"I'm sorry about the mess," Victoria said as she stood nearby wringing her hands and shooting furtive glances toward the stairs that led up to the next floor. "It's Audrey's day off."
"Don't worry about it, Victoria," David said as he eyed her closely. "None of us mind at all." He set Daniel's car seat on the floor and unbuckled his son, before lifting him out. Victoria's eyes lit up at the sight of her grandson. David immediately gave the infant to his grandmother without a word. She smiled broadly at the adorable little boy in her arms, talking sweetly to him until he began cooing and smiling back at her. We all stood there watching for several moments. I wasn't about to say a word right now. I didn't want anything to do with telling her what was going on. Andy stood silently next to me, wisely keeping quiet himself.
"Mom," Natalie finally said with a pained voice.
Victoria immediately glanced up at her daughter, her eyes widening in distress as she studied Natalie's serious expression. She looked at all of us as terror filled her eyes. "Did...did something happen to Ford?" Tears welled up in her eyes. "Is he...is he..."
"He's alive," David immediately interjected before Victoria lost it completely. "He got arrested this morning," he added softly with a sympathetic expression.
"Wh...what?!" Victoria blurted out in an almost identical voice to Natalie's first panicked reaction to Ford's arrest this morning. "Why? What for?" She cradled Daniel closer as fear colored her features again.
"The police said it was for criminal confinement and rape," David continued calmly. "We think it was Carter's doing in retaliation for the deal you made with Purcell Auto."
Victoria's face hardened. "That little bastard. He can't get away with this. My Ford would never do anything like that."
"I know, Mom," Natalie said. "But there are things about Ford's personal life," she looked helplessly at David and then me, "that will make that seem...reasonable to some people." Natalie looked really uncomfortable as she flailed around the subject.
Victoria looked at her daughter in confusion. "What...what do you mean by reasonable? Ford would never hurt a woman. I raised him to respect them, no matter what."
"Mom," Natalie said as she shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Ford is into some...unorthodox things, when it comes to sex. I think Carter found out about it, and is trying to use it against him." Kudos to Natalie for being so tactful with her explanation.
"You mean the rope stuff?" Victoria asked nonchalantly, her demeanor completely unaffected by her daughter's words. We all gaped at her incredulously. How the fuck did she know about that?
"What?" she asked in a disgruntled tone as she took in our shocked faces. "I'm not a prude. I read erotic novels. John told me about it a few years ago after he walked in on Ford with a woman. He acted like Ford was some sort of deviant monster. I told John he was a fool, and that Ford would never do that with someone who wasn't willing. I know my son, and he's a good man," she stated with conviction. "His father should know that too," she added scathingly.
Natalie stared at her mother like she had sprouted a second head. David grinned widely with amusement in his eyes, and I just stood there in complete stupefaction.
"I told Ford his mom was the shit," Andy interjected with a laugh. "Mrs. Spencer, you are one badass lady."
She shared a small smile with my brother. "Thank you, Andy," she said politely with a slightly smug expression.
"Victoria," I finally managed to speak as worry for Ford began to overwhelm me. We were wasting valuable time that Ford didn't have."We need to find a really good defense lawyer for Ford." Everyone's smile fell away at my words. "Do you think Mr. Caxton could help us find him one?"
"I can and I will," a male voice suddenly announced from behind us. We all whirled to find Tom Caxton stepping down off the stairs that led up to the bedrooms. His suit was rumpled and so was his hair. He was in the middle of adjusting his tie as he walked up and stopped next to Victoria. He put an arm around her in a possessive manner that was sweet as he smiled down at Daniel. She turned beet red and wouldn't meet anyone's eyes, yet she made no attempt to move away from him whatsoever. In fact, she actually leaned into him a little.
Well, that explained the extra place set at the dining table, the newspaper, and Victoria's anxiety when she answered the door. She'd been getting it on last night with Tom. I couldn't help smiling, even in this stressful situation. Ford would be pleased to see that his mother was finally moving on from his asshole of a father. A wave of sorrow hit me since he wasn't here to see it.
