33. Got Her Point Across

33

GOT HER POINT ACROSS

O ne week later, Aster was putting a tie on and trying not to strangle himself with it.

He was back in Beaumont and getting ready to testify at the trial for Carrington's abductors.

He'd flown into Houston last night, picked up his rental car, and checked into his hotel around ten. He had to be at the courthouse at eight to meet with the DA. He'd been talking to them for weeks while they prepped him.

Today should be the only day he and Carrington took the stand, but he knew it could bleed into tomorrow too, though they were hoping to give closing arguments today. Then he could help his sister pack and they were taking a road trip back home over Saturday and Sunday.

Home wasn't here anymore. It was back on the East Coast.

Twenty-five hours and that didn't include stopping for gas and food.

He and Daphne were going to leave before the sun came up and drive until dark if he had his way, then grab a hotel for a few hours of sleep and do it again on Sunday.

He wanted to be in his own bed on Sunday night. Hell, he'd leave on Friday if Daphne was game and he didn't have court. Even if that meant only driving seven or eight hours after they had her packed up.

Once he was satisfied enough with his tie, he found his shoes and slipped them on, grabbed his phone, fob for the rental, and his wallet. He'd get some breakfast downstairs in the hotel and leave.

When he had his coffee and a muffin, he found a seat out of the way for a few minutes and felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

He pulled it out to see it was Raine wishing him luck today. That she wished she could have come with him.

He would have never wanted her with him for this. He'd even said that. She'd questioned him on why and he'd said he didn't want her to hear about what he'd been through. He didn't want to relive it any more than he wanted her to have the details.

She'd tongue in cheek pointed out that was why she didn't want him to know Colton was back in town.

Were they the same thing? No. Absolutely not.

But she got her point across.

She didn't want him to feel sorry for her and he sure the hell didn't want any sympathy either.

He hated to text and decided to call her.

"Morning," he said.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" she asked.

"More than enough." He'd gone years only getting a few hours. Six hours was a luxury to him now. Anything more than that felt like a gift.

"Are you nervous about today?" she asked.

"Nothing to be nervous about. I know the questions the DA is going to ask. I don't know what the defense attorney will, but let's be honest, it's on video what happened to me."

He didn't expect this to be long. It was pretty cut and dry and once they got the conviction, the judge and the DA could figure out sentencing and anything else.

He just wanted to move on with his life as far away as possible at this point.

"That's true. I hope it's all over with today and then you can relax and help Daphne pack and visit with your family tomorrow before you leave."

He held in the snort. Barely. There would be no visiting with his family. His parents had said they were taking the day off and he was surprised by that. Then he realized it had more to do with the fact that Daphne had told them they might leave Friday and not Saturday and his parents would want the opportunity to hit him up for money.

He could be wrong...he didn't think he was.

"With any luck, we'll be on the road Friday afternoon and home late Saturday or at least early on Sunday. I won't drive straight through, but if we can leave tomorrow, that'd be better."

"Be careful," she said.

"I will," he said.

"I love you. If you get a chance, can you call me tonight?"

"I'll call you tonight," he said. "I've got no plans."

"You're not going to your parents?" she asked.

"No," he said. "Hey, I need to run. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," she said.

He ate his muffin quickly and then took his coffee with him and went to the courthouse.

No, he wasn't going to his parents' house tonight. It's not as if they even offered to have him come to dinner. Daphne had told him that they'd been hinting about going out to eat, then joked he'd be the one picking up the bill.

But the offer never came to get together and he wasn't making the first move.

He'd rather be alone tonight because he knew damn well sitting through this trial today was going to wear on him in more ways than one.

He hoped Raine wasn't upset that he didn't say he loved her back. He wasn't one to do that in public. At least she still wasn't pissed at him over the situation with Colton.

Was he jealous? Maybe he was a touch, but he knew she wouldn't leave him for that asshole. Even if he did have a moment when her words replayed in his mind that she'd waited for her ex. That she thought they'd get back together and work it out.

But no one would be silly enough to hold on for almost ten years. And she'd said she'd never known he was married or divorced. She hadn't talked to him since he moved away.

"Aster?"

