Another hour passes, and I’m relieved when the door swings open. An officer lets me know I’ve been released, and I’m so thankful Serena actually came through. She’s going to lay into me, no doubt. As I grab my shit and walk through the door, I’m shocked when I look at my father. The color drains from my face when I see how livid he is. Behind him, Serena stands looking half terrified and half pissed off.
“What are you doing here?” I bark out, not wanting him to come to my rescue because he’ll hold it over me for the rest of my life just as he does everything else.
“You think my son, my only son, gets arrested for murder and no one tells me? If so, you’re stupider than you look right now.”
“Ahh. Almost forgot everyone was on your payroll.” I nearly bite my tongue off trying to keep the rest of my heated words to myself. Though it pains me, it’s for the best, considering we have an audience.
“You’re set to be on the docket first thing Monday morning. More strings I was forced to pull for you.” He looks at Serena. “Since your lawyer is present, I assume you don’t need me anymore.” The agitation is prevalent as he turns and glares at me.
“I didn’t need you in the first place,” I spit out, wishing he wouldn’t have come.
My words cause my father to let out a hearty, sarcastic laugh. “That’ll be the day.”
Before my father leaves, he turns and looks at me. “Try not to kill anyone else while you’re out, got it? Your tallies are adding up.”
I’m two seconds away from telling him to go fuck himself when Serena grabs my arm and squeezes. “It’s not worth it.”
I suck in a deep breath, trying to calm down. “You’re right. I know you are. But damn, sometimes he’s intolerable.”
She snorts. “I think he means well. He doesn’t want you sitting in jail and rotting. That’s not a life for you.”
I let out a steady breath, though I’m pissed the hell off. “He’s more concerned about himself and how it will affect his reputation if I sit in a cell, not the fact that I’m there.”
Serena shrugs.
“You look good,” I tell her as we walk outside. It’s nearly midnight, and I’ve had a helluva day. I just want to go home and sleep in my bed because, for a moment, I thought I’d be sleeping on a cold bench.
“Thanks,” she tells me with a smile. Her heels click on the pavement as we walk across the parking lot toward her BMW. After she unlocks it, I slip inside. The car is an upgrade from what she was driving while in law school. When she gets in, she bends over to remove her seven-inch heels and throw them in the back seat. It causes me to laugh.
“You can take the girl out of the ghetto…” She smirks.
“But you can’t take the ghetto out of the girl,” I continue with a smile. I’m sure she could kill someone with those heels if she needed, and I wouldn’t put it past her if she felt threatened.
I’d trust Serena with my life. She knows the legal system like the back of her hand, and she’s an up-and-coming lawyer in Sacramento. Serena’s worked her ass off to get where she is in her profession. She’s one of the best criminal defense attorneys in this city, and I’d almost be willing to bet in the state. Hard-ass is her middle name, and she doesn’t take no for an answer. Not from anyone, not even my father. The girl is a genius but also has street smarts too—a lethal combination. And damn, I’m happy she’s on my side and has been for years, even before she could legally practice law in California.
“So tell me what happened,” she says as she backs out of the parking lot.
“Is this on the record or off?” I quip, and she playfully rolls her eyes as she takes the ramp to the highway.
“Start from the very beginning. If you want me to represent you and get your ass off for murder, then I need to know it all, know what I’m up against. I’ll put on the record what needs to be there. The rest is between us.” She smiles and passes cars as if she’s the lead actress in The Fast and the Furious.
I try to think back to when this all really started, and I know I need to be open with Serena. Not only is she representing me, but she’s my friend too. I tell her about Sophie and how Weston got into the picture of all of this, and why I looked into Weston’s past.
“Does anyone know you did that?”
I nod. “Liam and Jerad. Liam isn’t gonna say shit. Jerad won’t either, considering he wasn’t supposed to do it in the first place. I trust him, and he’s holding a position for me in his department, if I didn’t just ruin my chances,” I continue, explaining how I tried to warn Sophie about Weston being dangerous.