"My son is a very successful criminal defense attorney, and was Ford's friend in high school." His kind eyes were filled with sympathy and honest concern. "I'm sure Gareth would be more than happy to help."
"Really?" I asked, feeling an inkling of hope.
"I'll call him right now." He immediately pulled his phone out and made the call.
I looked at Natalie and David to see relief in their eyes. Andy put an arm around me comfortingly. "Told ya we'd figure something out," he murmured softly to me as Tom began explaining what little he knew about the situation to his son.
We watched Tom as he lapsed into silence while listening to his son speak. He finally pulled his phone away from his ear and spoke to us. "Gareth wants me to put him on speaker so he can talk to all of you." He crossed to the dining table, and we followed as he set the phone down on it, then touched the screen. "Alright, son."
"Good morning," a deep smooth voice with a slight huskiness spoke. "I'm pressed for time, since I'm meeting another client in a few minutes, so someone needs to lay it out for me quickly. I don't intend to go to Ford blindly, and I need whatever information you can give me." He sounded confident despite his brusqueness. It made me hopeful that he wasn't a moron.
"Um." I felt panicked and put on the spot. I didn't know where to start or how to explain it without a long conversation that we didn't have time for. David, Natalie, and I looked at each other at a loss. Apparently, they didn't know where to begin either.
"Come on people," Gareth said demandingly. "My time is valuable. You need to give me something to work with here so Ford stands a chance of me getting him out of this mess." Another moment passed in silence.
Andy stepped closer to the phone with an exasperated expression. "A rich psychopathic asshat named Elliott fucking Bennett tried to blackmail Ford's girlfriend, Jenny, into getting control of our family business, Purcell Auto. Ford got his mother to help us foil the douche, and now we're pretty sure he used Ford's penchant for kinky rope bondage against him to get him somehow arrested for criminal confinement and rape. The little prick is a vindictive fucker and now he's making Ford pay for ruining his fucking plans. Is that fucking concise enough for you?"
"Alright," Gareth said with a low chuckle that managed to make him seem more approachable even as it irritated my brother. "Yes, that's more like it. Who is this?"
"I'm Andy, Jenny's brother, and I'm pretty sure Ford's future brother-in-law," Andy growled out with a scowl. "He's family, so you better fucking take this seriously. If you fuck this up, I'll beat your ass."
"Andy." Gareth voice dropped to an intense and threatening tone. Great, my brother pissed him off. "I understand exactly how serious this is, and I don't fuck anything up. If I did I wouldn't have this job or be as successful at it as I am already."
I had the distinct impression that Gareth's arrogance was completely founded in actual competence and not a bluff. It made me feel a lot better about his ability to help Ford.
"Ford was my friend, and I'll do everything in my power to help him." Gareth's voice sounded calmer now, yet still held an edge of heat to it. "I've heard of this Bennett guy before, though I haven't dealt with him personally. He is powerful, rich, and definitely bad news, but I don't scare easy. Once you've worked with a few hard felons, your idea of scary changes drastically. I have no qualms going up against this asshat." There was clear humor in his tone with that last word.
"Jenny," Gareth addressed me in a softer tone.
"Yes?" I replied in a shaky voice that betrayed my anxiety.
"Don't worry." His voice was kind and sympathetic now. "Ford is in the best hands with me. I promise you that. I won't quit or back down until I win this fight."
"Okay," I said softly as relief flowed through me in a wave. Maybe there was hope for Ford after all. God, I hoped so.
"As soon as I'm free here, I'm heading to the police station to see Ford, and he'll be my top priority for as long as it takes," Gareth added earnestly. "He was always a good friend, and I owe him that at the very least."
"Thank you," I added in a grateful tone. "Thank you so much."
