Chapter 33
Sloane
My eyes burned, exhaustion threatening to pull me into a deep sleep. I’d been awake for almost twenty-four hours now, but I couldn’t sleep.
Not yet.
Not when Rhys was in jail, and Rookie was scared out of his mind.
I poured myself another cup of black coffee, draining it in a few large gulps, ignoring the bitterness it left on my taste buds. I didn't care about taste. I didn’t care about the burn on my tongue. I desperately needed the caffeine.
Dom and Cami stood in their kitchen with me, both of them just as exhausted.
The news about Rhys blew up overnight, and several of his sponsors dropped him immediately. I wasn't hopeful he would be able to get them back, but we were still going to try. I owed him that much. Cami's been on damage control, trying to spin the news and stop it from spreading too far.
It didn't appear to be working.
I rubbed the heels of my palms into my eyes, fighting past the exhaustion. "Okay." My hands slapped against their marble countertop. "It's eight in the morning on a Sunday. The pound opens in an hour. The bank opens in thirty."
"What do those have to do with each other?" Dom asked mid-yawn.
"I'm gonna pull out as much as I can, and I'm gonna start playing dirty. The law obviously hasn't worked in my favor. I'm gonna bribe them. Who can say no to cash?"
Dom and Cami exchanged a look, then shrugged.
"You sure?" Dom asked.
"No. But what the hell else am I gonna do?" As a lawyer, it wasn't easy to consider breaking the law in so many ways, but I was out of options.
The law wasn’t going to protect us; it wasn't protecting Rhys.
"And his lawyer?"
I looked over at Cami, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth. I knew I was a good lawyer, but I was also humble enough to admit that this was beyond my expertise.
Stu had his opportunity to pull strings. Now it was mine.
Unfortunately for him, I had a lot of favors to cash in.
"Helen Toley. She's... an evil genius. Best defense attorney I know. If anyone is gonna get him out of this, it's her. Cam, can you call her at nine? Her nephew plays for the Nighthawks. I negotiated his contract up by three million. She owes me."
Dom walked over to where I stood, clamping a hand on my shoulder. "Well, even if she doesn't, we'll chip in whatever we need to help. We're here for you guys."
I smiled appreciatively, tears welling up in my eyes. "Thank you," I whispered, my voice cracking a little.
Obviously, Cam and Dom would help me however I needed it, I knew that. But it still warmed my heart to know we had friends like this.
I sniffed, taking a deep breath and clearing my throat. "Okay. I gotta... Fuck. I don't know. My brain isn't working."
"It's okay," Cami said softly. "You're tired. It's normal. Just... Go get ready to go, wash your face, then head to the bank."
I nodded a few times, then turned to head to their guest bathroom, skidding to a stop when my phone started buzzing on the counter. I ran over and eyed the caller ID, snatching it off the counter when I didn't recognize the number and swiping to answer, "Rhys?"
"Hey, baby."
I immediately burst into tears, my knees buckling as I sank to the floor. "God, Rhys. I'm so fucking sorry. I– If I had known, I wouldn't have provoked him like that! I would've–"
"Pip, please, baby. I only have a few minutes, and we both know you have nothing to apologize for." He spoke softly, but his voice was strained.
"You okay? You sound off."
Rhys stayed silent on the other end for a second too long.
"Rhys? What happened?"
He sniffed. "Nothing, it's nothing. I just– I wanted to check on you."
"You wanted to check on me?" I asked quietly.
"Are you okay?"
"Rhys, I'm fine. I'm– I stayed with Dom and Cami, they–" I paused, not sure what all he knew. "What's happening there? Have they told you anything?"
He let out an unamused laugh, "Yeah. And, Sloane, I'm so sorry about the apartment. They... Stu paid me a visit with a couple of his cronies. He showed me pictures. It's destroyed."
My eyes burned again, but I held back my tears, swallowing the emotion building in my throat. "It's okay."
"And tell Cam I'm sorry Rookie had to stay with you."
Fuck.
My heart shattered all over again. I closed my eyes, sighing heavily. "Baby, they took him."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm getting ready to go to the pound to get him back. I'm so sorry, Rhys. I tried, but they wouldn't let me keep him."
He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "It's okay, you have nothing to apologize for."
"Did they tell you anything else?" I asked, my voice still shaky.
"Yeah, Pip. They uh– they planted a lot—almost three grams on me. Five thousand grams were found stashed under the bed in the guest bedroom, and a bunch of weed, too. I'm screwed." He laughed again, this one much more defeated than the last.
