“What did you give them?”
“Not my soul,” Nick said, knowing that would be Caleb’s primary concern. “Don’t worry.”
“I need to know. Should we get attacked—”
“We won’t.”
Caleb cursed. “What have you gotten us into?”
Before he could answer, Virgil returned with a single deputy. “You both owe me for this. I just laid down a critical favor to get you a bond hearing this fast.”
“We won’t forget,” Caleb assured him.
But after they changed clothes and were hauled before the meanest-looking man Nick had ever seen, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to be indebted. Virgil must have given up something big to get this guy to cooperate. He didn’t know what, and he didn’t want to know what.
The female prosecutor gestured angrily toward Nick. “It was a violent rape, Your Honor, and the defendant has a long history of violence. Look at the bruises on his face. Obviously, he was recently in another altercation with someone else. Not to mention his father—”
“I object, Your Honor.” Virgil drowned out whatever she’d been about to say. “Relevance.”
Glaring at him, she shoved her glasses up, higher on her nose. “Relevance is a family history of violence.”
“His father is not the defendant here,” Virgil fired back. “And unless you can produce a genetic expert showing that one has bearing on the other, it’s irrelevant.”
She bristled. “Psychologists say—”
“Do you have a psychologist who can testify?” Virgil asked.
“Not yet.”
“Then I stand by what I said. I object.”
The judge finally spoke. “Defense is right, counselor. The defendant’s father isn’t the one accused. Go on.”
She sighed heavily. “Fine. I believe him to be a substantial flight risk and think that he should be remanded into custody until his trial.”
The judge looked at Virgil. “Defense, what have you to say?”
“He’s a child, Your Honor. Look at him. Clean cut, honor student.”
“So was Ted Bundy,” the prosecutor interjected.
The judge glared at her. “That’s enough of that, Counsel” He returned his attention to Virgil. “Continue.”
“He has two jobs and people who rely on him. He is not a flight risk. And I can produce seven upstanding members of this community who are here to give testimony as to his character.”
“And I have a video of him—”
The judge banged his gavel. “Counsel, enough.” He looked back at Virgil. “Where are your witnesses?”
They stood up. Nick turned to see Liza, Mama Lo Peltier, Kyrian, Mr. Poitiers and Mr. Addams, Dr. Burdette, and Madaug’s father, Dr. St. James. His mother, Acheron, Rosa, Kody, and Menyara were also with Kyrian, and Bubba and Mark sat next to Dr. Burdette. Nick’s insides shrank at the sight of them. While he was grateful they were willing to stand up for him, he was humiliated that they all knew about this.
Then again, who didn’t know? Not like he’d been arrested in private.
He cringed at the thought of facing his classmates and school admin after this. No matter what, he’d forever be labeled as a criminal.
So this is how Brynna felt …
Virgil cleared his throat. “And Your Honor, they were the first seven I called. If you give me an hour, I can get you a dozen more. All of whom are willing to testify to Mr. Gautier’s good character and upstanding morals.”
The judge considered it. “Bail is set at a million dollars and I want him under house arrest until his trial. He can go to school and work, but nowhere else. And he is not to be left alone.”
“Uh, Your Honor,” Virgil said, before clearing his throat, “his job for Mr. Hunter requires him to run errands all over the city.”
“Then he is to be electronically monitored at all times and will be required to call in every hour on the hour outside of school.”
“Yes, Your Honor. Thank you.”
Caleb’s hearing was much easier. The judge let him go with a promise that he wouldn’t touch anymore police cars.
His stomach knotting, Nick headed for his mother. She wouldn’t even look at him.
Kyrian clapped Nick on the back. “I’ve already given the bail money to Virgil to post your bond.”
Nick nodded gratefully at Kyrian. “Thank you. For everything.”
“No problem.”
Acheron placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Nick. We’ll find out the truth.”
But it wouldn’t change the hurt in his mother’s eyes.
In fact, she refused to speak to him as she drove him home. He searched his mind for something to say, but nothing came.
He reached over to touch her hand. She pulled away before he could make contact. Anger and hurt pierced him straight through his heart. How could she doubt him?
Once they were home, he went to his room.
“Nick? I want you to leave your door open.”
He started to say “But Mom,” but he knew how that would play out. She’d shut him down like she always did. So he left his door ajar and went to sit on his bed. It was only then that he realized his mom had ransacked his room. “Mom? Where’s my—”
“You’re on restriction.” There was a note of hysteria in her voice. “Sit in there and think about … things.”
Bad idea, since the only thing on his mind right now was that he hated her for doing this to him when he was innocent.
And as he sat there, thinking, his fury mounted even higher until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He sprang to his feet and went to the living room where she sat watching TV.
“What do you want?” Still, she wouldn’t look at him.
Infuriated, he wiped his hand across his top lip. “I’m a virgin, Mom. I’ve never done anything more than kiss a girl, and Nekoda’s the only one I’ve done that with. I know you don’t believe me, but you can ask her. She’s not a liar.” And neither am I. But she’d never once believed him about anything.
Tears fell down her face. “I’m so sorry, Nicky. I know you’re innocent. I do. But it’s so hard for me to be in that courtroom with everyone judging me and you.” She started sobbing.
Nick went to her and pulled her into his arms while she cried against his shoulder.
“You don’t know what it’s like to be the most popular girl in school and then … they were so mean to me. Once people knew I was pregnant, I went to my best friend’s … We’d been friends since second grade, and her mother wouldn’t let me in the house. She told me Ashley wasn’t allowed to associate with trash.”
Guilt slashed at him. He’d never meant to hurt her.
“I’m sorry, Mama.”
“Don’t be, baby. You were worth it. You were. I’ve never once, ever, regretted having you with me. But it’s been so hard. I’m always questioning myself if I’m doing the right thing by you. When you were an infant, I used to sit and hold you and cry while I apologized for bringing you into a world that was so cruel and bone mean. For keeping you in poverty and not being able to give you a better life.”
“Don’t cry, Mama. Please. I don’t care that we had Christmases where the only gifts I got were clean socks and bubblegum. I don’t. The only thing that matters to me is that you don’t regret me. Please, don’t look at me like I’m dirt.”
She pulled back to cup his face in her hands. “I would never do that to you.”
“But you have. A lot. I’ve seen it.”
She shook her head. “No, Nick, that wasn’t what you saw.”
“Then why couldn’t you look at me in the courtroom? Why did you pull your hand back in the car?”
“Because I feel like I failed you and that you were blaming me for being arrested. If I hadn’t raised you the way I did, people wouldn’t be so quick to judge you like they do. I know that’s my fault. I offered to give testimony for you, and your lawyer told me it wouldn’t be a good idea. Do you know how that made me feel? He might as well have made me wear a shirt that said ‘trash’ on it.”