Chapter 35
thirty-five
. . .
Jensen
“Where are you?”My lawyer barely allows me to say hello before he talks over me. “Are you at your place?”
“On my way to the station.” I turn out of the parking deck of my apartment, and merge into traffic. “Why do you sound like you”re out of breath? Wait, do I want to know?”
“The investigator just called.” My heart skips a beat. “Chrissy really screwed up last night. I’m surprised your phone isn’t ringing off the hook by now.”
Just then I see an incoming call from Connor that I choose to let go to voicemail.
I’m assuming whatever my attorney is talking about Connor is at the station and has gotten wind of it already.
“The investigator followed her home from a club around one this morning, she wasn’t alone.”
I fucking hate the idea of anyone in my house but I know it’s been happening behind my back since the moment she moved in.
“They stumbled inside together, did nothing to hide what they chose to do right in front of the picture window. Right there with the lights on, curtain wide open.”
I can go without the details of everything that has and is taking place in my house. “Just tell me the section where it all fell apart,” I rush him along.
“The entire display didn’t go over so well when her on again off again boy toy showed up to find her going at it with the new friend.”
I pull over to the side of the road and grip the steering wheel tight. My mind is racing with all the possibilities.
“There was a fight, it ended up on the front lawn outside, things got crazy fast. A couple neighbors came over to try and stop it and Chrissy went a little wild.”
“What do you mean she went a little wild?”
“They found coke at the house, and her and this guy were high.” My stomach knots up. She’s never been into any kind of drugs. I may not want to be with her, but the idea of her getting herself wrapped up in this kind of shit isn’t something I want to see either.
“She picked up a planter, hit one of the neighbors with it.”
“Fuck,” I growl out. “Is the neighbor okay?”
“He had to get a few stitches, but Chrissy was arrested for assault and possession.” I nod like he can actually see me but right now I don’t have words.
“What do I do?” I whisper hoarsely.
“There’s really nothing that you have to do, but I’m guessing you”ll do something anyway. So I’ll leave the ball in your court. Just keep me updated, so I know where we are with this.”
Again I nod.
“If you want me to use this against her, I will. If you want me to bargain, try to make this divorce happen in exchange for helping her out of this, I can do that too. Like I said, the choice is yours.”
“Let me get to the station, I’ll call you when I read the report.”
“Sounds good.” I hear his inhale. “Remember how bad you want this shit to be over. How bad do you want to move on.”
“I know.” Right now I just couldn’t wrap my head around everything.
Ending the call, I pull back out into traffic and don’t bother calling Connor. I know I’ll see him soon and right now I want to be alone with my thoughts.
But as I thought he is waiting for me when I walk through the front doors.
“I assume you know?”
“Yeah.” I nod, and see a few other familiar faces watching me. “You read the report?”
“Captain wants to see you.” Connor doesn’t answer my question.
Together we walk toward the large office that currently has the door closed. Captain Tibbs is embossed on the door.
I knock once, push open the door and find him sitting behind his desk with his phone to his ear. Lifting his hand he waves me in and Connor follows close behind. We each take a seat and wait for him to end his call.
“He’s here now.” I look up to find him watching me. “Let me see where Steele wants to go with this and I’ll call you back.”
The sound of him placing the phone back on the receiver seems to echo through the room.
“How do you want to play this out?”
“What are my options?”
I pacemy office for what feels like hours. I’m not a vengeful guy. Even after all the shit that Chrissy has caused me, years of hell, I can’t fathom the idea of walking away and doing nothing.
“You ready for this?” I turn around to find Connor standing in my now open doorway. If anyone knows the hours and hours of frustration and all the regret in great detail, it”s him. He’s heard it all more times than I can count.
“If shit goes south?—”
“It won’t,” he insists.
“But if it does?”
“I’m right outside,” Connor assures me. I’m not afraid of Chrissy, I’m more afraid of her reaction when she sees that it”s me coming inside the room to talk through the situation. I’m homicide, this isn’t my general type of case, but the captain gave me my options and here we are.
I gather my phone, tuck it into my pocket and walk past Connor as he turns and follows close behind.
“You sure about this?” Connor asks me from behind but I don’t look back. Only nodding I swipe my badge and the door clicks just before it pops open and I step inside.
Immediately she lifts her head and her eyes widen in surprise when she sees it”s me that’s entered the room. Her lower lip trembles and her eyes fill with tears.
“Don’t,” I say as I close the door behind me and walk to the opposite side of the table. “You are not the victim here, Chrissy. You did what you did, no one forced you.”
“I didn’t drag a man out of my living room and beat him up on the front lawn.” She starts to flare up at me. “I didn’t rush out of my house and put myself into a situation that wasn’t my concern and take it upon myself to join the fight.”
“You were the one that brought home a man you barely know and you are the one that decided to snort fucking coke and go out of your mind. And so we’re clear, it’s my fucking living room.”
She glares at me and I glare right back. I did intend to walk in here and hear her out. But seeing her, immediately playing like she’s been falsely charged, that shit hits me. I’m reminded in a rush of the hell she’s caused me.
“Sweetheart, you looking at me like that isn’t helping you any. You should know that I’m your best-case scenario. Apparently your attorney dropped you more than a month ago, your friends have written you off, and from the recent fallout I assume your fuck toys have their own problems. So if you want to keep this,” I motion between us with my finger, “attitude up, I can walk away too.”
She holds my stare, and I can tell she wants to come back at me. She has always gotten that same look when she’s ready to fight. Her eyes narrow, her lips purse, and she fists her hands.
“I want my house,” I start, giving her a few seconds to respond. She remains quiet but her expression hardens. “You can have all the shit, the furniture, the dishes, down to the last rug, because I don’t want any of that shit.” She picked it all out anyway. “We’ll find you a place, one that you can afford on your own.”
“I ca—” she stops herself when I arch a brow.
“It”s time you start working again, find a way to support yourself. I’ll set you up for the first three months, I’ll give you a substantial cushion to cover the bills for those months. But Chrissy, it”s time to end this shit.”
“And what do I get out of this?” Besides me supporting her for three fucking months and giving her thousands of dollars’ worth of contents? “You get these charges you have on your record wiped clean. You get probation and you go to fucking rehab.”
“I don’t need rehab.”
“It’s part of the deal.” No negotiation.
Again she stares at me and when her eyes cloud with tears she quickly looks away. “If I let go of the house it’s like letting go of you.”
“You don’t have me.” She looks up and a tear rolls along her cheek. “You haven’t had me for a long time. You and I, we were over before we started, we never should have gotten married.”
“Don’t say that.” She reaches out to touch my hand and I pull back. “I still love you,” she adds. “We could try again.”
I know if I continue this, it will never end.
“I’ll give you some time to think about what I”ve offered. But I wouldn’t take too long, the neighbor you assaulted fully intends to file charges.”
With that I stand and walk out of the room, finding Connor leaning against the opposite wall.
“I didn’t hear screaming,” he nods, “so there must not have been any bloodshed.”
“It’s up to her now.”