"You're very welcome," he replied warmly. "I have to go. Give my father your phone numbers, and he'll give you mine. Call me or text me if you need anything, and I'll bring you all up to speed when I know more later today." Gareth ended the call without another word.
"I assure you all," Tom said sincerely as he picked his phone up and glanced at all of us. "My son is excellent at his job. He was at the top of his class in law school, and passed his bar exam on the first try. He's the most intelligent, tenacious, and fearless man I know. It's what makes him a good defense lawyer, though it did make him an aggravating child," he added with a small smile. His love for his son was obvious and sincere, as was his pride. It made me wish Ford had a father like that. We all took a moment to exchange phone numbers.
He turned to Victoria with a gentle smile. "I need to go, Victoria," he told her with obvious regret. "I have an early meeting with a client that I can't miss, but if you need me for anything call me."
"Alright." She smiled shyly up at him. She reminded me of a lovestruck teenager. "I'll walk you out." She gave Daniel to his mother, who was smiling at her mother's interaction with Tom. I wasn't the only one who approved and thought the two of them were adorable together.
After they disappeared downstairs, Andy turned a serious expression on Natalie. "Is this Gareth guy legit?" he asked her sternly. Apparently, he wasn't completely convinced yet. Andy's protectiveness of Ford touched me and filled me with love for my big brother. I could always count on him to look out for the people he cared about.
"I didn't know him well, but he and Ford were really tight in high school," she replied with a shrug. "Gareth instigated a lot of the trouble they got into, but they also had each other's backs no matter what. If Ford trusts him, then that's good enough for me."
Andy nodded with a placated expression as the thrumming tension in his body finally relaxed a little.
"I guess all we can do now is wait," David announced softly with a worried furrow between his brows.
I nodded with a heavy sigh, hoping the wait wasn't long and that there truly was hope for Ford. Otherwise, I'd have to face a future without him in it with me, and the very idea was terrifying and completely unfathomable.
Chapter 2
Ford
Contrary to the movies and TV, you are not guaranteed a phone call when you get arrested. It's at the discretion of the officer booking you, and from the hostile way the female officer doing that kept looking at me, I knew I wasn't getting one anytime soon. She already decided that I was guilty, and I couldn't even defend myself for fear of saying something incriminating. So I just sat there on a rock-hard metal stool, handcuffed to the long stainless steel desk in front of me, and watched her stare at a computer monitor through the glass shield separating us. I'd already answered her questions about my name, address, and other personal information. I had no idea what she was typing in the computer about me right now, but it was taking a long fucking time, and I had to smother my annoyance yet again. That certainly wasn't going to help me here.
They already took all my personal items, my watch, my belt, and my shoes. Thanks to Jen though, I at least had a shirt to wear. I didn't even want to think about the deeply humiliating full body search I had to endure when I first got here. I felt violated and embarrassed, and I just wanted to go home.
All I'd gotten since arriving at the police station were accusing and suspicious stares. The whole innocent until proven guilty thing apparently didn't apply to people's judgment and assumptions, and I could see it in their eyes. It pissed me off, but I was impotent to do anything about it since staying silent was the only way to protect myself at this point. Thank God Dad had drilled keeping my mouth shut and asking for a lawyer into my head at a young age since he was an attorney himself. That thought led to depressingly contemplating what my father's reaction to this turn of events would be.
"Alright, Mr. Spencer," the officer announced as she stood, breaking me out of my melancholy thoughts. "Let's get your fingerprints and mug shots now."
Another male officer who'd been standing nearby all this time approached me and uncuffed me from the long metal bar along the edge of the desk. I guess given what I was accused of, she didn't want to be alone with me. That thought sickened me. I stood, and he escorted me over to the fingerprint machine, then stood just behind me as the female officer scanned each of my fingerprints into the machine.