He turned his head from where he was sitting in a conference room at the courthouse. The DA had just walked out to take a call and he was on his phone reading the news.

"Carrington?" he said, standing up. He knew he'd see her. He was glad she looked good. Like a teen should look. Strong and confident.

"It's me," Carrington said. "You look great. I mean, everything is okay, right? I heard you moved."

"I did," he said. She walked over and hugged him and he returned it. He was never one for hugging, but in this case, he was just so glad to see she was doing well. There was part of him that hoped he didn't find out she was having nightmares and other issues from what happened but knew that might come up today too.

"I'm glad you could come back for this," Tucker, Carrington's father said.

Tucker might own the oil company his father worked at, but he knew his father and Tucker didn't talk. Hell, it wasn't even Tucker that his father gave Aster's information to set up the account, but rather someone else that worked for Tucker.

Aster never even volunteered how much money it was, but his parents had just assumed it was a million or so and he never said one way or another. It's not like he didn't have to pay taxes on it and when it was done, he barely had over a million at that point.

Now, a lot of it was tied up anyway in investments or would be soon enough. What he had in his savings was a couple hundred thousand of his own money from never spending much of his salary in his military career.

"I wouldn't miss it. With any luck, today won't be too painful and they can give closing arguments."

"That is the hope," Tucker said. "I've been here every day this week."

"Dad didn't want me sitting through it," Carrington said. "But I told him I'm not going to be anywhere else. It's bad enough I've got drivers and bodyguards everywhere, but now they think they've got what they need."

"Carrington," Tucker said, pinning her with a look.

"It's fine," Aster said. "I don't need or want to know. But if there is anything you need from me, know I'm just a flight away. I mean it."

"I should be saying that to you," Tucker said. "I can't thank you enough. Day in and day out. Money will never be enough."

"And you know I didn't want it."

"But you got it and you deserve to start your life over," Carrington said. "I felt horrible when Dad told me you couldn't go back in the service. Now you can do what you want. Can I ask what you're doing?"

"Sure," he said. "My old commander, his wife owns Blossoms. It's lotion, candles, soap, accessories."

"And jewelry," Carrington said. "I've got one of their necklaces."

He grinned. "That too. Zane needed someone to oversee their facilities. That was my specialty in the service. He was doing it along with his construction company, and with their third baby, his wife said enough was enough. They hired me. It all worked out."

"I'm glad to hear that," Tucker said. "Truly glad. I'm not sure what I'd do or who I'd be if I didn't end up with the family business. Sometimes you just know what you're meant to do and if it's taken from you, you can feel a little lost."

"Yeah," he said quietly.

The DA came in before anyone could say another word; they were prepped and then brought into the courtroom.

Aster was the first witness called and was asked what he expected. To identify the driver and the person following Carrington around the store. There were more questions on the attack and the fight, him getting shot. The defense had little to ask of him other than why he was in the store and maybe he was following Carrington too. The DA objected enough and Aster was glad he kept his cool.

Then he had to sit through the video of him being shot and Carrington being questioned.

It broke his heart to hear that, yes, she was getting counseling, but she was doing well. She felt she lost all her freedom and was filled with fear, but she was trying not to let it bring her down.

She was just a kid and, man, did she stand up to them and look them in the eye when she made that statement.

Thankfully after lunch, there were closing statements and he was free to go around four and hoped this chapter would be put behind him.

He could just take his fresh start in a new state with his girlfriend and move past all the horrors he'd witnessed and lived through.

"You've got my number if you need anything," Tucker said. "I mean it. I can never say how thankful I am."

"I do have it," he said. "But I doubt I'll use it."

"I figured as much," Tucker said. "Though maybe if you could check in on Carrington now and again. She's struggling. She feels a bond with you and hadn't known you left. I could have given her your number but felt you needed some peace too."

It felt like a dump truck full of shit dropped on him hearing that. "I'll be in touch with her. I promise."

"She might hit me up for a trip out East this summer."

"It's a great place to vacation," he said.

"Then we might have to plan on it," Tucker said, shaking his hand.

Aster left the courthouse and drove back to his hotel after picking up a pizza to eat in his room alone.

And he hoped this would be the last time he'd ever feel this way again.