Love, Lies & The D.A. (36 page)

I feel
awful. I remember how I felt when I found out Richard had been lying to me for
years. Although my intention was to protect Jonathan, I ended up causing him to
question his trust in me. That bothers me greatly.

“Promise
me you won’t keep things from me.”

“I
promise.”

He
tilts my head up, looks into my eyes, then pulls me in his arms.

“There’s
no need for you to be upset. I want to be able to protect you. I don’t want
anything to happen to you. Receiving that call saying you were in the hospital
scared me to death.”

Holding
him tightly in my arms, I apologize once more.

“Don’t
worry about it. I think we could both use some rest,” he says, pulling back the
covers and lowering the blackout blinds.

He
pulls me in his arms and kisses me ever so softly. I slowly let him in, his
tongue caresses mine, and I soon feel him rising between our bodies.

“Wait
a minute,” I whisper, pulling away.

“What’s
wrong?”

“Nothing.
Now we’re official, we need to have the sex talk.”

“I’m
clean… I was tested during the week while at the hospital. I donated blood. I
can show you the results.”

“I was
tested the day I walked in on them. I’m clean too. I haven’t been with anyone
since then.”

“Are
you on any sort of birth control?”

“Yes.
Implanon.”

“What’s
that?”

“It’s
a sort of implant that’s placed under the arm. It lasts three years… I’ve had
it for a year and a half.”

“If
you want to get pregnant, you get it removed?”

“Yes.”

“So I’m
not going to have to answer to Bobby or your mom for getting you pregnant.”

I
giggle. “No.”

“Good,
because I’ve promised Bobby I’d look out for you. The last thing I want to do
is get you knocked up out of wedlock.”

“You’re
right… you’d see a different side to him. He’d beat you up.”

He
chuckles. “Come on. Get some rest. I’ve missed holding you in my arms.”

After
an afternoon
nap, well maybe a little more than a nap, we
all sit out on the verandah to relish my favorite shrimp pasta dinner that
Bobby made. We talk about Bobby and Val’s upcoming wedding, Jonathan’s resignation,
and a little about my last few days at the hospital.

Frankly,
I’ve been trying not to think about the fact that someone wanted to hurt or
kill me. That I’m clueless about who would do this has left me very nervous. I’ve
not admitted that fact to anyone, however.

After
dinner, Bobby takes a call from Val while Jonathan and I tidy up… well,
Jonathan does. I sit on one of the bar stools at the island with my ankle
propped up on one of the adjacent stools and watch.

While
he packs the dishwasher, he says, “Until an arrest is made, either I’m moving
in with you or you should stay with me.”

“That’s
not necessary. I’m a big girl… I can take care of myself.”

“That
wasn’t a question.”

“Are
you always this controlling?” I ask. “I don’t like being told what to do.”

“It’s
for your own safety, Jada. I’m not just choosing to be an asshole.”

“I get
the feeling you like to be in control,” I say sweetly. “I should know… I like
being in control too.”

He
looks at me. A wry smile touches his lips.

“Guilty
as charged. I’ll admit, I’ve been accused of being that way in the past. I don’t
like surprises. If I’m in control, I’m less likely to get them.”

“That’s
all well and good, Counselor, but do me a favor and save your controlling
tendencies for the courtroom, your family, wherever… just not here.”

“I
didn’t hear you complaining last Friday.”

I
blush. “I’ll compromise. If you ever want to control me, the bedroom would be
the place. Please. If I wanted to be controlled, I wouldn’t own my own
business. Is that going to be something I need to be concerned about?”

“I’m
protective of my family… you fit into that category.”

“Do I
need to worry about you becoming possessive?”

“Protective,
not possessive… There’s a big difference. In any case, I promised your brother
I’d take care of you. If you fight me on this, I’ll tell him.”

I
erupt into laughter.

“Is
that supposed to in some way scare me? Bobby’s not my boss. I’ve already compromised
with you… don’t forget.”

He
smiles. “Please. Sweetheart.”

“Flattery
will get you nowhere. All jokes aside, though, we can talk about things… There just
needs to be a conversation. I know how hard it is—trust me. It took me years to
master how not to bring my bossiness into my personal relationships.”

“You’re
driving me crazy. How can I get you to see things from my point of view?”

“By
having a conversation with me. Asking instead of ordering… suggesting instead
of telling. And if you want to throw in a bit of flattery, it may or may not
work, depending on the situation at hand.”

“Okay…
let me try this again. Sweetheart, I’m a bit concerned about you being here on
your own. In addition to that, until you return to your normal health, you’re
going to need some help. Maybe I should come stay with you or you with me, at
least till an arrest is made.”

“Quick
learner. I understand where you’re coming from, but I think I’m pretty safe in
this building.”

“What
about your health?”

“Okay…
I may need help in that department. But maybe we should play it by ear?”

“Sure.
Maybe my choice of words might have come off a bit strong. I didn’t intend to
suggest that we merge our possessions yet.”

I
laugh. “I know that. I hate being told what to do. It might be better if you
stay here when we do sleepovers, though. Crutches and staircases don’t
necessarily go hand in hand.”

“Fair
enough,” he replies.

He
walks around the island towards me. Placing his body between the island and me,
he leans over and kisses me lightly.

“Jada,
I really care about you. Someone out there tried to hurt you. I don’t want that
to happen again. I don’t want you to take that chance.”

“I won’t
be reckless. I promise I’ll ask for your help when I need it.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

After
he’s done, he leaves me in the living room while he takes a shower. Bobby joins
me on the couch.

