Faith (Stregth Series Book 2)

by T. L. Nicholas

  The door opens and a tiny lady dressed in a wrinkled gray skirt suit comes in. Her hair is all over the place and her lipstick has feathered into the lines around her lips, but there’s none left on her actual lips. It reminds me of a clown. A very sad clown.

  She throws a stack of papers on the table, and sits down in the chair opposite me. There’s a brown stain on the front of her white shirt, and her collar is up on one side and down on the other. “Okay, Maria Hollis, you’ve been arrested for drug possession and prostitu— “

  “That’s not my name. I’m not Mary-whoever. I’m Bayleigh. Bayleigh Richards.”

  She looks up, brown eyes blank. “No, this says you’re Mar— “

  “I don’t care what it says, I’m Bayleigh Richards. B-a-y-l-e-i-g-h R-i— “

  “Hold on, hold on.” She rifles through the papers, finding what she’s looking for. “Here you are. Okay, Bayleigh Richards, you’re charged with assault and — “

  “I didn’t do anything,” I say.

  “Of course. No one ever does,” she says rolling her eyes.

  “I really didn’t. I don’t even know who accused me.”

  “Oh, well, they should have already told you, you should pay attention next time,” she says, annoyed with me.

  “I did pay attention. They never told me.”

  “Well, it doesn’t really matter who said it, or why. You’re charged, and we go to arraignment in twenty minutes. So, I assume you’re pleading not guilty, yes?”

  I nod, “Yes, but who said I assaulted them?”

  She sighs, searching through her paperwork. “Amelia Carter.” She looks up at me.

  “Who the hell is that? I don’t know anyone named Amelia. Where did it happen? What happened?” I ask.

  “Don’t worry about any of that, it will all come out in your eventual trial. Right now, you just have to tell me who you want me to call to pick you up. From the looks of things, you should be released until your court date. You don’t have any priors and this isn’t a felony charge. Oh, and I’m Lisa Thomas, I’m your public defender. So, who do you want me to call?”

  “Jace Morris,” I say, reciting his cell phone number.

  She blinks at me like an owl. “Who?”

  “Jace Morris, J-a-c-e M-o-r-r-i — “

  “From the construction company?” she asks, eyes wide.

  Really? He wouldn’t have slept with her, would he? Fuck. I sigh. “Yes.”

  “You know you can’t just call any random person, right? It has to be someone who actually knows who you are.”

  I laugh at the absurdity of this conversation. “Well, considering I live with him and he sleeps next to me every night, I’m pretty sure he knows who the fuck I am. What’s your problem? Did every single woman on earth sleep with him? Jesus! I can’t do this.”

  Her face flushes, red as a stop sign, “No, no, I’ve never slept with him. He fixed my fence a few days ago.”

  “The chain link that was hit by a plow? You have German Shepherds?” I ask, floored. This world is too small, and I’m the biggest moron in it.

  “Yes,” she says, surprised.

  “I was in the truck. We were already out when you called. Or, actually, it was a guy that called.” Now I’m confused.

  “My father called. I was sick.”

  “Oh. Okay, well can you, or your father, or someone, please call him for me? He must be worried. I’m sure he’s been home for hours.”

  “Yes, I’ll call him right away, and I’ll see you when you go in front of the Judge.” She picks up her papers and knocks on the door. The officer opens it, letting her out, then comes in and gets me.

  “Bayleigh Richards!” The court officer yells. Lisa and I go in, and I see Jace sitting towards the back. He smiles at me, looking worried, and I wonder how the hell he got here so quickly.

  We get in front of the Judge, a stern looking man with gray hair and glasses. He reads the charges and asks how I plead. I say not guilty, and then Lisa asks the Judge to release me on my own recognizance, “Her boyfriend is an upstanding member of the community, and she has no resources of her own, and no priors.”

  The prosecutor, a slimy looking weasel of a man says, “Your honor, her ‘boyfriend’ has nearly limitless resources, however ‘upstanding’ he may be. We request remand.”

  Oh my God. They’re calling him my boyfriend, what if he thinks I told them that?

