Chapter 38

CHAPTER

THIRTY-EIGHT

ALEXANDER

I’ve waited days for this meeting. Jack reached out to his friend in the District Attorney’s office and agreed to share what he could regarding Pauly’s case.

Trevor’s still with me, and I’m not sure when he’ll head back to Savannah. He’s keeping a watchful eye on me. It’s an interesting role reversal. The inmate is now the warden.

After that first night, he hasn’t asked a lot of questions. I still sleep in my spare bedroom. I’m not sure if he knows why, but he doesn’t ask. My friends and family are supportive in their own way. No doubt there’s a group chat where I’m the main subject. That’s what we Deckers do. We rally. I know these people all too well. But so far, they’ve all stayed radio silent with me because they know me too. That’s how I operate. It’s not often I’m in this situation, but when I am, I’m thoughtful and strategic. I need quiet to think, to function. But that was before them. Dani and Tyler are anything but quiet. Now the silence is a reminder of what I’ve lost. I miss the chaos .

But I can’t talk about this. Her. This is the time for action.

Seeing her at that ballgame, sitting in the stands, pretending to smile. It damn near killed me not to storm over there, throw her over my shoulder, and lock her in a room with me until she knows how much I love her. Yep. There it is. I love her, and she doesn’t even know. No. She thinks I’m using her.

But she asked for space, so I give it to her. I’ll give her anything she asks for, even things she doesn’t. Like help.

“Thanks for coming in on your off time. I appreciate it.”

“Of course.” Jack looks at Trevor. “You look good, T.”

“Almost one hundred percent,” Trevor grins. He pops his cast on the table for inspection. He’s expecting to get it off next week.

“So, what did you find out?” Anxiety consumes me. Once I know what I’m dealing with, I can solve this problem. But I need information.

“First, I’ll share what I can, but you aren’t going to like it.”

I nod. “I don’t like a fucking thing about this, Jack. That monster attacks an innocent woman, and now she has to relive it in a courtroom. Believe me, there isn’t a fucking thing I like about any of this right now.” I get up and start pacing. I’ve kept my anger at bay by damming it up, staying focused on the issue, working out the problem. But the dam is about to crack, and I pity anyone in the way when that happens.

Since she told me to leave that fateful night, I've been like a caged animal, ready to fight. Fight for her. For us. I’ve contained it, but Trevor knows I’m a ticking time bomb. Totally explains the watchful eye.

“So, we have two things going on simultaneously. First, the criminal charges. They set the court date for the first Monday in December. The DA’s office thinks it should be cut and dry. The video footage speaks for itself. Regardless of motive, it was assault.” Jack looks at Trevor for support when he says the words.

“What do you mean, regardless of motive?” I say each word with slow pr ecision. Motive? What reason would he have to hit her other than being a worthless human being?

“That’s the second part. The request for deposition wasn’t for the criminal case.” Jack’s letting it sink in. Going slow. Letting me process what he’s saying.

“He’s suing her,” Trevor whispers. He’s fucking thinking out loud.

“What?!” I roar. “How can that be?” I throw my water bottle against the wall. It doesn’t have the same satisfaction as a whiskey glass, but it’s all I have.

“I don’t have much information on the details,” Jack starts. “But here’s my educated guess. Based on what I’ve gathered, he’s suing her, naming her as the reason he lost his job. He’s alleging that you hired her to set him up so you would have an excuse to fire him and void his contract. He knows you were in talks to trade him, and no one wanted his hefty contract. He’s claiming he was set up.”

I knock over a chair, fury running through me. I don’t think I’ve ever been this angry and frustrated. Jack and Trevor let me simmer for a few minutes, both frozen in place.

When I get control of my temper, Trevor asks the obvious question. “Why sue her and not Xander or the Reapers? They’re the ones who fired him and have the deep pockets.” All of this is true. I nod, agreeing with Trevor.

“Why is he going after her?” I ask.

“I don’t know, but I suspect he’s not actually going after her.” I give him a quizzical look. After a long sigh, he says, “He’s going after you.”

“Me? What kind of fucked up logic is that?” Is this my fault? She’s going through this because of me? I keep coming back to the question that hurts every time I ask it. Why didn’t she tell me? Does she blame me?

“Again, I don’t know. He won’t have a case coming after you or the Reapers if convicted. But if he goes after her, he figures you’ll hea r about it and settle something with him off the books and out of court.”

“What makes him think I’d do that?” Of course, I will. I’ll do anything to protect her. Pauly Jackson doesn’t know that, though. What is that slimy bastard up to?

Jack holds up his phone, and a picture fills the screen. It’s me kissing Dani behind my car at Tyler’s practice. My hand is fisted in her curls, her hands around my neck, pulling me in. He swipes at the picture, and there’s another one of us getting ice cream and another one of me with her and Tyler eating dinner at a restaurant.

My stomach rolls, and I feel like I could vomit. “He had someone following her?” I pace again. “I need to get her security and find someone to get this fucking peeping tom off her immediately. Tell me how to do that, Jack. How do I keep them safe?” I’m begging him for help. I’ve never felt so desperate and helpless in my life.

“We can arrange something, but they probably followed you and stumbled onto this. You aren’t going to like this, but I think if you stay away, she’ll be okay. You absolutely cannot be near her or that courtroom. Don’t fight me on it, please. It’s what’s best for her.” Jack winces.

I’m grateful for my friend. He’s shooting it to me straight. I’m not sure how he got those pictures, but I’ve no doubt he’s called in more than a few favors for me.

Meanwhile, he’s told me she has to go through this alone.

“What does she know?” Trevor asks.

Jack shakes his head. “I don’t know. She’s aware she’s being sued, but she didn’t have a lawyer present during the deposition. Or if she did, they did a piss-poor job of representing her. I’m not sure she gets the full picture.” My brave, strong, trusting sunshine. I can’t imagine what they put her through. The thoughts and images they put in her head. Charity case? Makes a little more sense now. I don’t need to think about us or me at the moment. This is all about her .

I sit down and put my head in my hands. I need to help get her out of my mess, and knowing how we left things, I need to do it with as little direct interaction as possible. She’ll refuse my help. Our focus, MY focus, needs to be on her. I’m getting her out of this nightmare with as much dignity and positivity as possible.

“So what do I need to do, Jack?”

“I’ve got a few ideas, but you’ve gotta let me handle it.” Putting someone else in control of this is hard, but if I can trust anyone, it’s Jack. It looks like I don’t have much of a choice.

“Do it.”