Chapter 23
I woke up to the sound of a metal door slamming somewhere down the hall.
Every thought twisted into a knot the second I tried to untangle it.
I couldn’t tell if Treason was fighting for me or if he was playing me like everyone else.
I didn’t know anything anymore. Not who to trust, or how I ended up with my back against cinderblock walls.
The only thing I knew for sure was I had to get the hell out of here.
“I know you!” a woman slurred, pointing a shaky finger at me. “You’re that fine politician’s girlfriend!”
I rolled my eyes, praying her drunk ass passed out again. She’d spent half the night singing like a human karaoke machine, ruining anyone’s chance at rest.
But the drunk leaned closer, smirking. “What the hell are you doing in here?”
The door scraped open, and the officer’s voice rang out like a hammer against steel. “Navie Dixon. Let’s go. Attorney visit.”
Eager for an update, the officer escorted me from the cell. My nerves climbed higher with every step down the narrow hallway.
“I’ve got it from here,” An older man announced before leading me into a small, windowless room. No glass partition. Just a table, two chairs, and Treason standing in the middle of the floor.
I expected him to keep it professional, since he was technically here as my attorney. Instead, he moved in three quick steps and pulled me into him.
A real hug.
“Are you okay? I missed you, Blue.”
“Am I getting out of here or not?” I whispered against his chest.
“I’m working on it.”
He eased back, his big hands sliding up until they framed my face. I froze, caught under the weight of his stare and the smell of caffeine that made me want to vomit.
“When I leave, no touching. Rules still stand for attorney-client privilege,” The officer explained.
“I know the fuckin’ rules. Why do you think I had you bring her?”
He didn’t respond, but he wanted to.
“I got you something to eat,” Treason replied, pulling out the chair. “Somebody wants to see you.”
He signaled the man who seemed to be working for Treason instead of MPPD, embroidered on his polo shirt.
“Vie! Oh my God.” Rayven rushed to me, stopping just shy of a hug, unsure if that was allowed, until Mr. MPPD nodded. “Are you okay?”
I was too far in disbelief to be excited. Had Tre lost his fuckin’ mind?
“What are you doing here?”
“I got in last night thanks to Tre. It was supposed to be a surprise, but.”
“Where are you staying?” I asked, trying to sort the millions of questions in my brain.
“With Tre.”
“Relax, I’ve got Rayven,” he added, watching my features tense.
“I’m fine. You didn’t have to rush down here,” I explained to Rayven, steadying my voice.
“Stop! You really think you’re that good of an actor? I know you’re not fine. You haven’t been in a long ass time, but you need me to believe it. So I did because it’s the only thing I can do for you when you do so much for me, but fuckin’ stop. For once.”
Treason signaled Mr. MPPD to give us a moment. He hesitated, then Treason gave him that look. The one that made me comply too.
“Five minutes. That’s all I can spare,” he said before stepping outside.
“What do you want me to say? That I’m scared shitless.
That I didn’t tell you about the baby because I don’t think I’m keeping it.
I’ve already failed my child, and I don’t want it growing up feeling about how we feel about Sloane.
How I was finally genuinely happy, then everything got fucked up, and now I don’t know who to trust. Oh, and I’m angry, so fuckin angry. ”
“I’m not a baby, Vie. You don’t have to keep things from me,” Rayven reasoned, now just as teary-eyed as I, only mine were much more stubborn. They didn’t fall, but Rayven’s did because she was a lot braver than she gave herself credit for.
“I know that, Rayven.”
“Do you?”
“Please. I can’t do this right now,” I begged, lowering my head.
“I don’t want to upset you, but you have people. I know you’re used to doing this on your own, but you don’t have to anymore,” Rayven coached.
Yeah, I had people. Ones that brought my fuckin’ sister to see me like this.
Thankfully, the door opened, so I didn’t have to respond to Rayven’s declaration.
Usually, I was sad whenever our time together ended, but today I was thankful that Mr. MPPD interrupted.
She hugged me tight and kissed my cheek before leaving the room.
“Who was that?”
“Somebody who owed me.” His gaze never wavered. “Nobody fucked with you, did they?”
My breath stuttered, shaking my head in between bites.
“Why would you bring her here?”
A frown locked between his eyes, “What was I supposed to tell her? She’s scared and needed to see you.”
“Why is she here anyway? She needs to be at school.”
“Because you were fuckin’ stressed and needed something I couldn’t give you. I arranged for her to come visit for you,” he snapped.
