Secret Regrets (Living For Today #2) (14 page)

Jordan blanched at me, no doubt trying to decide if I’d completely lost it or not. Trying to argue, Jordan shook his head no, but I cut him off at the pass.

“Don’t. I know you are a military lawyer, but you know criminal law. I just need to know he is okay. Darren has been stalking me, photographing and threatening me. I’m not sure what all happened, but Bryant confronted him, and when I found him, he was in shock.”

“Stop talking, Rose.” Jordan’s tone was all business, making my nerves skyrocket.

What if he said no to helping me? I mean, he had just been assaulted by Bryant — and ignored by me. Terror and fear rocked through my body.

“I can be subpoenaed. Stop talking. I’ll go and speak to them about your case as well.” Jordan stared at me, apparently lost in thought, as I let the spark of hope light inside me.

The knock at the door had both of us turning to see who was coming in, wondering if they had handcuffs in my size ready to restrain me.

“Ma’am, my name is Dr. Davis. I just got some of your lab-work back and wanted to speak with you… alone.”

Waving Jordan out, I refocused my attention on a very young Dr. Davis

“Rose, I am prepared to discharge you. You were very fortunate that the bullet went straight through and didn’t seem to do any major damage. I am writing you a scrip for physical therapy once it is healed.” He paused, and the papers rustled when he flipped a page in my charts.

I turned my gaze to the window and watched the large oak tree swaying with the wind and incoming storm.

“Miss, did you hear me?”

Shaking my head to refocus my attention, I looked back to the doctor. “I apologize. My thoughts are elsewhere.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Dr. Davis closed his file up. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll have your primary physician discuss it with you when you see him. Do you have any questions?”

I shook my head no, and Dr. Davis excused himself, holding the door for Officer Peet to step back in.

“Well, it seems your friend has a special touch. I just got a call from the district attorney, and we are not pressing charges.” Officer Peet’s voice sounded nervous and anxious as he spoke, making me wonder what Jordan had done to stir such a reaction. “For what it’s worth…” He whispered remorsefully. “…I am sorry you were caught in the crossfire. I can’t imagine how scary that situation was for you, but your fiancé can’t just take the law into his own hands.”

I all but ran out of the hospital, beyond ready to escape and get to Bryant. Leslie was waiting outside in her car, ready to get me to the police station. “You two are seriously trying to make me go crazy?” she said as she floored it out on to the main road.

Crashing through the division doors, I saw Jordan speaking to a man in a suit off near the interrogation rooms.

Seeing me, he excused himself and walked over. “Look, it’s not all bad, but it isn’t good either. Witnesses place Bryant at the bar confronting Darren and screaming he was going to make him pay. Good news, though, was they also knew Darren had physically gone after Bryant in the alley. They didn’t want to get in the middle of it, so they called the police. Bryant leaving the scene doesn’t help his case, but a lawyer can make a case with the stalking. Regardless, you need to prepare yourself for him to go to prison, Rose. Minimum sentencing is still like eight years.”

Eight Years.

Falling to a heap on the floor, I cried uncontrollably. My two friends wrapped themselves around me to comfort me, but it was of no use.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I
IMAGINED
THAT WAS WHAT HELL
was like. Looking around, I could feel the Florida humidity as it made my skin sheen with a layer of sweat. It was certainly hot enough to be hell, despite the calendar saying it was October.

Jordan’s hand held my own so firmly I could feel the calluses from his physical training with the Navy.

Earlier, we’d met the attorney Bryant’s mother had hired, and I prayed he would have promising news. Bail had been denied at the bond hearing, and seeing Bryant in the fluorescent orange jumpsuit had made my insides revolt in protest.

It was all my fault. Tears trickled down my face, my eyes burning from crying for days on end. I truly wasn’t sure how much longer I could do it, how much longer I could keep walking forward as every demon in hell pulled me down.

“Rose,” Jordan’s voice was soft, caring, and guarded. He obviously knew I was on edge, ready to just break down.

