Trick (A Cocky Cage Fighter Novel Book 7)

by Lane Hart

  When I walk out into the lobby, the expressions on Mr. Carter’s and Alyssa’s faces are so somber the news must be seriously shitty.

  “How bad are the charges?” I ask them.

  “No charges. I was able to convince the District Attorney to let you go,” the attorney answers.

  “Really?” I ask. “Guess the asshole’s injuries were minor.”

  “Not really. Broken rib, jaw, and nose. He’ll probably be in the hospital a few more days,” the attorney says.

  “He deserved worse,” I mutter. “Did you talk to Mina?” I ask Alyssa.

  “Yeah. She’s the reason you’re walking,” she replies.

  The attorney unzips the leather satchel on his shoulder and pulls out five small books or journals. “There was enough in here for them to initially charge him with three hundred incidents of statutory rape. Additional charges are possible.”

  The floor rolls underneath my feet at the same time the room heats up about a hundred degrees. I must have misheard him.

  “Three hundred…three hundred incidents? You don’t mean…”

  “Yes,” he answers grimly. “And that was just from the age of fifteen to eighteen…”

  “Oh my God,” I mutter as I lunge for a metal trash can. I barely get the lid off before what little contents remaining in my stomach are purged. I vomit until there’s nothing left in me, and even then the dry heaves won’t stop. Imagining the scenario of last night, the anguish on Mina’s beautiful face repeating three hundred times when she was so much younger is the worst type of hell imaginable. Every cell in my body aches for her, the pain so intense I collapse to the floor, unable to breathe.

  “Patrick, she’s tougher than you think,” Alyssa says when she kneels down next to me. “But Mina needs you to be there for her, to know that you believe her and still want her.”

  “I let her down. Last night…I was too late to stop him. I should’ve known…”

  “There was no way for you to know,” Alyssa tells me. “She kept it from everyone because her mother didn’t believe her. And she thought it was the only way to protect her sister.”

  Of course, Mina would do anything to keep the fucker away from Bridgette. That also explains why her wedding was the same weekend as Bridgette leaving for college. It was Mina’s first chance at escape.

  Guess this also explains my asshole father’s real motives for paying Derek off. He was probably making sure he had something to hold over Derek’s head if he was to figure out what was happening. Mina was delusional if she thought marrying that boy would free her from my father’s abuse. I have a feeling he would never stop until he broke her.

  “How long will he get?” I ask Alyssa and the attorney while using the bottom of my t-shirt to wipe the wetness from my face.

  “If he insists on going to trial and loses, he’ll die in prison,” Mr. Carter says. “But if he works out a plea deal, probably fifteen or twenty years.”

  “That’s not enough,” I grumble. “Fuck prison. He belongs six feet under.”

  “Agreed,” the attorney surprisingly says. “But the law is a little more lenient.”

  “Come on,” Alyssa says, getting to her feet. “I’ll take you to see her. She’s waiting for you –”

  “No,” I tell her with a shake of my head as I use the wall to pull myself up off the floor. “I can’t see her…”

  “Patrick...” Alyssa starts.

  “No! What am I supposed to say to her?” I ask. “No matter how many times I tell her I’m sorry, it will never be enough. Apologizing won’t erase what happened to her. Mina blames me for walking away years ago and never looking back.”

  “You were in the Marines, halfway across the world! What could you have done?” Alyssa asks.

  “Anything more than I did, which was absolutely nothing,” I answer before I walk out of the police station.

  …

  Mina

  Turning over my journals that held all my secrets wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Actually, it was freeing, to finally let the burden go, give it to someone else. The detective assured me that the bastard wouldn’t receive a bond because he’s dangerous to the community and a flight risk thanks to all his assets. They tell me I’m safe now, but it will take some time before I actually believe that. I want the asshole arrested and thrown in jail for the rest of his life. Maybe then I’ll finally feel safe.