“Keep Rayven far away from Sloane. I mean it, Treason.”
“I know that, Blue.”
Those stubborn tears finally rolled down my face, but I refused to wail. Hell, I needed to, but it wouldn’t change anything.
“Give it to me. I can take it.”
Treason sat on the edge of the table, watching me. Moments passed before I worked up the courage to share my fear.
“I can’t do this. I can’t spend the rest of my life in here, and I won’t have my baby in jail?! That would make me worse than her.”
“That’s not happening. Why the fuck would you say that?”
“Look where I am, Treason!” My voice was laced with so much frustration and anger that I forgot we weren’t in the privacy of our home.
My cadence lowered, but the bitterness in my words was still there, giving him a piece of his own advice.
“Actions have consequences. Even yours, so I don’t have the luxury of not thinking about it.
I have to protect myself and this innocent life until I decide what to do with it, and I can’t even fuckin’ do that in peace!
It’s on me right now. Me all by my fuckin self! Not us!”
“You think I have this shit so much easier? Like, I’m at home fucking bitches and throwing parties? I can’t eat. I can’t sleep because you’re here and I’m there. Home isn’t even home without you! I’m going crazy without you! You’re in here with my baby, and I can’t fix this shit!”
“I want a lawyer.”
“You have a lawyer, Blue,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“A real one.”
His forehead wrinkled, “What the fuck do I look like?”
“A mess. I can smell the coffee you tried to cover with gum. That means you’re not sleeping, and I can’t mortgage my future to that. I want a lawyer. The best. I have money.”
“You think somebody else is better for you than me?”
A loaded question that I didn’t answer. When Treason was on his game, he was unstoppable. Unfortunately, that’s not what I saw looking into his eyes right now, and that killed me more than he knew.
“Right now, yes, and it’s not about me. It’s about the?—.”
“The baby. My fuckin’ baby!” he said with so much force I clenched my eyes shut to avoid the anger on his face.
“A baby you don’t even want! Why would I trust you to save it!” I yelled, before I could stop myself, “If you love me like you say, you’ll do what I’m asking. Please Treason!”
He stood up, pacing in tight circles with his lips pressed together. There was no teasing grin or steady reassurance. I fought like hell to ignore his aching in the quiet room otherwise I would’ve folded.
That ache was short-lived.
“You’re not getting another lawyer.”
“What?” I asked, certain that the lack of sleep had made me hear things.
“I’m not putting you or my child’s well-being in anybody’s hands but mine. If you feel that strongly about it, fire me. Take your chances with a public defender who won’t even remember your name. Or give your money to Sloane and let her get you a lawyer, but I’m not doing it.”
“Are you fuckin’ kidding me? You know what. Get Rayven back in here? She’ll do it.”
“Rayven? I’m the only thing holding her together. We both know giving the money to Rayven is a one-way ticket to Sloane’s pocket.”
He was right, and I hated him even more.
“I have more important shit to do, like getting you out, so I’d rather talk about that. Unless I’m fired. Am I fired?”
“You think you saved my life, but you ruined it. I was fine before I met you. It’s been nothing but bullshit since. I hate you.”
“Hate isn’t the only thing there because you trust me more than you do anybody else right now.”
Treason sat across the table, laying out a plan, but the words slid over me like water against glass. I wanted to hold on to every detail, but my brain couldn’t catch the thread. All I could do was nod, even when I wasn’t sure what I was agreeing to.
Our time was up, and Treason tilted my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes.
“I’d take the fall myself before I ever let you have my baby in here. I have some shit to set in motion, but I’ll be back in the morning.”
The officer stepped into the room, and both of us avoided each other as the officer handcuffed me and ushered me in a different direction than I had come.
“Where am I going?” I asked.
“Your new home,” he grumbled.
The metal door opened, revealing multiple cells on both sides of the narrow hallway. My new roommate looked more like a mansion than a home. Hell, she looked like she belonged in the men’s unit. Not here, sharing a fuckin’ cell with me.
“Inside, Dixon,” he nudged me in my back, forcing me inside.
My heart wanted me to believe Treason was determined to get me out, but the stench of feces and recycled air said otherwise.
“You hungry?”
My vacant eyes turned into hers. She was three times my size, offering me snacks. I didn’t trust that shit for one second. She knew it too, a lopsided grin adorning her face.
“Your brother told me you’re pregnant. I have some snacks and shit if you want it.”
“I don’t have a brother.”