Vanya #3
He takes a moment to flip through the paperwork in front of him before turning his chair to face me. “Mr. Mikhailov, there is a lot of information in here that confuses me. Can you explain it to me?” he asks.
I swallow and then look back at Judge Bereznak, “Of course your honor, but before I do, can I ask a small favor?”
Bereznak looks at me with intrigue, “What can I do for you?”
“Can you please call me Dax? Mr. Mikhailov is my father and I don’t want to be confused with him at all,” I replied.
A grin spreads across his face, “You have some spunk kid. I’ll allow it. So, Dax, why are we here today?”
As soon as he called me Dax a mental switch flipped and I was in control. I spoke with clear conviction, answering all of his questions and confirming Mel’s sent in deposition done via video recording from New York.
With every answer and confirmation, Judge Bereznak’s disposition grew darker.
By the time I finished answering his questions and he told me I could step down and return to my seat, I was unsure of how it went.
Mr. Volkov nodded as I sat down and Zak sent me a reassuring look when I looked back at him.
The courtroom was silent except for the rustling of papers from the Judge’s perch where he muttered, shaking his head as he stacked all the papers, smacking them on the desk in front of him.
“Dax, I know you were hoping for a decision right now, but I need more time with this. I’m going to have them take you back to the prison. You’ll have my decision by the end of the week,” he said before turning his attention to the DA, looking between them and my lawyer.
“You two, my chambers. This is ridiculous and an embarrassment to the entire justice system. You do realize how bad this is, I hope,” he snaps out, turning to point his finger at the DA, “You really should be more aware of who you have working for you and the deals they’re working out behind the scenes.
But that’s a discussion for another day. ”
I stand so the bailiff can cuff me. My lawyer and Zak both come to talk to me before I’m taken back and I shake my head, “It’s fine, works out better this way.”
Zak gives me a questioning look, I roll my eyes, “Finals. Kai’s taking finals right now. His last one is Friday morning. If I had gotten out today, it woulda distracted him.”
Zak facepalms and then looks at me. “Only you could be okay with a few more days in prison so he can study,” he says.
I chuckle, shrugging, “What can I say? Kitten gets what Kitten needs. Talk soon ‘kay?” I say as I’m led away.
The rest of the week passes by excruciatingly slow. Thursday afternoon rolls around and I still haven’t heard anything. It’s late in the afternoon when Cas pulls me into a room where Vanya, Zak, and Mr. Volkov are waiting for me.
They’re all smiling, so I know this is good news as I sit down looking around the room eyeing each of them.
Vanya pulls a chair out and sits across from me, taking my hands in his, he begins speaking. “From the moment I heard about you being in juvie taking the fall for your govnyuk father, I knew I was going to fix this. It is time, tomorrow, Dax. Tomorrow, you go home.”
I look to Zak and my lawyer, “Seriously? Tomorrow?” I ask, slumping back in my chair, “Holy shit! It’s really over? No PO officer to report to or anything?”
Mr. Volkov slides a folder in front of me, I open it, finding a letter of apology and an offer of a check for half a million dollars. My mouth drops. Looking up in shock, I ask, “Is this real?”
“Very real, we could negotiate more, comes out around forty-five dollars an hour for every hour you were here under false pretense,” Mr. Volkov explains.
I shake my head no, “Where do I sign? This is enough,” I say, signing where Mr. Volkov points. ‘I have to ask one more time, just to be sure,’ I think as I ask, “I’m really goin’ home tomorrow?”
Zak nods, “Da. Ollie will pick you up at nine in morning. I have to be elsewhere or I would do it.”
I stand, “I need to go make a phone call. Kai won’t answer me right now with finals, but Mel?
He’d answer a call from Mel,” I say, excitement rushing through me.
I glance around at everyone that has helped me and Kai and feel an overwhelming sense of family.
“Thank you for everything,” I tell them as I turn toward the door.
Cas stops me as I put my hand on the door to open it, saying, “Mylo and I would like to have you and Kai over for dinner when you are settled.”
I smile at Cas, “We’d like that. Gotta go! So much to do. I’m goin’ home!” I respond excitedly.
Oliver
At 9:05 Friday morning, I stood outside of my truck waiting patiently for Dax to walk out. Zak had dropped by the house last night to tell me I was doing a pickup for him and he would send the details. Mack had demanded he be given the pick up instead earning nothing more than a laugh from Zak.
After that, shit got weird. Mack kept staring me down, trying to get the details of where I was going and what I was picking up.
I kept telling him that I didn’t know until he finally stormed out, slamming the door behind him and rattling the entire house.
That wasn’t the weird part, the weird part was that he didn’t try to beat the information out of me.
When the details came in minutes after the house stopped shaking, I smiled. ‘Dax is comin’ home,’ I thought.
Hearing the buzzer signaling the gate opening, I look up and see Dax walking through the gate, backpack slung over his shoulder, a guard walking and talking with him.
They paused by the gate exchanging a one armed hug and a handshake.
Confused by the friendliness, I looked closer at the guard, noticing it was Cas.
‘That makes sense,’ I think, nodding at him as Dax turned and made his way toward me.
Reaching the truck, he pulled me into a hug. ‘Dax hugged me? When did he start doin’ that?’ I thought as he pulled away and I turned to walk around to the driver’s side. He tossed his bag in the back and climbed in as I gave him a questioning look.
Lighting a cigarette as he settles into his seat, he smirks at me, saying, “I’m in a really good mood. I’m four hours from picking up Kai and startin’ our lives. So don’t get used to that.”
I chuckle, shaking my head, “That makes sense. You hungry?” I asked as I pointed to the bag from Portillo’s. “There is a Polish sausage breakfast sandwich in there for ya.”
He tosses the cigarette and grabs for the bag, “Just one? It’s been over a year since I’ve had one a these and you bring me one?” Dax asked me as he pulled it from the bag.
“We can stop for anything you want malyn’kiy brat. Just thought this would hold you over for a bit,” I say, motioning to the coffee I got him. I chuckle as he grabs it and takes a drink, burning his tongue.
Taking a bite of his sandwich, he mutters out a “Thank you,” through a mouthful of food. Swallowing, he continues, “I needed this. Now all I need is a shower and a way to go get Kai at noon.”
“Hey, can I borrow your phone? Kai has mine and I need to see if Mel got a hold of him?” Dax asks.
I nod to where it sits in the cupholder between us and watch him from the corner of my eye as he texts with Mel on the way home.
“Fuck, he never answered her either. Kai doesn’t know I’m out.
Oh, this is gonna be fun,” he says, a devious smirk in place.
I shake my head as we pull off the interstate and head towards the house. Turning onto our street, we find it lined with police cars. Spotting a SWAT van up ahead, we look at each other, wearing matching grins as we realize they are there for Mack.
I pull off to the side of the road, parking the truck, we both step out and blend with the forming crowd.
I try to catch Dax’s eye but find him grinning ear to ear as he watches Mack get dragged from the house in ratty underwear and stained t-shirt, resisting the whole way and hollering about them having the wrong guy.
I reach out to tap him on the shoulder, when he does the unthinkable. I stare, mouth dropped in shock as Dax makes his way to the front of the crowd and waits til Mack is in the car. As soon as the door is shut he walks around to the window and taps on it.
Mack, still yelling in the back seat, pauses to look out the window. I see him shift, his head disappearing from view, replaced by seeing his foot as he tries to kick out the window. Dax doesn’t flinch, just knocks his nose with a knuckle and flips him off, smirking as he walks away.
‘Apparently, Dax needed that,’ I think with a chuckle.