  The Judge stares at me for a long moment, “I don’t think the charges are adequate for remand, whatever resources the defendant has access to. I release Bayleigh Richards to her own recognizance.”

  “Thank you, Your Honor,” I say, relieved beyond words.

  They lead me out, uncuff me, make me sign what seems like a million papers, and then tell me to go through a big wooden door. I open it and look around, there are people everywhere. They run into me, talking on cellphones and to each other. I flatten myself against the wall, closing my eyes, trying to disappear.

  “Bayleigh. You’re okay. Come on, I’ll get you out of here.” I’ve never been so happy to hear someone’s voice in my life. He takes my hand leading me out. When we get outside he takes his coat off, wrapping it around my shoulders. “They didn’t even let you get a coat? It’s freezing out!”

  “I’m okay, take your coat, Jace. I have a sweater, you’re in a t-shirt!” I try to hand it back, but he won’t take it. “Nope, I’m good,” he says.

  We get to the truck, and get in. He starts the truck, putting his hands in front of the heater vent. “I’m sorry, Jace. You should have kept your coat.”

  “It’s not as if you chose not to get a coat, Bayleigh. They didn’t give you an option. I didn’t know or I would have grabbed it.”

  “How did you get here so fast?” I ask.

  “I was already downstairs, trying to report you missing, but not getting anywhere. That Lisa lady was walking through and saw me, said she’d been trying to call me. I’m such an idiot, I left my cell in the truck. I never imagined you’d been arrested. If they would have just looked up your name they could have told me.”

  He drives the truck out into traffic, “What the hell happened?”

  “I don’t know, Jace. They say I assaulted someone. I have no idea what they’re talking about.”

  “Who did you supposedly assault?” he asks.

  “I don’t recognize the name. Ariel? Andrea? No, Amelia! Amelia Carter. I don’t — “

  “That BITCH!” he yells, startling me. He grips the steering wheel hard, knuckles turning white.

  Okay, so this is about him, obviously. Awesome. “One of your… flings?” I ask, trying not to sound as annoyed as I feel.

  “Hell, no. Never touched the parasitic bitch. It’s Misty. Amelia Misty Carter. I’m so sorry, Tiny.”

  “Oooooh. Now it all makes sense. She did scream that me pushing her out of the house was assault. And, she did say she’d make us pay. I guess she meant it.” I laugh, and he looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have. “Sorry, it’s just that it never even occurred to me. I never thought of her. That’s what happens when you underestimate people.”

  “We’ll get a good lawyer and get rid of this nonsense. I’ll call Chance and get him to press charges on her for trespassing, then she won’t have a leg to stand on.”

  “Oh, don’t do that, don’t get Chance involved.”

  “He’s already involved. She was looking for him or she wouldn’t have even been there.”

  “It can’t be that big of a deal. All I did was push her out of the house I live in. She was asked to leave, repeatedly, and refused. I removed her. It’s not like I hit her or something. Let’s just wait and see what happens.”

  “How about no? You can bet your ass she’ll have a good lawyer and she’ll fight it to the end.”

  He’s angry. At me. “Jace, please. You can get the lawyer if you insist, and if the lawyer suggests we press trespassing charges, we’ll call Chance. Please. Can we wait and see what the lawyer says?”

/>   He sighs, glancing over at me. “Okay. I’m sorry. I just can’t believe she did that. To you. Me and Chance are the ones she hates, especially me. I can’t believe she went after you.”

  “She thinks I’m important to you. It makes sense.”

  “Well, at least she’s right about something,” he says, smiling over at me. Butterflies take flight in my stomach.

  “I’m sorry they said you were my boyfriend. I didn’t tell them that. I mean, I told the lawyer I live with you and you sleep next to me, but that was only because she wasn’t going to call you. She thought I was lying.”

  “I told her to say that,” he says, grinning.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I know you don’t want to give anything a name, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. And also because I did a pretty huge job for the judge and I knew it would matter if you were my girlfriend.”