  I wait outside the police department in my car for them to release Patrick, letting Alyssa talk to him to make sure he wanted to see me. She assured me he would, but then I watch as Patrick comes storming out the front door, followed by Alyssa and the attorney. After he gets into the car with Alyssa, they drive away. A moment later she sends me a text message, telling me she was sorry but that he was still upset and couldn’t see me yet.

  This is exactly what I had worried about --- Patrick’s reaction to what he witnessed. And I was right. He’s revolted by the thought of me now. Having him push me away when I’m already reeling from everything that’s happened is like being kicked in the stomach when I’m already down. I need him now more than ever, and he refuses to even talk to me.

  Before I start trying to figure out what my next move is, where I’m gonna live since I can’t go back to that house with my mother, I know I need to sit down with Bridgette and make absolutely sure the fucker’s never touched her. Then, I’ll have to try to explain to her what’s going on before our mother fills her head with bullshit lies to try and come between us.

  At Sarah’s house, I park at the curb since Michael and Tyler are shooting basketball in the driveway.

  “Hey, you doing okay?” I ask my brother on the way to the front door.

  “Yeah, sis. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the wedding?” he asks.

  Oh, crap. I texted Bridgette earlier to tell her the wedding is off, but I guess she hasn’t figured out how to explain that to our little brother.

  “It doesn’t look like Derek and I are gonna get married today,” I walk over and tell him honestly. “We decided that he was ketchup and I was peanut butter. We just weren’t meant for each other,” I say with a smile, so he doesn’t worry about me.

  “So you’ve got to find some jelly?” he asks.

  “Exactly,” I tell him. Too bad jelly ran away from me instead of to me like I had hoped.

  Leaving the boys to their game, I walk up to the open front door and knock before stepping inside.

  “Bridgette’s up in Sarah’s room,” Sarah’s mom says with a friendly smile when she steps out of the kitchen and sees me.

  “Thanks,” I tell her before taking the stairs. Why couldn’t our mom be as sweet and kind as that woman? Guess my siblings and me all lost out in the parental lottery.

  The bedroom door at the end of the hallway is open, so I rap my knuckles on the frame.

  “Knock, knock,” I say when I stick my head inside the room.

  “Hey, sis!” Bridgette exclaims from the vanity where Sarah’s fixing her curls into an updo. “You look like shit, but I guess that’s to be expected from the bride on the day her wedding is canceled.”

  “Yeah,” I agree. “Can I talk to Bridge alone for a second?” I ask Sarah.

  “Sure. Do you need us to go kick the groom’s ass for you?” Sarah teases.

  “Nah. It was a mutual decision,” I tell her with a wave of my hand.

  “Okay, I’ll be in the kitchen helping mom finish dinner,” she says before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

  “Why couldn’t our family be this normal?” I ask Bridgette. Sarah’s family is wealthy, but they’re not nearly as fake and materialistic as ours.

  “I know, right?” Bridgette says, spinning around on the vanity seat to face me. “So what’s really going on? It must be pretty bad for you to bring Michael over here in the middle of the night.”

  “It is,” I say, slumping down on the foot of the bed. With a deep breath, I try to start from the beginning. I’ve debated on how much to tell
my sister, but she’s almost eighteen and is getting ready to go off to college. She’s not a child like Michael anymore, so she deserves the truth. Or at least most of it.

  “Last Saturday night, Derek said he wanted us to…see other people before we get married.”

  “What? That’s insane!” my sister shouts.

  “I know. I was angry and hurt, so I gave Derek his ring back and told him the wedding was off. How could I marry someone who wanted to sleep with someone else, you know? That night, I went out with Cassie and the girls to have a wild night and ended up with Patrick.”

  “Patrick, our stepbrother? Like, you had sex with him?” she whispers in shock.

  I nod. “At the time, I didn’t know who he was; and he, of course, didn’t recognize me. I didn’t think I would ever see him again. Then, Derek came over Sunday and told me he was sorry, that he didn’t cheat on me and still wanted to marry me. So I agreed.”

  “But then Patrick showed up out of the blue,” Bridgette remarks.

