Chapter Six
Simon
I huddled in the corner of the cell on a cot that was too damn hard to lie down on. I hadn’t slept all night, plagued by thoughts of what would happen to me if I were convicted of murder.
Tony was right; I would never survive prison.
“Simon.”
I looked up into the eyes of the man who held my future in his hands. Both inside and outside the courtroom. We stared at each other, and I waited for him to say something—anything that would explain why this was happening.
“I brought you some clothes. The sheriff said there’s a shower you can use in the locker room.”
I listened to his words, looking for an inflection that changed the tone of his voice from the serious lawyer to the man I knew cared about me. But it wasn’t there. This was business, not personal. I was so fucking stupid.
I nodded and stood. Deputy Wyatt unlocked the cell, and Tony and I followed him to the locker room, where Tony hung my suit on a hook.
“Thank you, Deputy.”
Tony’s voice was cold. It wasn’t the same as the man who whispered in my ear at the club. It wasn’t warm, making me melt like butter.
As soon as the deputy left, I began to undress. I removed my shirt and sat down to untie my shoes.
“Simon.”
I closed my eyes and took a breath, pausing only a moment to center myself before returning to my task, ignoring Tony as he sat down beside me on the bench.
“We need Sadie, Simon.” I paused again, my hands tightening on my shoelaces. I removed my shoes and set them between Tony and me. I stood up to remove my pants, unbuckling my belt.
I looked over my shoulder at Tony; his nostrils flared, and his pupils were blown as he watched me undress. “You’re such an asshole,” I told him as I dropped my pants and underwear. I stepped out of them, leaving them pooled on the floor, and walked to the shower naked.
I silently dared him to follow me, but when I looked back just before leaving the room, his head was down. His forearms rested on his legs as he stared at the floor.
Tears welled in my eyes. He would never accept himself for who he was. How did I expect him to accept me? I walked into the shower and turned on the water, letting it wash over me and wash away the grime from sitting in the cell all night waiting for my uncle Alex to decide my fate.
When I was done, I was disappointed that Tony hadn’t come in to watch me shower.
I knew he wanted me as much as I wanted him, but wanting wasn’t enough.
For years I had allowed him to keep me a secret.
But being charged with murder, especially one you didn’t commit, had a way of making you take stock of your life.
I was worth more than being someone’s dirty little secret.
I stood beside Tony in my suit, the she-bitch at the table across from us as we waited for my uncle Alex to enter the courtroom. The bailiff had already announced him, and every passing second had me on edge until the door opened and he walked to his seat behind the bench.
“You may be seated,” he said gruffly.
As I sat down, my eyes stayed locked on him, but he didn’t look up. When he did, he kept his gaze from mine. He looked first at the she-bitch.
“Ms. Winthrop, plead your case.”
“Thank you, Judge.” The she-bitch stepped around her table and began.
“The heinous nature of this crime leaves questions as to the validity of Mr. Nelson’s claim of self-defense.
Preliminary autopsy results show that the victim, Mr. Sanders, was stabbed repeatedly in the back after being knocked on the head with something heavy enough to crack his skull.
Given the disappearance of the defendant’s sister, we are asking that the defendant be held without bail, Your Honor. ”
“What does his sister’s whereabouts have to do with the case, Ms. Winthrop?”
“Your Honor.” She paused and looked at me.
Her smile dropped, and something came over her face that I wasn’t sure I could put into words.
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
She settled her smile in place before turning back to my uncle.
“Given Mr. Nelson’s... proclivities, the state believes Mr. Nelson acted in a fit of jealous rage. ”
“Objection, Your Honor,” Tony shouted as he stood from his chair.
Uncle Alex held up his hand as he glared at the she-bitch. I racked my brain trying to understand what she was insinuating. When Tony sat back down, I leaned over and whispered, “Is she trying to say that I wanted Alan?”
“No.” I waited for him to elaborate, but that was all he said.
“Please explain, Ms. Winthrop,” Uncle Alex said. “Carefully,” he warned.
“Your Honor, I would again ask that you recuse yourself given your relationship with the defendant.”
“I have a relationship with every damn resident of this town, Ms. Winthrop. Explain,” he growled.
“The state believes that, given the nature of Mr. Nelson’s lifestyle and the debauchery and degradation he is ensconced in, Mr. Nelson was jealous of the relationship between his sister, Mercedes Nelson, and the victim, Alan Sanders.
We have eyewitness testimony that proves Mr. Nelson had repeatedly asked his sister to leave Mr. Sanders, and when she refused, Mr. Nelson killed him. ”
“OBJECTION!”
What? I looked between the she-bitch, Tony, and Uncle Alex, not understanding what she was implying.
“Of course I wanted her to leave Alan,” I spoke out loud.
“Simon, shut the fuck up,” Tony growled.
“Mr. Gallagher.” Uncle Alex slammed the gavel down. “I will remind you this is a court of law.”
“Yes, Your Honor. My apologies; it won’t happen again.”
Tony sat down next to me and whispered, “Simon, I need you to keep your mouth shut. Anything you say can be used against you right now. Please, if I have any hope of winning this thing, keep your damn mouth shut.”