“We’ve
come a long way from the
Mr. Asshole
days.”

“We
have, haven’t we?” I chuckle. “Even if he were, he’d be my asshole. He isn’t,
though… He’s nothing close to what I thought he was when we met. In fact, he’s
the complete opposite.”

Bobby
laughs.

“He
can be a tad arrogant and even bossy sometimes, but it’s nothing I can’t
handle.”

“Bossy?
How’d that go over?”

“I can
handle Jonathan Kole.”

“Are
you happy?”

“I am…
Things are relatively new, though. It’s still a little scary.”

“Scary?”

“Yes.
This is a big step for me. I have to admit, this is probably a reflection on me
and not him. I’m scared like hell I’ll get hurt again.”

“What
are your instincts telling you?”

“To
let go… enjoy the moment… be in love. But the hard part is that’s exactly how I
was with Richard, and we all know how that turned out. This whole thing with
Richard and even Koto has made me question myself.”

“It’s
funny… I’ve spent more time with Jonathan this week than I ever did with
Richard in the entire time you two were together. He’s a good person. Listen to
yourself, though… trust your instincts. I’m sure, knowing now what you’ve found
out about Richard, you can look back and see there were clues that you either
missed or ignored.”

“There
were… After Charles told me all the things that he found out, they all came
flooding back. I remember one time in particular, he told me he went to Oregon.
When he returned, he gave me a Burberry bracelet. I remember being surprised
that they had a store in Oregon. I even told him that. He said they did. I did
some research recently and found out they’ve never had any stores there.
Another time, same scenario, but he was supposed to be in L.A. He handed me a
gift bag, and the bag had Las Vegas, Nevada printed on it. When I asked him
about it, he hunched his shoulders like he was clueless. Now that I think about
it, I don’t think he ever handed me a gift in a bag again.”

“Well,
that could be because we men don’t like carrying around excess baggage, but you
now understand what I mean when I say don’t ignore your instincts. Can you
imagine how things might have changed had you only checked to see if that store
was in Oregon back then?”

“So
true.”

“That
doesn’t mean that you should go snooping, but our instincts usually tell us.
You just need to listen… ask questions.”

I
sigh. “I’ve managed to follow my instincts so well when it comes to business
decisions. I guess I need to apply that to my personal life again.”

“You’ll
be okay, Sis. I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll make it through this. And
I am so much more at ease with Jonathan in your life.”

When
Jonathan returns
from dropping Bobby off to the airport the
next morning, Phillip and Douglas accompany him.

“We
have a lead,” Phillip says, opening his laptop.

We sit
at the barstools on the island. After it boots, he pulls up some photos and
starts perusing through them.

“Take
a look at these. See if anything looks remotely familiar to you.”

Jonathan
stands above me as I scroll through the images of the profile of a man driving
a truck. Both before the accident, with the vehicle in pristine condition, and
after the incident, with a badly smashed front. They look like street cameras
captured them. The man is dressed all in black. He looks somewhat familiar, but
I can’t make out his face. He could be anyone. Nothing I see gives me any clue
as to who this person might be. I go through the pictures repeatedly.

“Fuck!”
Jonathan exclaims.

“What?”
Phillip, Douglas, and I say simultaneously.

“I
think that’s Chris Hostin.”

“Who’s
that?” I ask.

“He’s
the reporter that approached you at Lake Tahoe and at the hospital.”

“Are
you sure?” Douglas asks.

“No. I’m
not, but there’s a strong resemblance.”

“Why
would he do this?” I ask. “I have no clue who he is.”

“He’s
not after you. He’s trying to get back at me.”

“For
what?” I ask.

“About
a year ago, a rape case came to my desk. A fifteen-year-old girl had been gang
raped by four boys. They were tried as codefendants. Two were this man’s
brothers. Their names are Troy and Trevor Hostin. They were found guilty and
sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. One of the
brothers killed himself while in prison. Since then, this man has vowed that he
would get back at me. I used to think what he meant by that is writing some big
exposé on me. He approached Megan once. I told him to stay away from her, and
he never did again. I didn’t think he’d come after my family in this way.”

“You
said something about Lake Tahoe?” Phillip asks.

“He
accosted me one day while at a restaurant.”

“What
did he say?”

“It’s
mostly what he did. He asked me to comment on the impending charges against me,
but he wouldn’t let me get past him. My brother threatened to sue him with False
Imprisonment charges, and that was when he let me go by. He was very aggressive
and creepy. I felt threatened by him. But that was before Jonathan and I were
seeing each other.”

“Do
you remember what day this was?”

“Yes.
It was the day after Christmas. Later that night, someone followed me after I
dropped my family at the airport. The police got involved, but they were never
able to capture the person. A few days after that, someone tried to break into
my house there.”

“He
also approached Jada last week at the hospital.”

“It
was minutes after I met with you, Phillip. Security escorted him out.”

“That
was also days after you received that phone call. Look, this is enough
information for us to investigate,” Phillip says. Then he looks at Jonathan and
continues, “Let
us
handle this. Okay?”

Jonathan
doesn’t respond; he rakes his fingers through his hair and walks away.

In the
time
I’ve known Jonathan, the one emotion I can read is his anger, and right now, it
pervades his body. Phillip and Douglas leave, and he walks away quietly onto
the verandah. I am apprehensive about how to handle this. I don’t blame him for
any of this, but I get the impression that he does.