Chapter 33
John Lennon was right. Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans. ~ Phoebe’s rules for becoming a better person
Ryker pulls on my hand to stop me. “I don’t think you should go.”
We’ve been over this a thousand times already. “I have to go. I need to see this through.”
Theodore struck a deal with the district attorney. I cannot believe he’s going to plead guilty. Of course, he’s not pleading guilty to kidnapping – a crime he definitely committed. Instead, he agreed to plead guilty to assault and battery and false imprisonment in exchange for a lesser sentence.
I know the criminal justice is overworked and trials cost tons of money, but this plea bargain doesn’t seem fair to me. Theodore will spend a mere five years in prison, less with good behavior. He kidnapped me, punched me in the jaw, and drugged me. If Ryker hadn’t saved me, he would have forced me into a plane and fled across state lines.
And then there’s the arson. He set fire to Sid’s place. He might not have lit the match, but he certainly ordered the arson to be committed. Those charges were dropped to my frustration. My testimony and recording were deemed inadmissible for reasons I cannot begin to fathom. Sid doesn’t seem to care. His little romance with Nurse Mary Ann is back on and he’s happy as a clam.
Today is Theodore’s plea hearing and I insisted on attending. Ryker is less than happy about the situation. I don’t care. I’m done altering my behavior to please other people. Besides, I need to see with my own two eyes as Theodore is taken to prison. Only then will I believe this is over and I can move on with my life.
“I don’t like this,” Ryker grumbles as we enter the courthouse.
Yeah, yeah, tell it to someone who cares. I ignore him. He’s been bitching and moaning about this hearing for days now. He hates being unable to protect me since he can’t carry his gun into the courthouse. If I’ve told him once, I’ve told him two gazillion times – nothing is going to happen to me in a courthouse full of security guards and police.
Once we make it through the metal detector, another thing my big bad bounty hunter gripes about the entire time, we walk up the stairs to the courtroom. Ryker tries to pull me into a seat in the back. No way. Nuh-uh. This girl is done cowering from Theodore. I march to the front row and sit directly behind the prosecutor.
We sit through two plea hearings before the bailiff announces the next case on the docket is State vs. Abbot. I glare as Theodore saunters into the room with a guard at his back. I’m disappointed he’s not in prison orange but apparently, it’s normal to allow defendants to change for court hearings.
When he looks at me and smirks, I nearly lose it. Ryker’s hand squeezing my thigh is the one thing stopping me from standing and screaming at the man. I now understand why you can’t bring weapons into a courthouse. I can barely resist the temptation to steal the guard’s gun, so I can bash Theodore over the head with it.
Fifteen minutes later, we’re standing outside the courthouse. I’m in a daze. The entire process took less time than a manicure. And I didn’t get the chance to see Theodore hauled away in handcuffs. Since the Christmas holidays are nearly upon us, he was remanded on bail until the new year when he’ll start his sentence. I call bullshit.
Ryker guides me to his truck and lifts me into the passenger seat. He cradles my face. “Are you okay, Princess?”
I don’t know. Honestly, I have no clue. I’m not sure if I’m let down, relieved, angry, or what. Obviously, I’m confused.
He squeezes my neck. “Baby, talk to me. I knew coming here was a bad idea.”
Those are exactly the words I need to hear to pull me out of my funk. “Don’t you dare. It was my right and choice to come here today. I just need time to process everything is all.”
He studies my face for a minute before nodding and dropping his hand. “I was going to wait, but I have a surprise for you.”
I perk up. “A surprise? What is it?” I look around the truck, but I don’t spot anything unusual.
Ryker chuckles before shutting the door and rounding the truck. “You’ll see,” he says as he starts the engine. We leave downtown and drive north to the Upper East Side.
“Where are we going?” I ask as I look around the residential street we’re driving on.
Ryker doesn’t respond as he parks in front of a gray Victorian house with white trim. It has a wraparound porch upon which a pair of red Adirondack chairs sit. It’s an adorable house, but I still haven’t the first clue what we’re doing here.
“What’s this?”
“Come on. Let me show you the place.” He jumps out of the truck before I can ask him whose place this is and what it has to do with me.
I follow him up the sidewalk to the porch. He pulls a key out of his pocket and opens the front door before ushering me inside. We walk into a large foyer with wooden floors and a sweeping staircase.
Ryker grabs my hand and tugs me through French doors into the living area. On one side is a fireplace with recessed bookshelves on each side. Kitty-corner to the fireplace is a bay window with a window seat spanning the width of the room. The seat looks like the perfect place to cuddle up with a book in the winter.
I drop Ryker’s hand as I walk through another set of French doors into the dining room, beyond which is the kitchen. I don’t know how to cook, but if I did, this is the kitchen I’d want to cook in. The Shaker cabinets are painted white to offset the gray granite countertops. The wood floors gleam and the stainless-steel appliances shine.
I continue through the house to the second floor where I discover the master bedroom. My bedroom in California might have been bigger but this room is cozy and warm compared to that place. There’s another fireplace in here as well as sliding doors onto a balcony overlooking the backyard. The backyard is fenced in and at the end of the yard is a separate garage.
I explore the rest of the upstairs and discover there are four bedrooms in total. But I still don’t know what I’m doing here. I walk back downstairs and discover Ryker lounging on the sofa.