After that, I was cuffed again and escorted to a different room where mug shots were taken. This whole experience was demeaning and demoralizing, and part of me feared that this was what the rest of my life would be like if I was convicted. I shuddered as a wave of terror swept through me at that thought. Holy hell, what if I was locked away, and never got to have a future and a family with Jen? My eyes were stinging with unshed tears by the time they were finished, and I was led back out into the hall.
I was taken to a door with a sign next to it that identified it as interview room four. Interview, my ass. I was going to keep my damn mouth shut, and this was another complete waste of time. I just wanted to call Jen and hear her voice. I wanted to talk to someone who knew I didn't do this horrible thing I was accused of.
The officer led me into a small bland room with beige walls and shitty ass carpeting. He guided me toward a small table and a couple of cheap plastic and metal chairs. He removed my cuffs and motioned for me to have a seat.
"This is an audio and visually recorded room," he said blandly as I sat down. "An investigator will be in shortly."
He walked out and locked the door, leaving me in the silent windowless room. Thank God I wasn't claustrophobic. I sat there staring at the generic looking clock on the wall. It had only been a few hours since I was arrested, and I wondered what Jen was doing right now. All I could picture was her stricken tear-stained face as the cops took me away from her. Was she crying right now? Holy hell, I needed to call her and tell her I was okay, even though I was anything but that. I needed to hear her voice to help me keep myself together so I could get through this. A couple of tears managed to trickle down through my beard, but I ignored them, not wanting to admit to myself how messed up I was right now.
The door opened abruptly, and I hastily wiped the tears off my face, not wanting to appear weak. A middle-aged guy dressed in an ill-fitting black button-down shirt, a light-gray tie, and dark-gray slacks that didn't really match the tie at all, walked in. My mother would have had a fit if I wore something like that. I noticed a police badge was attached to his belt. He gave me a tight smile as he took a seat across the table from me. His hair was dark and cut into a severe buzz cut, his eyes dark and calculating. He introduced himself as Detective Warren.
"Mr. Spencer, we need to go through your Miranda rights before we proceed any further." He pulled a sheet of paper out of the file he'd just set on the table in front of himself, and slid it toward me. He began going through them one at a time. From the standard right to remain silent crap, to anything I said being used against me in court, and my right to have a lawyer present. I initialed each one wordlessly when he was sure I understood them. Finally, he got to the end, and I signed the bottom of the paper where he pointed.
"Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?" he finally asked.
"I'm going to remain s
ilent, and I want to see my lawyer first," I said firmly.
"If you've got nothing to hide, there's no point in keeping quiet." His eyes were hard and unreadable. "I can help you here, if you'll just talk to me." This was an interrogation technique that I imagine worked on a lot of gullible and naive people, but not me. Even though I was innocent, things could still go to shit since I wasn't familiar with the legal system enough to navigate my way back out if I unintentionally incriminated myself. This guy was good, but I wasn't going to fall for it.
"I'm going to remain silent, and I want to see my lawyer first," I repeated like a mantra. I was positive that Natie was already lining up a lawyer for me, and I was going to keep this up as long as it took. However, I hoped whoever it was got here soon because the stress was already getting to me, and I didn't want to lose my temper.
The detective stared at me for a beat before continuing, his eyes locked on mine. I tried my best to keep my face blank, so I gave him nothing to work with.
"How exactly do you know a Miss Sarina Wilkinson?" he asked suddenly.
My mantra dried up in my mouth as I stared incredulously at Detective Warren. What the fuck? This was about Sarina? I'd only dated her for a month before I broke it off and ended up meeting Jenny later the same day. That was weeks ago, and I hadn't given her a thought since. I'd met her through a fetish dating site, looking for someone into rope bondage like me. I'd enjoyed her company, but after she confessed that she loved me, I'd broken things off since I didn't feel the same. How the fuck had Carter found out about her? And why the fuck would she accuse me of these horrible things?
"I take it from the look on your face, that you're familiar with her?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
An Act of Redemption: Order & Chaos Book 3 Page 2
