Chapter 23 #2
I held my breath while this not-so-young-looking woman scrutinized me.
“How do I know you’d hold up your end of the bargain?”
“You don’t. I can’t sign anything, for both our sakes. You’d have to trust me.” Rainey had been adamant about this part.
“You would need to sign a statement and send it into the DA’s office,” I continued.
“They would share it with the press. You would then undoubtedly be called by the press. We would have a professional assist you and be with you to make your statement. You don’t have to talk to the press, but it would be the best way to get them off your back if you did.
“In the meantime, we’ll relocate you to a town of your choice to an apartment you’ll be able to afford.”
“How? I have no money. No job.” She looked around at her surroundings and then I saw the tears.
“We’ll see that you get training and assistance with getting a new job.” No one had talked about this or authorized it. I was way out on a limb. But Dad had a foundation and one of the charities was to help people who were down and out. Surely this woman would qualify.
“I can’t stay here anymore anyway. The old man would never put up with this thing going to trial. It was supposed to be quick money.” She laughed and wiped a tear. “Where do I sign?”
“Come with me to our attorney’s office.”
“Don’t I need to call my attorney?”
This was the tricky part. “Not unless you want to. He’s only your attorney as long as you’d like him to be. You can call him to come with you and represent you, or you can call him to fire him.”
I held my breath again. Rainey had warned me not to press this issue. Even though I wasn’t an attorney or bound by laws or ethical considerations on this, I could be closely associated with her on this case and didn’t want to get her into trouble.
The woman slipped her phone from her tight jeans and pressed a number.
After getting past the secretary, she finally got to her attorney and cut right to the chase.
“You’re fired. I don’t need an attorney.
I’m not going through with the false charges.
Pound sand.” She punched off, slipped her phone back into her pocket, and said.
“My so-called boyfriend’s friend.” Then she smiled.
I let out my breath, directed her to my car and we were on our way. I could breathe freely and deeply for the first time since I saw that evil video on Twitter. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Of this tunnel, anyway.
When we got to Rainey’s office, she took over. She had a serious talk with the woman and helped her write her statement, had her sign papers, and made a dozen phone calls to arrange things with the DA while I made calls to the media.
“We’ve set up a media circus,” Rainey said to the woman finally, after we’d made all the arrangements.
“But it’ll be best to get it all over at once, like ripping off a Band-Aid fast. We’ll meet with the DA, give him the statement.
He’ll question you and have you sign his papers and then we’ll go outside the courthouse for the press conference.
The DA has agreed to participate.” Rainey turned to me and said, “We’ll need Hunter to be there as well.
It would be the cleanest and fastest way to repair his reputation. Best possible scenario, really.”
I nodded. I’d make it happen. “When?”
“Today. Four thirty p.m.”
The woman sucked in her breath. “I’m not ready. I can’t go home after this shit goes down. I need to get my things first, find another place to stay.”
I said, “No worries. We already sent someone to collect your things. I made a few calls and found a place for you to stay. A volunteer from an organization I know of will take you in for a month until you get on your feet and decide where you’d like to go.
It’s a special program for displaced women.
” I smiled and held my breath yet again.
She’d signed the papers, but we needed—Hunter needed—her to do this press conference, the last and crucial step in making him fully whole.
At least for this false accusation. The coach-punching incident was another matter that still hung over his head and was brought up every time a news outlet mentioned the assault charge.
I’d need to do something about that too.
As soon as we were finished taking care of this incident.
“You two are unbelievable,” the woman said, but she allowed Rainey’s assistant to take charge of her to get her cleaned up and changed, ready to face the press.
“I owe you for this, Rainey,” I said. We finally relaxed for a minute as we sat on the couch in her office, the late afternoon December sun already dimming.
“Don’t worry, I’ll send you the bill.”
“About that, make sure you send it to me, personally.”
She gave me a surprised look, but nodded.
She was too polite to wag a finger at me, but she knew this was personal.
And therefore, inappropriate. Aside from hiding the relationship from my dad, who was disappointed I was no longer seeing Jason, there was the organization’s nonfrat policy.
We’d shredded every clause and sentence of that rule inside and out.
“Let me call Coach so we can have Hunter ready. I’ll need to get him out of practice early and we only have an hour and a half.”
To my surprise, Coach hadn’t argued. In fact, after I explained the deal, the full confession and exoneration followed by a press conference with the DA, he was flat-out impressed with me.
“You’ve found your calling, Cat.”
“Rainey deserves all the credit.”
“You found her. And you handled the troublemaker.”
I laughed. “Maybe I have found my calling. Call me handler of troublemakers. Though that’s unfair to Quintanna. Make that handler of trouble magnets.”
He grunted his response and I’d already lost him, so I let him get back to work.
To save time, the organization’s limo delivered Hunter to the courthouse and we met him there.
Because everyone in the sports world, media world, and beyond had been alerted by the call for a press conference, they were in full force and we had a clamoring escort through the courthouse corridors all the way to the DA’s office.
No matter how many times Rainey shouted to the mob of reporters, photographers, and cameramen that they’d have their chance after our meeting with the DA, they kept hurling questions.
Hunter did a good job of ignoring them. He did a good job of ignoring me too, trying to keep his distance for my—and his—own good.
Once we got to the DA’s office, Rainey, Hunter and the woman went inside while I was left in the outer office.
The media, thank God, were kept outside in the hallway.
I had no idea how long this would take, but I knew it would feel like forever.
Rainey said it could be anywhere from fifteen to forty-five minutes.
But I was betting the DA would want to keep it simple, and get his moment in front of the cameras to cash in on a celebrity in trouble without even having to prosecute.
Pacing around the small space while I ignored the attorneys and others around me doing their jobs and glancing my way occasionally, I kept a watch on the clock.
So I knew when the door to the DA’s office opened that they’d been inside exactly twenty-three minutes.
Taking a deep breath, I checked on Hunter, anxious for him, hoping he’d be relieved. His demeanor was still serious, but he didn’t look like he wanted to crush someone. No smile. Not yet. I knew he hated the idea of the media circus most of all.