Hearsay (30 page)

Which, he totally was. He just didn't want Dani to see him like that.
 

Then again, considering this had been one of the worst weekends of his life, he should be given a pass. He should be allowed to shed a few tears, throw a hissy fit, and maybe even have an episode of 'woe is me' without anyone judging him.

Only that not everything was bad, and he was positive Dani wouldn't judge.

He'd received terrible news, yes, but that news was tightly interlaced with dreams come true. He and Roman had confessed their love for each other. They'd made out and started exploring each other bodies. They'd had whispered conversations in the dark. Derrick had met Roman's family, and now he'd been included in his exclusive circle of friends. In the past two days he'd felt fearful and hopeful, scared and emboldened all in equal parts. But, despite this current mess, there was a sense of rightness and belonging enfolding his soul, and, more importantly, he felt like he'd arrived home.

Finding out the love of his life was poz and that there was an arrest warrant with Derrick's name on it was no walk in the park, yet he didn't wish he could have a do-over of certain things. Roman was a part of every important recent event in Derrick's life, and he refused to cherry-pick. He would never wish he could go back to bed and start those days all over again.

"How long have you been married?" Derrick asked, hoping a conversation about good things would help bring his heart palpitations to a normal rate.

"We had a commitment ceremony in 2004, got married in Canada in 2007, then again in New York in 2011. We've been together since 1999. I was still Daniel Contreras when Alan and I first met." She flashed a wicked smile. "But, according to ABC's gossip mill, we're stuck in the middle of a vicious custody battle and getting a divorce. People keep saying we're fighting each other from Atlanta, England, Timbuktu…" She chuckled. "I think someone heard my kids' names at some point and started a story from that information alone. The latest is my favorite, though. Alan heard I'm currently in Monaco spending his money on two of my ten boy toys, and that he deserves what I'm doing to him because he broke my nose the last time he hit me."

Derrick gasped. "Alan knows about the gossip?"

And how come Tashana didn't tell me that story?

"Oh, absolutely," she confirmed. "They all do."

"And it doesn't bother them?"

"They believe it's all in good fun, no harm intended." She shrugged. "Roman was a bit distressed when you told him you'd heard he was in treatment." She traced circles on the table with the bottom of her cup. "For a second there he thought everyone knew about…" She bit her lower lip. "About you know what."

"Yeah…"

Roman had gone paper white when Derrick mentioned the treatment in Switzerland. Now he understood why. Roman was paranoid about people learning about his HIV status. Derrick honestly didn't know what his man would do if his employees found out.

"I hate it that James did this to him," Dani said pensively, "but maybe this is the path God meant for Roman to travel. Do you believe in destiny?" she asked. "Or that everything happens for a reason?"

Derrick considered the question carefully. "Up until two nights ago, I believed in making my own. I can see the merit in thinking everything happens for a reason, though."

"Makes things more manageable sometimes," Dani agreed. "Do you like to take the easy way out when it comes to life, Derrick? Or do you think anything worth having is never easily attained?"

Dani's questions warmed his heart and made him smile. She was looking out for Roman; trying to find out if Derrick would stick around for the long run or turn his back on her dear friend.

Derrick fell in love with Danielle Contreras right then and there.

"I'm going to tell you what I truly believe." Derrick finished his coffee and locked eyes with her. "I believe that, when the going gets tough, the tough get going." He gave her a reassuring smile. "I learned that from my dad, and it's been my motto most of my life."

She squeezed his hands and looked out the window. "Then you'll be able to get through this without going crazy and losing faith."

Derrick followed her gaze.

His muscles quivered when he saw what was happening right across the street.

News crews were setting up shop in front of the Trenton Building. Vans from every major television network were parked next to police cruisers, with cops in uniform and civilian clothes setting up a human barricade behind the reporters.

There were
lots
of cops, at least two dozen of them… or maybe it was one hundred. Derrick couldn't be sure. It was difficult to count when his vision was so blurry.

"Is this th-the… re-rea-so-son Roman didn't want me to-to-to go to the o-office?" he stammered. "Did he know th-this was g-going t-to happen?"

