Seduced 5 (5 page)

Chapter 9

Tristan

“I’m sorry, Tristan, but I’ve got to go now.” Trisha hugged me tightly at the airport. She was finally moving to live with her mother in Indiana.

“I’m sorry, Trisha. I wish I could be better than you thought.” I felt sad. She was a best friend to me. Actually, more than that. I could trust her, rely on her, for anything. But finally she was going away. I held her at arms distance. Her blue eyes were full of tears. “Trust me, Trisha. You will get a better one. And I’m sensing it’s near.”

She looked back as the announcer gave the last call for her flight. She had to go, now.

“Thanks, Tristan. Thanks for everything.” She wiped her tears away.

“No more tears, Trisha.” My palm darted to her cheek, resting there for a second, and then I waved her goodbye.

I walked away from there. Seeing her going away would have been worse for me. I walked back to the parking lot, where Nikki and Stephen were waiting for me in the car. Stephen jumped at me as I went closer. It was a miracle that he still remembered me after not seeing me for almost seven months.

“She really liked you.” Nikki rubbed her hand on my shoulder.

“She is very sweet—too sweet, actually. I adore her very much and I wish she’d get someone in due time. I really wish that for her.” I was getting emotional. It had never been easy to say goodbye.

“She will,” Nikki sighed.

We got in the car after putting Stephen in his seat.

“Now what?” Nikki asked.

“Peterson, we need to consult him. I already sent him the docs. He should be ready with some solution.” I hoped he would be ready with something for the case. Last night, I counted up all my property value with the help of Trisha, but it was nowhere near the debt Nikki’s company owed. Even if I decided to sell my bookstore business, I would be at less than half of the money required.

***

“Give me a good news, chap.” I bumped my fist on Peterson’s table.

He looked at me with wary eyes. ““I’m sorry, Tristan, but there is no way we can win this case.” His eyes darted away. He tried to hide them from me.

“Come on, Peterson. We’ve known each other for more than a year now. There should be a way to get out of this mess. What about selling all my assets?”

“No, Tristan, you can’t sell everything you have for my business,” Nikki insisted.

“Stephen is more important than this, Nikki.” I looked at the little chap playing in his bouncer.“I can’t let Shaun do this to you. I’ll make sure we get out of this with Stephen.”

I remembered the last few days we’d spent trying to figure out something. I even got Trisha to postpone her flight for me so she could help me in this. But nothing worked out. Nobody could find a way out.

Finally, I contacted my sponsor, but nobody was willing to spend this amount of money. The more days we spent doing nothing, the more tension Nikki was experiencing. She was hiding it from me, but her eyes told me the story. Her usual calm had been collapsing on little things. She started making Stephen sleep in our room.

Last night, I forced her to put Stephen in his room. She was doing it, but then at midnight I found her going to his room and weeping while holding him to her heart. I could imagine how hard it was for her when it was very difficult for me to think of Stephen not living with us.

“Look at that boy, Peterson. We have to save him. We can’t make him spend his childhood without his mother. I can’t let that happen. Please do something.” My voice lowered. I was begging him. I'd never done that in my whole life.

“I wish I could do something, Tristan. I even contacted one of the senior members of a council in another state, but he said it’s impossible. Sorry, but her drug addiction has killed this case already. We can’t get custody of that kid. And Shaun will make sure that her side will be portrayed as a drug addict mother in front of court.” He looked at Nikki, who was looking back at Stephen. “Sorry, Nikki, but this is the truth and I don’t want to hide it from you.

Logically, he was right. I knew no jury would allow the custody to a mother who had been arrested for drug addiction.

“If only you could get that money back somehow,” Peterson offered.

“I’m gonna kill that bastard. I just wish I knew where he was right now.” I bumped my fist on his table again; this time the papers placed on it scattered away.

“You better control your anger, dude.” Peterson got up to collect those papers. “I think you should hire some private investigator for this job. I highly doubt that jerk, Gerome, got out of the country.”

“Private investigator?”

