CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SEVEN MONTHS LATER

"Time served?"

"That's the deal."

"And probation?"

"No probation."

"Community service?"

"Nada.Time served.Nothing more."

But Vivian was unbelieving. She had been rotting away in that filthy county jail for over seven months waiting for her trial to begin and not even a whisper about any such deal. But now, on the day before her trial was set to start, and as soon as she walked into the lawyers' visiting room to meet with her attorney and map out their court strategy, she had a deal.

It would have made more sense to Vivian had the prosecution not insisted all along that she would get ten years at least, but probably more even if she copped a plea. And her brother, according to them, would get an even harsher sentence because they had video evidence, they claimed, that showed how he helped Kirby on many of his steals. But now this hotshot lawyer that she'd only seen once before, which was on the day of her arrest when the judge wouldn't grant her bail, was telling her he'd struck a deal with those same prosecutors?

"Forgive me for being skeptical," she said to the great Theordore Goldberg. "But why would they give me a sweetheart deal like that when they said I wouldn't serve less than a decade behind bars even with a deal?"

"That's their scare tactics. Start high as the sky, then work their way down to reasonable ground. Depending on your attorney's reputation, they will barely move off of that position, or they will move completely off of that position. I have a great reputation. They moved way off."

"You didn't tell me it worked like that."

"That's not my job. My job is to get you out of here. I've done my job."

"And you said no probation?"

"No probation. No community service. None of that shit. Time served and that's it. We'll tell the judge you will be a productive citizen. You already have a job and--"

"What job? I don't have a job."

Theo was confused. He began looking through his notes. "I'm sure I saw where you owned a cleaning service before you got locked up?"

"But I don't own it anymore."

"But didn't you get a contract with HOJ? I know I read that somewhere."

"We signed the contract on behalf of our business the day before I was arrested, yes. But my best friend's boyfriend ended up taking over just to keep it afloat. I had to sign over my rights to the company or Mason would have refused to take over."

"How's it doing now?"

"Nayla, that's my best friend, said it's doing good. They were able to fulfill that HOJ contract, which led to other contracts too."

"Then I'm sure if it's doing that well then this Mason person will be willing to hire you as a permanent maid. Right?"

Vivian was still smarting over that takeover. But she was locked up, Nayla was going through a messy divorce, and Mason had the wherewithal to keep the business afloat. She had asked if she could keep a stake in the business, but he said no. He wanted one hundred percent control. Which, she knew, was typical Mason. "Nayla still works for the company, so I'm sure she'll hire me."

"Good," he said, as he began writing it down. "That's what we'll tell the judge. It always look better if you have a plan for re-entry."

"What about my brother, Mr. Goldberg? Is he still locked up too? Nobody will tell me anything."

"My assignment was to not only represent you, but your younger brother as well. And that I did. I was able to get him four years' probation."

"Four years? Not time served too?"

"No way. I know you love the kid and think he's the cat's meow, but he's not. I saw the video evidence. He was in cahoots with your boyfriend. He stole many items right alongside him. You thought they were close like father and son. It was more like Bonnie and Clyde. Without the romance, of course."

Vivian had come to believe it too. Which was a shock at first. Now nothing shocked her. "What's the plan for him?"

"He was released into his father's custody two days ago."

Vivian smiled. "He's out?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh that's great news!" She was elated. "And you said his father has custody? But he never wanted to have anything to do with Rog."

"He does now that he saw how many years his son was facing. He blames you, not the boy. Which is a load of bull, but he would have to blame himself if he blamed your brother."

"Right," said Vivian, shaking her head.

"But being in a different environment is the best outcome for him. His father is a college professor, lives in a great neighborhood, and he has strict rules in his household. I think the kid will do well. But . . ."

"But what?"

"Part of the deal stipulated that your guardianship over your brother would be revoked, which it has been, and a restraining order issued until his eighteenth birthday, which that has been issued too."

A sadness appeared in Vivian's eyes. "I tried all I could to raise him right. Then I bring Kirby around and almost ruined his life."

"He was heading down the wrong path even before your boyfriend came into the picture, despite your best efforts. He had many issues at school that I'll bet you weren't aware of."

Vivian was aware of some in-school suspensions, but nothing else.

Theo stared at Vivian. "Don't take it too hard. The courts felt, by the nature of your arrest alone, that you would be a bad influence on him. It's a normal reaction. And, as I'm sure you know, it takes a man to raise a man."

Vivian was still hurt that anybody would think she was a bad influence on her own baby brother after all she tried to instill in him. But she was the one who brought Kirby around. She was the one that placed that serious bad influence right in front of her brother. It was her fault. "Thanks for helping him," she said to her attorney.

Theo waved her appreciation away. "Don't thank me. Thank my boss. Thank Mr. Janardi."

Vivian looked at Theo. "Why's he helping me like this?"

Theo found that an odd question to ask. "Don't you know why?"

"No. The last time I spoke to him we nearly came to blows."

Theo leaned back. "Blows?"

"Yes! I had mistakenly walked into his office and he didn't like it one bit. We practically got into a screaming match. But even after that he ordered one of his assistants to give my cleaning company a contract to clean ten floors at HOJ. Then I get arrested, and instead of severing those ties with me, he hired you to represent me. Which is crazy. I don't understand why he would be so nice to me when he seemed to hate my guts when I was in his office."

"And there's no history between the two of you?"

Vivian hesitated on her response. "A brief history, yes."

"That must be it then," Theo said like man who preferred obvious solutions. "But arguing with someone? No surprise there. That sounds exactly like Gio. He's cut from a different cloth, pardon my pun. But he is."

Then Theo stood up.

"How is he?" Vivian asked. She'd been thinking about him a lot while she was locked up.

Theo considered her. "He's . . . not so good these days. He's had a rough deal. But he'll rally."

Vivian wanted to ask what that "rough deal" was all about, but she knew it was none of her business.

"Tomorrow we go to court," Theo said. "You will plead no contest and the judge will agree to the terms of the deal, including the fact that you will report to work at your former company within three days of your release."

"When will my release be?"

"As soon as they can process you out after the court hearing. And then, Miss Ellis," he added, extending his hand, "you shall be free to go home young lady. With no strings attached."

Home , Vivian thought as she shook his hand. She lost her brother, her apartment, and her business within the first week of her incarceration, and he was talking about being free and going home. But what home was she going to? What true freedom was she going to have?

It didn't feel like freedom to her.

And nothing felt like home anymore.

It all just felt different.