"We suspected DA Lovett would orchestrate something like this," Dani confirmed in a business-like tone. "He's lost very important cases to Roman throughout his career. He's felt humiliated, and he wants revenge. This is the perfect opportunity for him to try to kill two birds with one stone. You're a high-priced lawyer working for his rival at one of New York City's most prestigious law firms. You're Tyler Coleman's friend, and you do pro bono work for the safe house that gave you both unlimited access to kids. The moment Coleman was arrested, Lovett became the new protector of children's innocence and avenger of their virtue. But you and Tyler Coleman, oh, you two are monsters, and Acosta, Bradford, and Chadwick is your enabler, settling molestation cases behind closed doors to avoid the bad press."

"That's not true…" Derrick shook his head frantically. "
That's not true
."

"That's irrelevant. Lovett is now a crusader. That's why he wanted to make a spectacle of your arrest. He'll offer statements, promise the people of New York that he'll oversee all legal procedures personally. He'll tell anyone who cares to listen that, as their District Attorney, he'll see that justice for Robbie Yates is served, and, as their Attorney General, he'll make sure every district attorney's office has enough resources to prosecute powerful predators like Mr. Coleman and Mr. Swain. This isn't about a kid's false allegations anymore, Derrick. It just became a political game."

Derrick didn't remember moving. One second he was staring out the window, and the next he had his face buried in one of Starbuck's toilets.

He threw up his coffee, his morning bagel, and all the red food he consumed at the Moulin Rouge-themed gala two days ago. He kept gagging, heaving, and barfing until he had nothing left in his stomach to throw up, then the puking noises morphed into sobs.

Chapter Eighteen

The cab pulled to a stop at 59
^th
and Eighth Avenue twenty-five minutes later than Roman expected. They'd been stuck in the mother of all traffic jams for what felt like forever. Underground cellular coverage was nonexistent; otherwise, he would've simply gotten out of the car and taken the subway. But, alas, Roman had to make a number of calls in relation to this sham of a case, and now he was running late to give Derrick the hug he'd told Roman he so desperately needed.
 

He handed the driver two twenty dollar bills, told him to keep the change, and opened the door, all without looking away from the crowd gathered in front of his office building.

"Unbelievable," he muttered under his breath after he'd counted twenty-five of New York's finest. "That bastard practically sent the entire police force to execute one arrest warrant."
 

Roman wasn't surprised to see there were even more reporters than cops. Someone—namely Lovett's campaign manager—had tipped off the press about the investigation. Most networks had covered Tyler Coleman's arrest earlier that day, and now they were here to cover the fourth arrest in connection to the case.

According to Alan and Sergio's preliminary search on the internet, the first article on the case had been published at nine-forty that morning, over three hours before the actual arrest. Neither Mr. Coleman nor his employees had been formally indicted, but their case was already being referred to as New York City's biggest sexual abuse scandal in history. Clearly someone had a penchant for sensationalistic headlines.

In all likelihood, the reporters had been led to believe this would be the most important story of their careers. Needless to say, they wouldn't be getting the ratings-grabbing footage they were probably promised. There would be no front-page picture of Derrick surrounded by cops in tomorrow's paper, and most definitely, there would be no video of him being escorted out of the Trenton Building in handcuffs.

Having the press on site didn't really bother Roman. As a criminal defense attorney, he'd represented notorious mafia bosses, gang members, drug dealers, and murderers. He was used to dealing with aggressive reporters and could handle them in his sleep. Under different circumstances, he personally would have located reporters from all major national news networks and released a scathing statement. This wasn't Roman's first rodeo. He thrived on highly-publicized cases.

But using media outlets for the benefit of his client wasn't his job today. It was Dani's, and, as of tomorrow, it'd be Noah Goldstein's as well.

Roman wasn't the defendant's lawyer this time around. He was his boyfriend, and, for the first time ever, Roman's personal life was taking precedence over his career and professional goals. All he wanted to do was fulfill his new role as attentive, supportive, and loving partner. To supply all the hugs and kisses Derrick would ever need. To be there for him every step of the way, until—and long after—this ordeal was over.