“Yes, like a detective. He can help you.” He cocked his brows.

“That sounds like a good idea. Do you know anyone?” I asked. The detective would have his own means to find out where Gerome was.

“I think I know one. I have’ a friend from college who did this job. I’ll check and let you know," he said while picking the last paper from the ground.

“Thanks, buddy, I’ll wait to hear from you.” I shook his hand. It was the last hope, then. Once we found that jerk, Gerome, we could think of a way to get the money out of him.

Chapter 10

Nikki

All the muscles in my body were tensed when his punch hit that officer. The nose broke and blood spilled on that officer’s mouth. The officer howled loud and I saw another officer running to them with a gun pointing at Tristan.

I watched everything with stone eyes. That officer deserved a punch, but this put Tristan in danger.

“Put your hands behind your head and get back, dude, or I’ll shoot you," the running officer shouted at Tristan.

Tristan turned around and put his hands behind his head.

“I’m sorry, Officer, but this one was a jerk and pushed my girlfriend over the car.” Tristan tried to reply.

“Say it in court, pal. I’m arresting you for the assault of an officer on duty.”

They were arresting him. He’d punched an officer like that.
What should I do?
I was standing there alone in front of the grocery market, Stephen with me, watching the officers putting the cuffs on Tristan’s hand. My palms were sweaty and I had’ little to no idea what I should be doing now?
How am I supposed to get him out of jail now?
It was all my fault from the beginning.

It all started with a little fight with the traffic cop. We were inside the shopping mall, buying some stuff for Stephen. When we came out, a note was stuck to our car. A male officer was standing nearby.

I walked over to him.

“Officer.”

He turned around with a smirk on his face. “Is that your car?” His eyes darted to our car.

“Yes, can I ask the reason for putting this note on our car?”

“The reason is written on it.” He grinned. “Jerks, they don’t even read and come asking.” I could hear him.

My nerves shot up. “It’s written as wrong day of parking here.”

“So?” He frowned.

“Can you please explain how this is the wrong day today?” My teeth were clenched. He was pissing me off now.

“Do you expect me to write an essay for you? Go away, woman. I have’ lot’s of work to do. I don’t have time for jerks like you.” He turned around.

I touched his shoulder.“Listen, Officer. You can’t talk to a woman like this. Heck, you can’t answer any citizen like this. When I demand an answer, you ought to give it to me.”

He turned around with crazy eyes. He pushed me on my car window by my shoulder. “Lady, you don’t touch an officer. And I don’t give answers to anyone. I can put you in jail for this. Now, don’t piss me off.”

A hand came from behind him and pulled him back. The officer was dragged back and then I saw a punch hitting his face, blood spilling out of his nose. He was holding the officer by one collar and hit him with his other hand.

“How dare you pin her on the car? I’ll blow your face up.” He groaned.

And then they arrested him.

“I’ll make sure you remain behind the bars for a lot longer than you thought.” The first officer was holding a handkerchief on his nose. Tristan had him for good. They took him to the cop car.

I ran behind them. I didn’t know what to do. “Tristan.” I called him. My voice was trembling with fear.

He turned to me.“Nikki, calm down. Call Peterson.”The second officer pushed his head inside the car.

I stood there as they took off. This had all happened because of me. For the last few days, my anger had been getting out of control. I knew it was happening because of the case. Shaun was planning to take Stephen away from me, and we had nothing to defend it.

I stood there, till what time I didn’t remember. But I was snapped out by the sound of my cell. It was Carrie.

“Carrie, the cops arrested Tristan. I need your help.”

“What happened? Where are you? Message me the address, I’m coming.” She spoke fast.

I messaged her and sat on a nearby bench. I knew criminals, cops, but never had someone arrested in front of me. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to do in that case.

***

“What happened? Why did they take Tristan?” Someone touched my shoulder.

“Hmm.” I looked at her. For a second, I couldn’t recognize her. The sun was behind her and a bright light was falling over her head and I could see only the shadow.