Looking up to meet his green eyes, I realized they were not looking at me, but instead at the lawyer coming our way. The woman was gorgeous, and in a red form-fitting dress and nude heels, she, no doubt, captured the attention of every person standing outside the courtroom with us. Her Louis Vuitton handbag hanging off her arm would easily have cost me half-a-year’s salary, and I cringed thinking of the rate she was charging the Matthews because of me.

“Hello,” her sultry voice greeted. She raked her eyes over Jordan before snarling at me. “I’m Jennifer Collins. I am Bryant’s attorney and have met with him on several occasions this week to hopefully get him out on home monitoring during the investigation.”

“I’m confused,” I said, shaking my head. “I have tried to visit Bryant but was denied access each time.”

“Well, Ms. Barnes, that is my doing for multiple reason. One, you are not married and thus you can be called as a witness. Two, he doesn’t want to see you at this time.” Done with the conversation, she moved past me and headed into the courtroom.

Blinking my eyes, I fought back the tears pooling in my eyes and blurring my vision. I stared off into the distance, focusing on a swaying palm tree, imagining I was on a beach somewhere far from here, happy and relaxed.

Jordan pulled me into his side, rubbing my back softly as he placed a kiss on my temple. “You got this. You are the toughest woman I know, and she — she doesn’t seem like she will roll over too easily.”

Jordan and I followed behind Ms. Collins as she approached the Matthews. Eleanor was tucked under her husband’s arm, handkerchief held to her nose as she got teary-eyed herself. They hadn’t spoken to me since the arrest. The tension in the house could have been cut with a knife, making it absolutely miserable.

“Oh, Jennifer…” Eleanor’s broken voice lilted. “…thank you so much for doing this for Bryant.”

I stood there, mouth agape, as Eleanor pulled the attorney in for a familiar hug.

Ms. Collins stepped back, straightening her dress back out to its former pristine condition. “Mrs. Matthews, of course, how could I not be here for Bryant when he needs me most?” The three of them walked through the sliding glass doors, leaving Jordan and me behind in their wake. I had officially become invisible.

We walked into the large courtroom that was covered in wood paneling. Beyond the oak wall was where the judge would sit, but my eyes could only focus on the empty chair sitting at the table to the right of the room. Beside it, the woman who held Bryant’s life in her hands sat reviewing a file she had retrieved from her bag.

The bailiff strode to the judge’s bench then stopped to face the court and stand tall in his pressed police uniform. I couldn’t help but think how friendly he looked with his rounded belly and graying hair, like a grandpa who dressed up like Santa at Christmas.

“Please rise. The Honorable Richard Wilkerson presiding,” he bellowed, making me jump out of my skin before standing.

Jordan supported me on my wobbly legs as a stern looking man strode in, his black robes billowing behind him.

“Have a seat,” he ordered as he picked up his gavel and looked down at his files. “Bailiff, please bring in the inmate.”

With a nod, the grandpa-look-alike walked over to another door and opened it to grant access to those on the other side.

The jingling of chains rang in my ears as fluorescent orange came into view. My heart broke into a million tiny pieces as I looked over a defeated Bryant, shoulder slumped, a shadow of a beard on his face, dark circles beneath his eyes.

“Oh, Jordan,” I choked out as the tears I’d tried so hard to fight back began streaming down my face.

“Hey now, none of that,” he demanded forcefully. “He needs you to be strong enough for the both of you right now. Shoulders back. Sit up straight.”

“Aye, sailor,” I said, giving him a mock salute and letting a small smirk appear on my face.

Bryant never looked at me, didn’t even sneak a peek, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. I feared he was mad at me, that he blamed me for this mess.

Once he took his seat, his attorney leaned in close, her plump crimson lips nearly brushing against his ear as she whispered to him.

When Bryant leaned back, a faint smile lit up his face.

