3. Aidan
“Preston,”calls the guard, “you have a visitor.” Exhaustion threatens to overtake me as I press a hand over my face.
It has been three days since I ended up locked up in this place. Three days watching my back constantly, morning and night. Some of my guys have ended up in this very same place. But it’s a first for me. I’m still thinking about what happened and how it happened. The poorly executed job raises suspicions in my da’, who believes it’s a setup from the Snakes. Despite our complicated relationship, I can’t help but agree with him.
“Preston, I don’t have all day. Move your arse.” I release a frustrated exhale before following orders.
“Who is it?” I ask, expecting nothing but a sarcastic retort.
“Who am I? Your maw? Move and see for yourself.” Yeah, that’s exactly the answer I was expecting from Jo. I don’t trust him, but I trust him more than any other guard in here.
The entrance of the parlour buzzes, and I’m directed towards a seat.
“No sudden movement, and keep your hands in our sight, understood?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill,” I say with a hint of annoyance.
Two minutes later, my da’ approaches, one hand in his pocket. He looks exhausted.
Welcome to the club, buddy.
“Son. How are you feeling?”
“Great, the food and people are lovely. And the mattress is a real treat. I couldn’t have dreamt any better,” I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
With a sigh of frustration, he rubs his temples. “Cut the bullshit, would you?”
“What do you have? And where is my attorney?”
It has been three days, and I have yet to hear anything about the lawyer.
“They’re working on your case. The police took their sweet time to send their report. Without that, there was nothing they could have done. But they’re here, and you should meet them tomorrow.” Is he shitting me right now?
“Court is planned for tomorrow.” My fists clench as I feel the anger bubbling up inside me. “Are you saying that I won’t be able to consult with my lawyer until I’m facing the Judge? Are you for real?” I am more confused than ever.
Who defends someone without seeing them first? How can I be aligned with them if we have no plan and no strategy in place?
“Do you trust me?” I meet his gaze and look him straight in the eye. Even though we have a complicated history, I still trust him. One doesn’t become the most powerful man in the underworld by making hasty decisions. Resignation seems to be the prevailing emotion at the moment.
“I do, but?—”
“No but. Trust me, get ready for tomorrow, stick to your truth, and it’ll be okay. They are the best in their field. Do not speak to anyone before the trial. If everything goes as planned, it will be a matter of a day.” Now I look at him like he lost his goddamn mind.
“A day?” A nervous laugh escapes me because, c’mon, nobody can be that good.
“Aye, a day. I told you they are the best at what they do. I’m confident in them enough. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have contacted them.”
“Alright then. It’s not like I have another choice.”
“No, you don’t. I’ll see you tomorrow, son.”
Tomorrow comes quickly. I’m not the type of guy to be stressed, but I have to say, not knowing what to expect is stressing me the hell out.
I’m seated in the front row, my da’ and Scott right behind me. I’m looking around to see if my lawyer is here, but nobody is here yet. The murmur of frustrated voices around me tells me that people are getting impatient.
Me too, pals. I don’t know what the fuck my da’ thought when he hired them, but if punctuality is not their forte, I don’t think they’ll do a great job to get me out of here.
As the courtroom fills with agitation, a woman with fiery hair I’ve never seen before enters, catching my attention. With a determined stride, she heads straight towards my da’ and leans in to whisper in his ear. While he nods his head in agreement, I’m left feeling completely clueless about what is happening. Sitting down next to me, she extends her hand and introduces herself with a smile.
“Good morning, Mr Preston. I’m Emilie Rousseau, your attorney’s legal assistant, and I’ll be working with you as part of your defence team today.”
Legal assistant?What the fuck?
“And where is my attorney? Because if you haven’t noticed it yet, the trial is going to start anytime soon now.” As soon as the words leave my lips, the door opens once again.
What the hell? What is she doing here? The only person who has been etched into my memory for the past eight years.
Is this a joke? Does my da’ know? Of course, he does. He’s the one who called her.
She looks just as I remember her, but there’s a new confidence in her demeanour after all this time. She is absolutely stunning, and my heart can’t help but ache at her sight. Her curves are less pronounced, but they’re still there.
Walking toward us, she gives a slight nod to my da’ and a faint smile to her brother. Her eyes scan the surroundings until they find mine. Those black eyes, those fucking eyes. I’ve dreamt about those so many times that I’ve lost count. Her gaze bores into me with a look that could kill, and I can’t blame her. Good, keep that anger on the surface, beautiful. You’ll need that today.
