Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 85342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
The door opens and Stuart comes back out. “How is she?” I rush to him.
“In shock,” he says, and I put my head back and hiss out. “Her prints are done. She knows some of the guys in there, so they want to get her out fast.” He looks down and then up again. “The prosecutor knows she isn’t a flight risk.” I groan. “Bail is going to be set at seventy-five thousand.”
“Fine. I have that covered,” I state. “Should I call someone to fill out papers or something?”
“My office is working on the paperwork. I don’t know how to say this, but she is going to have to stay overnight.”
“No fucking way,” I grit between clenched teeth. I thought I felt helpless before, I lied.
“I tried my best but the docket is closed for the day.” He looks at my father. “I could call in a couple of favors but with everything she is facing with the case, I am not going to do it. The last thing she needs is to be showed favoritism.”
“So we just let her rot all night in jail?” I throw my hands up, and I swear to God, I really wish I could break walls right now.
“They have her in a cell by herself. She knows half the men in the back there. She is going to be fine without being fine.”
“She is not going to be fine,” I say, closing my eyes.
“There is nothing we can do,” Max says. “If there was, we would be doing it.” He slaps my shoulder.
“I’ll be here first thing tomorrow,” Stuart declares. “Call me if you need me.”
“What do you mean, you have it covered?” My father looks at me.
“It means that I’m going to be covering her bail,” I say, putting my hands on my hips, “and her lawyer fees.”
Max just pffts out, “Really?”
“Really,” I say and then Michael comes in.
“What’s going on?” he asks and then looks at the three of us. “What happened?”
“Julia is going to be in until tomorrow,” Max says to him.
“Dad,” he says, his voice filled with as much pain as I feel right now. “We can’t leave her in there.”
“We have no choice,” Max says softly. “Bail is set at seventy-five thousand.”
“It’s fine,” Michael says and then my father laughs.
“Yeah, Chase is covering it.” My father slaps my shoulder now.
“Why?” Michael asks, his eyes going small as he glares at me.
“Because she’s my responsibility,” I state, and I have never been surer of anything in my whole life.
“You haven’t even been on a date with her.” Michael folds his arms over his chest. “How can she be yours?”
I look down and then up at them. “She became mine when I had to hold her in my bathtub while she cried in my arms.” All three of them look at me with open mouths. “She was probably mine before then, I was just too stupid to see it.”
“I’ll agree with that,” my father says. “Now I need to know that you are not going to go nuts in there.” He motions with his chin toward a door that Stuart just went into. “You are going to see her standing in front of a judge in handcuffs.” The thought alone makes my body feel like someone set me on fire. “So I’m going to need you to chill the fuck out. The last thing she needs is seeing you lose it.”
I look down and take a deep breath in and exhale. “I’ll be fine,” I lie. They all know I’m lying because each of them would be the same as me right now. “I just need to get her out of here.”
“Well, we will come back tomorrow and take her home,” my father declares and I shake my head furiously.
“I’m not leaving.” My voice comes out in a whisper and I look at the three of them. There are no words I can say except the ones that come out. “If she’s here, so am I.”
CHAPTER 23
Julia
I follow the officer into the police station, never been brought in from the back. The officer, who I’ve never met before, holds my arm a bit too tight but the last thing I’m going to do is say something to him. The minute he lets go of my arm, it throbs. Did he really think I was going to try to run?
When we walk into the station, I see Wayne and Derrick, two officers I usually work with on cases. “Sit here.” The officer points at a plastic chair beside a desk. I sit down, not saying a word, he turns and walks away.
“Julia, we are so fucking sorry.” Derrick comes over to me and I just shake my head.
“Rudy,” Wayne yells to the officer who brought me in, “uncuff her!”
“That’s not procedure,” Rudy replies, coming back and looking at the both of them.