A black town car pulled over next to one of the news vans. A second later, DA Lovett's unnaturally blond toupee peeked over the car's roof.

Anger, frustration, and guilt all mixed and hissed in Roman's stomach. Not even when he'd confirmed James gave him HIV had Roman felt so violent.

He wanted to expose Lovett for the unethical piece of shit that he was. He wanted to maim him for jeopardizing the future of the Coleman Safe House, a place where dozens of homeless LGBTQ teens slept and ate. But, more than anything, Roman wanted to rip Lovett's tiny balls out through his throat for daring to drag Derrick into his private, one-sided, and quite delusional war.

The same as it was in sports, rivalry in business was common and encouraged, as it often boosted both team and individual performance. But that rivalry got out of hand sometimes, and, contenders who found themselves on opposite sides of the bench ended up strongly disliking one another. Unfortunately this was the case between Roman and Lovett.

They'd both been young, ambitious, and recently admitted to practice law when the competition began. Lovett wasn't even in Roman's league when it came to arguing cases, and he turned out to be a sore loser. He'd ignored Lovett's animosity towards him for the most part, but the DA's latest move had changed the game.
 

He'd crossed the line.

He'd gone too far by invading Roman's home front.

Lovett had truly fucked up this time.

Roman would not keep his mouth shut and watch innocent people be affected by Lovett's schemes, and there was no way in hell he'd let Lovett get away with causing emotional distress to the man Roman loved.

Heart thudding and ears roaring, Roman forced himself to calm down and go find Derrick. His priority was to remove him from the public eye for a little while. He'd have time to think about all the ways in which he planned on making Lovett's life a living hell while he sat in court, waiting for Derrick to be brought in front of the judge.

He pushed the glass door open and stepped into Starbucks.

He didn't notice the costumers peering out the window wondering what the hell was going on across the street. He didn't see the ones waiting for their orders either as he walked past them. He didn't even register the unpleasant smell of factory-baked goods and overpriced, mass-produced coffee. He'd caught Derrick's beautiful golden gaze as soon as he'd entered the shop, and everything else had disappeared from his world.

You're going to pay dearly for what you've done to my man
, Roman mentally promised Lovett as he watched Derrick get up from his chair.
You can count on that.

It killed Roman to see the expression on Derrick's face.

His eyes and nose were red from crying, and his lips and chin were trembling. He looked mortified, ashamed, terrified… absolutely devastated.

"You're finally here," he whispered when Roman reached his side. He glanced over Roman's shoulder before adding, "I thought they'd find me before I got to see you."

"Oh, sweetheart..." Roman pulled him into his arms. Derrick shook uncontrollably, but he molded his body to Roman's and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "No one's going to take you anywhere," he said reassuringly, kissing the side of Derrick's head. "I promise."

Tears welled up behind Roman's eyelids, and he sagged against Derrick's body, rocking him back and forth as he willed his wobbly legs not to give out on him.

Roman was so damn relieved he could barely talk.

He'd started having breathing difficulties the moment he was notified of Coleman's arrest. He'd felt like the earth had opened under his feet, and the Kings County Criminal Court building had collapsed over his head.

Even though he and his friends had prepared for this event, Roman had hoped Lovett wouldn't take notice of the Coleman case. At first because he didn't want his law firm involved in a bullshit case, and later because he and Derrick were finally together. Roman dreaded that Derrick would decide dealing with a criminal indictment on top of a partner with HIV would simply be too much. He hadn't realized how scared he'd been of getting dumped until Derrick walked into his arms and hugged him with all his might.
 

He opened his eyes a few seconds later to see Dani get up from her own chair. "He's very upset," she mouthed at Roman. "Cried for a while in the bathroom, then called his dad and siblings to give them a heads up of what's going on and asked them to remain calm, but he's been mostly quiet since then." She pursed her lips and studied Derrick intently. "I'm a bit concerned about him."