“Mr Preston.” Okay, so we’re playing it that way. She sits between her assistant and me, and I catch a whiff of her sweet perfume as she leans over to grab something from her bag. Her vanilla scent still has the same effect on me, even after all this time. I close my eyes and breathe in the familiar aroma of her.
“What are you doing here?” I know I sound like an arsehole, but I wasn’t expecting her today. I don’t cope well with surprises, and having her in the middle of my mess is the last thing I want for her.
Fuck. Seeing her feels like a painful stab in the heart, slowly twisting the knife.
“Let’s focus on why I am here today. I had a late flight, so let me do my job and keep your words to a minimum, would you?” Oh, kitten grew her claws.
“Tin—.” She silences me with a sharp tone.
“Don’t. You lost all right to call me that years ago. It’s Miss Reed for you today.”
“Got it.” Although she has every reason to be angry, the situation still stings.
“All rise,” the bailiffs announce. “This court is now in session. The honourable Judge James McLeod is presiding.” As the Judge enters, I feel my palms becoming sweaty. Okay, just breathe. She’s got this. It’s not her first rodeo.
“Defence Attorney Reed?” the Judge asks.
“Ready for the Defence, Your Honour.” Let this chaos begin.
It took three hours. Three hours for her to pull me out of it. I knew she was good. But knowing and seeing it in person is completely different.
Saying that I’m impressed and fucking proud of her would be an understatement. Six hours later, I find myself sitting in my da’s office with Scott and a glass of whisky in my hand.
That’s good.I may be out for now, but the Snakes are preparing something, and we need to anticipate our next move. I swirl the whisky in my glass, the ice clinking softly against the sides, before turning to my da’. “Do we know who was behind that?”
“We know the Snakes are involved. The video surveillance showed one of their guys infiltrating your club before the opening. But we’re not sure if they’ve been operating alone,” my da’ replies.
“How did you get access to these videos? We made sure that nobody could get access to it except us?” asks Scott.
“It wasn’t me.” My da’ doesn’t look at us when he says that, which means we are not going to like what he’s going to say.
“Then who?” My words are stronger than I intended, but at this stage, I don’t give a shit.
He utters only one word, “Blakely.”
“What do you mean by ‘Blakely’?” asks Scott, reflecting on my thought.
He sighs, “Blakely was the one who found the videos. She infiltrated your security system to have more proof to get you out of prison.” Like Scott, I am equally stunned.
“How?” My question is legit. How could she trespass into our system when nobody else can? We’ve been working on that for years to ensure no one could access it. If someone got their hands on our footage, we’re screwed. Not that we’re dealing drugs or trafficking, but still.
“That’s not a question I can answer, sons. For that, you’ll have to ask her directly.” Scott and I exchange a knowing look - we both know she won’t be answering any of my questions. I sit deeper into my seat as the exhaustion of these past few days rushes over me.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was my attorney? You didn’t think that was something I would have liked to know?” I blurt out.
“No.” Apparently, his short answer is enough.
“I think you owe more than a ‘no’ as an answer, don’t you think, Father?
“I didn’t tell you because I knew you would react that way.”
“I have my reasons.”
“Aye, you have. But she is the best attorney that I’ve seen in years, so excuse me if I used all the resources I had to get you out of prison. And you,” pointing his finger towards Scott, he explains, “I didn’t tell you because she asked me not to. She needed all the focus possible for her and her team, and she didn’t need the pressure that you might possibly put on her.” He raises his hands. “I didn’t say that you would have put pressure on her, I said, possibly. And you know it’s true.” He takes a sip of his whisky and looks back at me. “What happened between you two is between you two, but she is family. I called her, she came, did her job, and damn well, got you out of it, and god knows she wanted to see you locked in a bit longer, and will go back to her home soon.” I see Scott flinch at the mention of her leaving the country once again.
“She is not the sweet girl you knew once. So now, take your fingers out of your arse and act like the man I raised you to be.”
That was more words coming out of his mouth than I’m used to from him. I sigh because he is right, but I’m fucking mad that he put her in danger like that for nothing. I’d rather stay in prison for a lifetime and keep her safe than put her in the middle of this.