  CHAPTER 14

  I’m relieved to be home. Jace and I sit on the couch, eating fast food burgers and fries right out of the bag, and watching television. He’s sitting in the middle, and I’m on the end, my back against the arm and my legs over his lap. It’s some sort of crime show, and it’s mildly entertaining, but I’m having trouble concentrating on it.

  Jace’s cell rings and I mute the show while he answers. He tells whoever it is about my case and makes an appointment for next Tuesday. The person on the other end keeps talking, and Jace looks confused. He keeps looking at me, questioningly.

  I mouth the word ‘what’ and hold my hands out, palms up. He shakes his head and looks out the window. “Yes, okay. I’ll find out and get back to you.” There’s a long pause while the other person talks, then “Okay. I’ll let you know on Tuesday. Thank you.” He hangs up, a strange look on his face.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were assaulted in jail, Bayleigh?”

  He looks hurt, like he thinks I don’t trust him. “Because I wasn’t. They’re filthy liars!”

  His expression changes to one of disbelief, “Really, because the lawyer says the man that was charged with it, just recently got out of prison for manslaughter and was in jail this time for theft. Are you seriously going to defend him?”

  “Yes, I am. And I’m not sure I like this lawyer, when he’s leaving out important words like involuntary manslaughter and petty theft. Let me explain,” I answer. He studies me for a long moment, then nods.

  I tell him everything. Greasy-haired girl, old man, Ben, the nurse, the officers, everything.

  “You had an attack in jail? I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, Bayleigh.” He says, rubbing my legs where they lay on his lap.

  “Yeah, but I held it off for a long time. I was doing really good. I thought you’d be proud of me, but then greasy-haired girl’s spittle landed on me and it was too much.”

  “I am proud of you. When you had to see the Judge, I was terrified for you. All those people. You did so good, Tiny.”

  “Thank you.” I smile at him. “So, what can we do about Ben?”

  “What do you mean? He stole it, I know it’s not fair, but it’s the law. I don’t think we can do anything.”

  “I know that, but they shouldn’t be able to charge him for an assault that never happened. They’re using me to hurt him, just like Misty is using me to hurt you and Chance. It’s not fair. To anyone. There has to be a way to stop them from charging him over me.”

  He squeezes my leg, then grabs my hand, raising it to his lips and kissing it lightly, “You’re such a good person, I don’t know where you came from. We’ll have the lawyer look in to it. I promise.”

  “Thank you, Jace.”

  “Anything you need. I’m here for you. Stop forgetting that,” he says, grinning, and I laugh.

  The days move by quickly. Jace takes me everywhere with him, and I know coming home and not being able to find me scared him. I feel bad about it, but I’m relieved that I’m handling public better every day. We’ve gone to lunch and dinner, the grocery store, and the movies, with minimal freak outs. I guess, in a way, it’s been a blessing. If it wasn’t for him being so scared, I would have just stayed home all these times. I don’t think I would have progressed as quickly.

  He never guilted me into going or anything, but I could see it in his eyes every time he said he had to go somewhere, so I just asked if I could go too. His harem, as I think of them, isn’t being a pain anymore. I don’t know if word just got around, or if he spread it, but I’m grateful. They don’t look at me as though they’re planning my death, they’re not snarky or mean, and they don’t throw themselves at him in front of me. I catch some jealous glances now and then, but it’s so much better than it was.

  All in all, life is getting much better. There’s too much going on for me to tell him about the doctor’s appointment, and he hasn’t asked, but I’ve convinced myself that it’s not that big of a deal. Especially with Jace.

  Yesterday, we were out almost all day. We went to the lawyer, who thinks he can have the charges dropped in no time. Turns out Misty has a long history of ‘retaliatory charges’ I think he called them. He also promised to look into the mess for Ben, and Jace volunteered to pay for his defense, on all charges, which blew my mind a little bit. He says if I liked him, he likes him, and it sounds like the guy has had a hard time. I can’t think about what that did to my heart.

  After the lawyer, we went to lunch, and then to some ladies’ apartment to buy some tools she was selling. I guess he wanted them for work, but they looked old and worn out. I didn’t say that, though, because he seemed really happy with them. Maybe he collects them. We went to the mall and walked around, and I only panicked once, Jace expertly derailing it.