I blinked my eyes to adjust for the brightness.

“I asked why they took him?” She shook my shoulder. I could see her outline now. Her eyes, her pointed nose.

Why is she here? Oh, yes, Tristan is arrested and she is here to help.

I got out of my thoughts and reality sunk in. I was sitting there and Tristan was in jail. “Sorry, I’m not myself,” I replied.

“Nikki, why is he in the jail? And why are you sitting here alone?” Her eyebrows cocked.

“He hit a cop.”

“But why?”

“Because I messed up.”“I held my head in my palms. Tears were flowing down now. I was fed up with all the crying, but I’d no idea what to do now. “I messed up with the cop and Tristan came to save me. Damn, how much more am I’ going to mess up his life?” I felt terrible. Drugs, Gerome and now cops. I was messing up so much and the lives of so many around me. “Where am I going to hide my sins?”

“Don’t worry, Nikki, it’s gonna be all right. Where did they take him? Do you know a lawyer we can consult right now?” Carrie rubbed my back.

“Peterson, yes. Tristan asked me to contact Peterson. How foolish I am’. I should have called him already.” I took my cell out. I was acting too foolish.

But I couldn’t find Peterson’s number. “Damn, I don’t even have his number. Fuck! Fuck!”

“Now what?” Carrie asked.

“I know his office. Let’s go, he should be working right now.” I glanced at my watch.

Carrie shrugged and walked to her car.

***

“Peterson.” I stormed in his office. He was talking with a man in a checked shirt.

“Nikki, you? Is everything all right?” He gazed at my face.

“No, the cops arrested Tristan and he needs your help.”

“What?” The man in the checked shirt stood and looked at me. He was handsome. But I didn’t understand how he knew Tristan. I'd never seen him before.

“Yes, he punched a cop.”

“And why did he do that?” Peterson’s eyes widened.

“It’s my mess. I got in a fight with cop and he acted on instinct for my protection.” It was shameful to tell him what really happened and I would have hidden it any other time. But he was the lawyer and only he could get Tristan out of jail.

“Let’s go, Peterson, we have to bail him out before evening.” The man picked his jacket.

“And you are?” I asked. I didn’t know the man and had no idea why was he interested in my affairs.

“This is Gavin, Gavin Phillips. He knows Tristan, apparently, and he is the private investigator I was talking about,” Peterson said, looking at the man. Peterson seemed surprised, too.

“Okay, let’s go. Carrie is waiting in the car.” I walked out. They followed me.

“Which police station did they take him to?” Peterson asked, as I hopped in the car.

“I don’t know.”
Shit, I don’t even know where they were taking him.

“Where did they arrest him?” Peterson looked pissed off now.

I gave him the address.

“Let me check, you wait here," he said, dialing some number.

After a couple of minutes, he came back. ““Why don’t you go back home and we’ll get Tristan out before nightfall.”

“No, we will follow you. We want to see him,” Carrie said.

“Okay, but it’s gonna take time and you are not really needed there.”He shrugged his shoulders.

“What about Stephen, Nikki? Shouldn’t we be picking him from day care?”Carrie asked, as she started the car.

“Oh, yes, we should be.” I looked out of the window. Peterson was walking to his car.

Carrie drove over to him.

“Peterson, we will go back home. Need to pick Stephen up from day care. Give me your number, please, and we will come there once we are done.”

He gave me his number and we started from there.

“You are a real shit, Nikki,” Carrie said, pushing the gas harder.

“And why is that?” I snapped back.

“You didn’t even ask which station they were taking him to.”

“I’m sorry, I was shocked and afraid,” I confessed. That moment, I didn’t even understand whom should I have called up.

“And why in the hell did he have to punch that cop?” She asked again.

“Because, Gerome couldn’t.” I remembered my conversation with Gerome a few days ago when he couldn’t fight for me. I told him that Tristan would have punched that guy. And Tristan did it. He came forward and protected me. That was the difference between those two. One would die for me and one ran away with the money. For the first time in many days I felt good about my choice.