My mouth hung open for a second, my mind trying to process everything he just said, but also how the fuck they were able to plant everything and where the fuck a bunch of cops were able to acquire so much.
Cami's words echoed through my mind. I could brainstorm and ponder later. But right now, Rhys needed me.
"Rhys, listen to me. You are not screwed. I have Cami calling the best defense attorney on the East Coast. I'm on my way to get Rookie back. I am going to do exactly as he did. Stoop low and play dirty. I will have you home so fast that this will all seem like a bad dream, okay?"
His staticky sigh came through the phone. "I love you, you know that?"
"I love you, you know that?" I responded, tears spilling over and streaming down my face. "He won't get away with this. I promise."
"I know he won't." He sighed again. "I have to go."
My eyes shut as I nodded to myself. "Okay. I love you so much."
"I know. Bye, baby."
I waited until I heard the phone clank against the hook switch to pull my cell phone away from my ear. "Fuck!" I cried, pulling my knees to my chest and letting out a sob.
He sounded so defeated. And so fucking tired.
Cami sat down behind me, pulling me against her chest, letting me cry out all of my pent-up frustrations.
Fuck Stu, fuck the Boston PD, fuck whoever sold them these drugs, and fuck anyone who believed Rhys was actually guilty.
I gave myself a second to let it all out, knowing this was the last time until Rhys was free that I'd allow myself to do so.
Cami rubbed my back, and Dom stood helplessly on the side, hating that there was nothing to do.
He had to go to practice soon, and as much as he tried to skip, I knew he would get fined if he did.
I took a shaky breath, taking the tissue out of Dom's hand and smiling at him appreciatively. I wiped my nose, then turned and looked at my best friend. "I gotta call Lisa."
There was no way she hadn't heard about the news yet, and she would be absolutely heartbroken thinking that Rhys was capable of this. Neither of our families really knew what happened with Stu except for Zoey. And she barely knew the truth.
Now they would all have to know. A part of me thought maybe they pieced it together after we broke up, but I wasn't certain. Today, they would know for sure.
My family and the family of the man I now loved would know that I let some pathetic excuse of a man isolate, control, and belittle me. Living with the fact that this happened in the first place was humiliating enough, and now everyone I loved would know, too.
I rubbed my eyes again while Cami moved to stand, "Listen, Sloane.
You're only human. You can't take this on alone.
Go to the bank, go to the pound. Get Rookie home.
Dom and I will take care of Lisa. We'll tell her it was a mix-up and that we're working on it.
I'll let you– if you want to give details, I'll leave that up to you. Let's take this step by step, okay?"
"Okay," I answered, blinking again to stop a fresh wave of tears from forming in my eyes. "Okay," I exhaled sharply and took the hand Cami offered to pull me up from my spot on their kitchen floor.
"Stu will not get away with this. The Boston PD will not get away with this. You hear me?"
A weight lifted from my shoulders, the conviction she typically carried was back, and breathing new life into her words.
"I hear you."
She smiled softly. "Okay." Her hands clamped down on my shoulders. "Go get your baby back."
***
Given my apartment was a crime scene and I was denied access, the only clothes I had were a baggy pair of sweats and an old t-shirt courtesy of Dom, and a pair of flip-flops, courtesy of Cam.
Ideal for the path of destruction I was set on burning? Absolutely not.
But it would have to do.
My bank only allowed five thousand dollars in cash withdrawals at each branch, and even though it didn't feel like enough, it would have to do. I didn't have time to drive all over Boston to every location.
I pushed open the doors to the pound and was immediately met with the smell of dog food and cleaning supplies. Dogs barked in the distance, some deep, booming barks, others small or high-pitched.
There was only one bark I was dying to hear.
There was a man at the counter wearing a dark green volunteer shirt. I'm not exactly well-versed in pound politics, but he seemed like a good place to start.
I smiled, placing my arms on the tall counter, a large wad of cash burning a hole in my pocket.
"Hello, there! What can I do for you today?"
Nerves twisted in my stomach, unsure of how this was going to pan out. "I need to speak to someone who's in charge of the stray dogs or dogs that come in via... police escort."
He stared at me blankly for a second, blinking several times.
"Is there anyone here to help me with that?"
"I– Uh... sure, give me just a second," He disappeared through a swinging door behind the desk, leaving me alone in the lobby.
Ten minutes went by, then fifteen. I was starting to lose my patience. And then I began to panic. What if he called the police? What if Stu were on his way to me right now?