  “Right. And from there everything started falling apart. I still wanted to get married, had been planning it for so long that I couldn’t imagine letting the idea go. I also couldn’t stop fooling around with Patrick.”

  “So you were cheating on Derek with him?” Bridge asks.

  “Yeah, I was. Then I found out Mike was paying Derek to marry me. Oh, and that Cassie and Derek have been sneaking around together too.”

  “Whoa. Back up. What do you mean Mike was paying Derek?”

  “Bridgette, I need to tell you something, and then I want to ask you a question, and I want you to be completely honest with me,” I explain to her.

  “Yeah, okay. I’ve never lied to you,” she answers.

  “I know,” I say with a nod. “But I’ve been lying to you and everyone else about Mike.”

  “Okay?” she asks with a creased brow.

  “After he and mom got married, he started…touching me.”

  “What?” Bridge exclaims. “You mean, like, sexually?”

  I nod. “I told mom, and she called me a liar. Then it got worse.”

  “Oh, no, Willow,” she mutters, and I can’t even look at her. “He…he forced himself on you?”

  I nod my bowed head again.

  “Oh my God.”

  “Has he ever, you know, done anything to you? You need to tell me if so. I’ll believe you,” I assure her.

  “No! God, no! I would’ve told you. Why did you keep this from me?” she asks, coming over to sit beside me on the bed and wrap me in her arms.

  “I didn’t know if you would believe me,” I tell her honestly. “And I was so ashamed and embarrassed I didn’t want to admit to anyone what he was doing.”

  “Jesus, Willow. You could’ve told me! I know you wouldn’t ever lie about something like that,” she says, and I appreciate her trust in me more than she could ever realize.

  “Patrick found out last night. He caught Mike in the act and put him in the hospital. Mom was a nutcase. That’s why I brought Michael over.”

  “Holy shit!” she says, pulling back to look at me. “I thought Patrick left.”

  “Yeah, I did too. But he came into my room and saw…”

  “Wow.”

  “The police arrested Patrick. After I turned over my journals and explained what happened, they thankfully let him go. But Mike, well, he’s going to be charged once he’s cleared to leave the hospital.”

  “Good. That disgusting asshole deserves to rot in hell,” my sister says.

  “I agree one-hundred percent. And now you know everything,” I tell her. “Mom called me a slut, and I slapped her, which means I won’t be going back to that house.”

  “Shit, I don’t blame you, sis. What is wrong with her?”

  “She loves his money more than us, apparently,” I answer with a shrug.

  “Not really surprised,” Bridgette says. “So, what are you gonna do? Come live in Miami with me?” she asks with a grin.

  “I wish I could, but we have to figure out what’s best for Michael. Without us there, mom will be MIA, and now his father will be locked up.”

  “Shit,” Bridgette mutters. “I should stay home, shouldn’t I?”

  “No, God no. You had awesome grades and earned this chance at a great school. You need to go,” I assure her.

  “And leave you alone with this mess?” she asks. “No way.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” I tell her. There’s no way I’m gonna let her stay behind.

  “What about you and Patrick? Are you two, like, together now?”

  “No. I mean, I want to be with him, but I’m not sure how he feels after all that happened. He didn’t want to see me after the police released him. I think he’s gonna go back to North Carolina.”

  “No! He can’t just up and leave. You care about him, right?” she asks.

  “Yeah, I do, but he obviously doesn’t feel the same.”

  “Maybe he’ll change his mind,” she offers.

  “I doubt it. Patrick’s life, his fighting career is all up north. There’s no reason for him to stay down here, especially not when all I can offer is a basket full of crazy.”

  “Why can’t you go back with him?” Bridgette asks.

  “Michael, remember,” I remind her. “I can’t up and move him. His friends are here.”

  “Ugh, I hate this shit,” she says.

  “Me too,” I say with a sigh. “But look, for now, I need you to do me a favor, okay?”

  “Sure, anything,” she tells me.

  “Can you go grab your maid of honor dress and my gown and get them to the church ASAP?” I ask.

