spend forever being nice and buying you presents and making you into burritos, if that’s what y’all want.”

  “YAY!” they both yelled, jumping from our laps in excitement, and just like that, all the negativity was gone. Our family was together, strong and happy, just as it should be.

  I was determined to keep my promise to them, which was why I didn’t want to wait. I had to see Lance right away. I had to finish it.

  Cupping his bristly cheek, I gave Brett a kiss and spoke against his lips, “The sooner we get this done, the sooner it ends.”

  “Then let’s do this,” he huffed. “But you’ll have to cross over my dead fuckin’ body if you think I’m not going in there with you.”

  “Fine,” I relented. “But you have to keep your cool, Brett. Promise me.”

  “I promise, beauty.”

  With one last kiss, we turned to face the door.

  “You ready?” Mr. Pruett asked with his hand on the knob. I gave a curt nod and steeled my spine. There was no way in hell I was going to show Lance an ounce of weakness.

  I paused for just a moment after crossing the threshold into the room. I knew Brett had gotten a hold of Lance in that parking lot. I just had no idea how much damage he’d done. But I’d have been lying if I said I felt one ounce of sympathy as I looked at his pummeled face. He looked a thousand times worse than I did. I had to lock down the craving to launch myself at Brett and kiss him to death as I took in the damage inflicted on the bastard.

  “You look like shit,” I told him as I took a seat in one of the chairs across the table from him. Mr. Pruett sat down next to me as Brett stood in the corner, arms crossed over his massive chest, a menacing stare directed right at Lance. I got immense pleasure out of seeing him flinch when he caught Brett’s glare.

  “You don’t look so good yourself,” he sneered.

  “Talk to her like that again and I’ll re-break your nose, fucker. Maybe a cheekbone this time, too.”

  I hadn’t thought it was possible, but I actually saw Lance’s complexion pale under all those bruises at the sound of Brett’s gravelly threat.

  “What are you doing here, Mackenzie?” He sounded bored as he asked, like taking time away from his cell for our little chat was an inconvenience to him.

  “I’m here because of this,” I said, slapping the folder I’d gotten from Mr. Pruett on the metal table and sliding it across to him. “Oh, and this is just a sample of everything I have on you.” I grinned as he opened the folder. “I also have flash drives, videos, voice recordings, you name it. So just in case you think you can cover all this shit up this time, you might want to reconsider.”

  “And who’s this guy?” Lance asked with a chin lift in Mr. Pruett’s direction, still trying to act nonchalant even as he flipped through page after page of all his dirty little secrets.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” I laughed. “I forgot to introduce you. Mr. Pruett, this is my ex, the woman beater. Lance, this is Bradford Pruett, my attorney.” He blanched at the mention of his name, and right then, I knew he was aware of exactly who Mr. Pruett was. “I’m sure you’ve heard of him. He’s Reginald Spaulding’s cousin. You know, your boss? They’re very close. Mr. Pruett also has copies of all of this, as well. So you see, this is no longer your word against mine. It’s your word against his,” I said with a flick of my thumb in my attorney’s direction. I had to swallow down my laughter at the finger wave Mr. Pruett gave to Lance.

  “Who do you think everyone at Spaulding, Jefferies, & Dunn would believe then?”

  “Trust me, boy, my connections make yours look like child’s play,” the old man said. “Don’t let the small town fool you. For every high-up official you think you have in your corner, I have four more who are even higher. I am not a man you want to go up against.”

  Wow! In the short amount of time I’d known Mr. Pruett, I’d thought of him as a kind, softly spoken man. I never thought he was capable of being intimidating. I was happily proven wrong.

  Lance’s throa
t bobbed as he swallowed audibly, the tension finally beginning to show on his face as he turned back to me. “What do you want?”

  Leaning forward, I braced my hands on the cold metal table and stared him down. I would never cower to this man again. “I want you to disappear from my life and my children’s lives for good. I want you to go back to Ohio and leave us alone. Don’t call. Don’t write. Don’t ever show up in Cloverleaf again. If I even so much as think you could be lurking around, I’m going to your boss and the police with everything I have, and I do mean everything. That includes Mr. Pruett’s unwavering support.”

  “Unwavering,” Mr. Pruett emphasized.

  “If you leave me and the kids alone, not only will all of this go away,” I told him, waving my hand at the folder in front of him, “but I won’t press charges against you for the attack in the parking lot of my work. You’ll get to leave here no worse for the wear. Well…I mean, aside from the broken nose and fucked-up face. But your life will still be perfectly intact.”

  Lance leaned back in his chair and clasped his cuffed hands in front of him. “And what about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “What are you getting from all of this?”

  A shit-eating grin stretched across my lips. “I get to go home knowing I never have to see your face again. I get to enjoy the fact that you have a pregnant woman out there, hell bent on destroying you for leaving her.”

  At that, his eyes grew to the size of salad plates.

  “That’s right. You know Gloria? The woman who kindly gave me all this stellar information? She’s knocked up. Oh, and she’s out for blood, Lance, so you might want to watch your back. Looks like you found your match with that one. I hope you two will be happy together.”

  “Gloria. That fuckin’ slut,” Lance hissed to himself through clenched teeth.

  “There’s one more thing I want from you before I go.”

  “Oh?” he asked sarcastically. “And what the hell could that be?”

  I pulled one document from my bag, along with a pen and slid them over to him. “Sign it.”