“But, Tony, I don’t understand.” I grabbed hold of his arm, needing to feel him somewhere. Something to ground me right now. It didn’t matter how angry I was at him; he was my center. “Why is she making it sound like trying to get Sadie to leave Alan is a bad thing? He was beating her.”
“And there is no fucking record of it because she refused to press charges, Simon.”
“But everyone in town knew.”
Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Please just stay quiet, and I will explain everything later.”
“Mr. Gallagher, what do you have to say?”
Tony peeled my hand from his arm and stood. “Your Honor, Mr. Nelson is an upstanding member of this community. He owns a business that the town relies on.”
The she-bitch snorted, and I turned at the growl behind me.
I hadn’t realized anyone was in the gallery.
Goliath sat right behind me, glaring at the woman trying to put me in prison.
With him were King, Cash, and many other Silver Shadows and their old ladies.
Men and women who had become my friends.
“He has lived in Diamond Creek his whole life. His only ties are here in this town.”
“His parents live in Florida, Your Honor,” the she-bitch interrupted. “And his sister is currently unaccounted for.”
Uncle Alex sighed heavily and looked at Tony. “Mr. Gallagher, are you willing to take full responsibility for your client’s whereabouts until trial?”
“I am, Your Honor.”
Uncle Alex looked behind us to the gallery. “Mr. O’Rourke.”
“Yes, Your Honor.” King stood with his hands clasped together in front of him.
“Are you able to spare Mr. Gallagher for the foreseeable future?”
“Absolutely, Your Honor. Consider him yours.” King sat back down with a smirk, and Tony dropped his chin to his chest. My head was on a swivel as I looked back and forth between King and my uncle.
“What’s going on?” I whispered.
“Quiet,” Tony hissed. He looked up at Uncle Alex.
“What is going on here, Your Honor? What does Mr. O’Rourke have to do with any of this?” the she-bitch asked.
Ignoring her question, Uncle Alex proclaimed, “I am setting bail in the amount of one million dollars. Is that satisfactory for you, Ms. Winthrop?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
I wanted to smack the smug grin off her face.
“Mr. Gallagher, I presume bail can be arranged?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Good. Once bail has been paid, Mr. Nelson will be fitted with an ankle monitor and be on house arrest until the trial. Mr. Gallagher, you will stay with Mr. Nelson to ensure he is able to continue to work.” Uncle Alex looked my way.
“Simon, Anthony will be staying in your home to make sure you are where you need to be at all times. You are not to leave your home unless Anthony is with you. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Your Honor.” I knew better than to address him as anything different while in the courtroom. My parents had drilled that into Sadie and me when we were growing up. Though I doubted they ever expected us to be in his courtroom for anything other than witness testimony.
Certainly not on trial ourselves.
Uncle Alex slammed the gavel down and stood, leaving without a word to anyone. I remained in my seat, shocked at the turn of events. I’d had everything planned out. I’d done my research for months, waiting for this opportunity. It should have been flawless.
“Anthony, the state is open to a plea deal.”
“No,” he growled.
The she-bitch looked in my direction. “You are required to take the offer to your client.”
“No,” I affirmed for her.
“Simon,” Tony hissed at me again. “Let’s go.”
I followed Tony out of the courtroom, trying to ignore the woman we left behind.
There was a history between them, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it was.
Tony never talked about his past beyond a few childhood stories.
I knew he was close to a man named Christian, who was in a club in New York.
I’d heard a few stories about law school and the cases he’d won and the ones he’d lost that haunted him.
But I didn’t know anything about his sexual journey. I’d told him everything about mine. How I knew as a kid I was gay. I’d never been with a woman. Never even questioned what sex with a woman would be like. I never cared to find out. Women didn’t interest me.
Had Tony experimented before coming to the conclusion he was gay? Had he questioned his identity growing up, confusion leading him to live his life in the closet? Had he slept with the she-bitch?
“Tony?”
“Not fucking now, Simon.”
My shoulders slumped as he growled out his irritation at me. I knew it was due to the circumstances, but the circumstances surrounded me; therefore, I was the reason for his anger.
We walked down to the clerk’s office. “Bail’s been paid,” Goliath said.
“Who paid it?” I asked. We’d just left the courtroom. I didn’t have the money for bail. I guess I could have used the shop as collateral.
“I paid it,” Goliath announced.
“You, Goliath? Why?”
“Because you don’t belong in a fucking cell, Simon. You didn’t do anything wrong; you aren’t taking the heat for this.”
“It was self-def—”
“Bullshit,” Goliath hissed.
“Can we not talk about this here?” Tony grabbed my arm and walked toward the corrections officer. He pulled out a chair, and I sat while the ankle bracelet was secured to my leg.
“This is a GPS monitor. It doesn’t have a short-term range, but we can track you anywhere you go. The judge ordered you not to leave the state, or even the county.”
“Apparently I can’t leave my house without a babysitter,” I whined.
The man on his knees in front of me smiled. He placed his hand on my knee and whispered seductively, “If you run, I’ll chase you.” Then he winked.
“What the fuck?” Tony growled at the man whose name tag said Freddie. Tony stepped between us and glared at him.
Freddie held up his hands and said, “Just telling him the rules.”
“He knows the goddamn rules.”
Tony didn’t say a word to me as he hauled me roughly from the chair. His jealousy had always done things to me. I remembered one night in particular…