  The bad side of it all being that I can’t deny I’m falling for him anymore. Every day he does little things that make my heart melt. I’m living moment to moment, terrified to imagine what the future looks like.

  I talked to Alex this morning and she sounded so happy. She wouldn’t tell me what her and Sharon are working on, but she sounds so excited about it. I’m happy for her. I told her that Jace and I are getting close. I was really nervous, but she surprised me by saying, “Finally. Good lord, I thought we were going to have to lock you two in a room. He’s had a thing for you since you walked through the door.” I don’t believe her, but she insisted it’s the truth. I can’t go there.

  He still sleeps next to me every night, holds my hand when we’re in the truck or out anywhere, and is generally wonderful. I feel like my life is finally coming together.

  I’m sitting at the kitchen island, watching him cook dinner, when there’s a knock on the door. My heart skips, but doesn’t stop. Improvement.

  “Can you stir this? I’ll get the door,” he says.

  “Sure,” I answer, getting up to do it. I probably shouldn’t be, because it’s cheese sauce for the broccoli he’s making, and we agreed I was never going to do that again, but I want to answer the door even less. I stir the sauce, staring at it intently. Don’t boil over, don’t boil over, don’t boil over.

  “Hello, Bayleigh Richards,” a familiar voice says. I turn around, “Oh my God! Ben! What are you doing here?” I sound like an idiot. Jace is smiling behind him.

  Ben holds his hand out to me, “Hey, I can actually shake your hand this time,” he says, laughing. I laugh too, shaking his hand, then give in and hug him. He freezes for a second, then hugs me back. I let him go, and go back to the island, while Jace stirs the sauce. “I’m sorry for the hugging, I don’t usually do that, but I’m so glad you’re not in jail!”

  “That’s probably temporary, but yeah, I’m glad too,” he says. He sits down next to me when Jace asks him too. He’s so built, it feels like he fills the kitchen.

  “What are you doing here? I mean, I’m really glad to see you, but I’m confused.”

  He laughs, “Well, join the club. I have no idea. Jace called me, explained who he is, and asked me to come to dinner. I don’t have a busy schedule or anything, so I thought, why not?”


  We both look at Jace, and he smiles at me. “I know you’ve been worried about him. I thought you’d feel better if you could see that he’s okay.”

  My face hurts from smiling. I would think most men would feel threatened, or jealous, if the woman they say they care about spent as much time thinking about another man as I have about Ben. It’s not like that at all, of course, but most men wouldn’t believe that.

  “Dinner’s almost ready, if you want to have a seat in the dining room, Ben.” Jace says, gesturing in the direction of the dining room. “Bay and I’ll be in, in a second.”

  Ben stands up, and I realize he’s almost as tall as Jace. The man is a mountain. “Sure thing. Can I wash up first? My truck is burning oil and I had to add some.”

  “Right around the corner,” Jace says.

  We hear the bathroom door close and Jace turns to me, “Are you happy?”

  “Yes! I can’t believe you did this. I don’t know why, but thank you.”

  He puts his hands on my waist and pulls me in, “Because you made some really good points, I really do trust your judgement, and because I’ll do anything to make you smile.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him. I don’t know what else to say. This is all I have, and I kiss him with everything I have.

  After a minute, he pulls away, “Okay, don’t turn me on too much or I’ll have to ask him to leave.”

  I laugh, even as his words make me shiver. “Here, you carry this, and I’ll get the chicken and broccoli,” he says.

  When we’re all seated at the table, food served, we settle into a pattern of conversation. It’s pleasant and reminds me of what it’s like when Chance and Alex are here. It turns out Jace and Ben have a lot in common. They talk about construction through most of the dinner, then Jace asks how Ben’s case is going.

  “Pretty good. I have this lawyer, a good one, who called me yesterday afternoon, and offered to handle my case pro bono.”

  I can feel the shock on my face, but Jace stares at me, slowly shaking his head, and I realize he told the lawyer to say that. I make a mental note to find out what that’s about later.