  “Ah, yeah. But I thought you said the wedding was canceled.”

  “Derek’s still getting married; it just won’t be me walking down the aisle,” I tell her with a grin, happy to know that at least someone’s future is all worked out.

  Now if I can only figure out how to salvage some sort of happy ending for myself.

  Chapter Thirty

  Trick

  “You gonna be okay from here?” Nate asks from the driver seat of their rental car when he pulls up to the curb next to my bike.

  “Yeah, thanks for coming back down here and helping out today,” I tell him and Alyssa from the back seat. “See ya later, little man,” I say to Grayson, ruffling his brown hair. “I want you to meet my brother Michael one of these days. He’s about a year older than you.”

  “Cool,” Austin’s son, who reminds me so much of my best friend, says with a smile.

  Reaching up, I remove my ball chain necklace and slip it over Grayson’s head instead. “This was your dad’s dog tag,” I tell him and have to clear my throat to keep talking. “He loved you and missed you. Not a day went by that he didn’t think about you or talk about seeing you again. He would have wanted you to have it.”

  “Thanks,” Grayson says with a nod, his small fingers holding the tag as he reads his father’s name and other identifying information. “Jedi?” he exclaims, his brown eyes blinking in surprise behind his glasses. “My dad was a Jedi?”

  “He was,” I tell him, my throat burning painfully with unshed tears. “In fact, he was so strong and so tough that he saved two other men and me before he died.”

  “Wow. Did you hear that Mom?” Grayson asks Alyssa, who has shifted around in the passenger seat to face us.

  “I did,” she says sadly, blinking back the wetness in her eyes. “Thank you, Patrick. Are you sure you don’t want to fly back with us tomorrow?”

  “Nah, it’ll be good to take the bike, get some air and all,” I assure her.

  “You’re gonna see Mina and work everything out before you leave, right?” she asks.

  “Bye, Alyssa. See ya, Grayson. Later, Nate,” I say before I climb out of the car, shutting the door behind me as my answer to her question.

  While I appreciate all Alyssa’s done helping me out today with Mina, there’s no way she can understand how guilty and impotent I feel right now. How could Mina
ever forgive me when I can never forgive myself for not being there to prevent years of abuse?

  Once Nate pulls away, I hop on my bike and am in the process of adjusting the chin strap on my helmet when Bridgette’s red Altima pulls up next to me, her driver’s side window rolled down.

  “Nice ride,” she says with a smile.

  “Thanks,” I reply.

  “Where you going?” she asks.

  “Home.”

  “Already? Well, I’m sad to see you go, but it’s a good thing you stuck around an extra day, right?”

  “Right,” I agree, assuming she’s talked to Mina and knows everything.

  Jesus, what if I had hit the highway instead of stalking Mina? She would never be free of that motherfucker. “Everything okay with you? Did Mina ask you…?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Bridgette says with a wave of her hand and her lips pulled down in a hard frown. “I had no idea…I should have.”

  Shit, I know how she feels. Bridgette’s room was right next door to Mina’s. If anyone would’ve known, it would’ve been her. But I guess she never suspected her stepfather of being capable of doing something so awful to her sister, especially if he had never done anything of the sort to her.

  “I’m a horrible sister, aren’t I?” Bridgette asks me with unshed tears in her eyes and her chin trembling.

  “No, Bridgette. Don’t say that.”

  “Then why didn’t I realize what was going on right down the hall?” she asks while wiping at her face. I absolutely hate seeing her so upset.

  “It’s not your fault,” I assure her. “If I had been around more, maybe he would’ve stayed away from her…”

  “At least thanks to you, he won’t hurt her again,” she says. “But are you really just going to up and leave Mina now?”

  With a heavy exhale, I look toward the house they grew up in, the one where I thought until last night lived a perfectly normal family that I was jealous of being excluded from. How stupid and blind was I? Mina called me out the first day when I was standing on the front porch. Over the years I avoided them all just because of the shitty relationship I had with my father. I was so damn selfish in staying away, and Mina paid the price for that.