The legal jargon began spewing back and forth, and I was lost, thinking they may as well have been speaking a different language, and for parts of it they did. Jordan tried his best to translate it for me as we went along.

“Alright, this is it,” he whispered. “She’s done a great job. I don’t know who she is, but I can tell just by this hearing, she is good.”

His words reassured me while the unease persisted in my stomach.

“Mr. Matthews,” the judge began, commanding the attention of the courtroom. “I am inclined to release you on house arrest for the duration of your investigation and trial. I believe your attorney has presented several valid points as to why this is a case of self-defense. Does the prosecution have anything to add before I make my decision?”

All eyes went to the table that sat the two prosecutors as they frantically scanned their notes for something before finally looking up and shaking their heads no.

The sound of the gavel banging down after the judge ruled left my mind spinning. He was coming home. The case was finally taking an upward turn from the last few weeks’ woes. I jumped up and hugged Jordan tightly, breathing in his cologne as his arms held me close. The tears poured out of my eyes uncontrollably as my body shook with overwhelming emotions.

“See, Rose…” Eleanor’s confident voice had been restored. “…Jennifer will fix everything.” Brushing past me, they walked out to the lobby, I hoped to wait for word on what we had to do next.

W
E WERE TOLD TO
go home, and so at home we sat, each of us on a taupe cushion of the couch, watching the wooden door for any movement. Our ears were alert and listening for the sound of a car engine pulling up or a door shutting. Suddenly the front door swung open, and Bryant walked in with an entourage behind him.

The officer checked the ankle monitor fastened around his leg, while Jennifer came over and stood beside Bryant’s parents. I looked on at it all, trying to figure out how we’d gotten so lucky to score a defense attorney like her.

Jordan had told me that she was the best money could buy. I knew Bryant’s parents were wealthy, but this had to be costing an exorbitant amount of money.

I moved my gaze to Bryant, who was focused on the officer’s instructions, nodding in agreement to each rule being laid out for him. Finally, the officer left, closing the door behind him and escaping the inferno that was inevitably developing within.

Bryant turned around to face the room, his honey eyes meeting first his father’s, then his mother’s, and lastly my own.

“Bryant,” I sobbed, stepping toward his opened arms. Despite the chaos, our life had begun. In his embrace I felt safe.

We stood like that for what felt like hours. I was being held so close our heartbeats had synchronized, and I could feel each thud of his heart echo in my own. I ran my fingers through his long hair, grasping the ends and clinging to him for dear life.

“Shh,” he soothed as his hands caressed my body, seemingly desperate to feel me.

A throat cleared behind us, and I was certain I would turn to find Eleanor barking at our heels. Resting my forehead against Bryant’s chest, I felt him lift his head to look at the perpetrator of our moment.

“Bryant, honey…” The voice that was too young, too sultry to be his mother’s had me spinning around to rest my eyes on Ms. Collins, Jennifer, smiling up at my fiancé. “We need to discuss our next strategy. Where can we go to be alone?”

Her mascaraed eyelashes batted at him as her lips turned up in a smile, revealing sparkling white teeth that seemed unnatural.

Twisting my neck, I looked up to Bryant, feeling his body stiffen behind me muscle by muscle. Dread washed over his face as his eyes looked down at me. “Jennifer, I just got home and am finally able to hold my fiancée. Can I have some time?”

Shaking her head, she clucked her tongue as she stepped closer to us. “Oh, Bryant, always such a romantic. If you want to be free from prison, you need me. Who’d have thought you would need me, you know, after everything.” Her ice-cold, blue eyes narrowed on me, apparently trying to tell me something.

“Bryant?” I looked to him, waiting for an explanation, but his eyes were closed tightly as his face paled in color.

“Rose, Jennifer is the ex-girlfriend my mother was mentioning the other day.” With that, my entire world fell out from under me because I knew instantly that there was more to the story of their past than I was told, and that ultimately, at this point in Bryant’s life, he obviously needed her more than he needed me.