DONKEY: A Stepbrother Sports Romance (With FREE Bonus Novel Charged!)

by Stephanie Brother

  Leighton laughed. It was a cheap shot, but Esmeralda felt like she was running out of options. If Gracey was denied bail tomorrow then Leighton had every chance of coming back to her. He could see that this girl was somehow special to him, but even the inimitable Leighton Tempest couldn’t go too long without fucking. Maybe that was it, maybe he hadn’t fucked her at all.

  “Wait”, Esmeralda said, the thought coming to her. “I mean, you guys have fucked right?”

  If it was anyone other than Esmeralda, Leighton would have given them a severe bollocking for talking to him like that. As it was, he knew her well enough to realize exactly what her plan was. It was confidence boosting to know that she still wanted him, even more so to know that he had the power to resist her.

  “Are you staying for dinner?” Leighton asked, changing the subject.

  “I’m staying until you kick me out”, Esmeralda said, a smile breaking out across her face.

  “Good, because I’m absolutely starving. Find a decent restaurant and book us a table. I’m going to go and shower.”

  Leighton put down his glass and made for the door before Esmeralda had a chance to respond.

  “Oh”, he said, turning to face her. “Make sure Alexander gets fed too, there is meat at the bottom of the fridge for him. I’ve missed you Esmeralda. I’m glad you decided to come here.”

  Esmeralda noticed with annoyance the document that she had brought him, he’d left on the end of the table.

  “Bastard”, she said, and drained her glass of wine.

  ***

  “Surely this is against the law”, Gracey complained, already bored to death of waiting. She’d skipped breakfast, picked at lunch and had low expectations for dinner. She’d also expected to have already been released hours ago, and couldn’t understand why Leighton hadn’t come to see her.

  “It’s just one more night”, Alex explained. “Your arraignment hearing has been booked for tomorrow, after that we’ll know a little bit more about how to proceed. They won’t release you before then.”

  “I’ve been here all day. I’ve counted all the bricks on the wall, I know the distance from the bed to the toilet, which by the way, everyone can hear you use, and I’m sick of it. I didn’t sleep at all last night, and the food they give you, my God, it’s not even food. How can this be legal?”

  “I’ll bring you something in, what do you want?”

  “Pizza, please bring me pizza.”

  “Are you ok apart from that?”

  Gracey thought the question a little redundant. “I bet Pandora and Isabella are enjoying this. They’ve always hated me, those two.”

  “Your sister’s were here earlier actually, giving statements. In fact your mother was here too. Leighton’s had them evicted.”

  Gracey sat up to face him. “Can he do that?”

  “It’s not their house anymore. As much as I understand it, it never was.”

  “Where are they?” Gracey was concerned for their well being, despite what had happened.

  “No idea. A hotel I’d guess. Must have made a bit of money from the story. I think one of the papers are looking after them. They are kind of courting the publicity. Well, Pandora is anyway. I’m not sure about the other one. She seems a little frightened by it all.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me”, Gracey said, laying back down. “Pandora’s always had a thing for being centre of attention. She’s the one that should be in here not me.”

  “Well she’s adamant that she saw you two together at the house last week. Signed a sworn statement to that effect, Isabella too, not that Detective Foster believes them enough to keep Leighton in.”

  “They said they found poison in my bedroom.”

  “That’s what they say, but, you know, tests can be inconclusive, misleading.”

  “Or just plain wrong”, Gracey said, even though she didn’t believe it.

  “That too.” Alex hugged his notebook against his chest. He was a wiry man of about forty five with pock marked skin that looked like a mud road in a drought.

  “I don’t want to go to prison”, Gracey said. She’d not cried up until now, but it was getting harder to hold back the tears. She was barely into her twenties. She’d done nothing wrong her whole life and now this. She was the one who sat by his bedside hoping he would wake up. She was the one that forgave him. To be accused of his murder was absolute nonsense.

  Alex could see her concern. He’d seen it a thousand other times in suspects throughout his career, both guilty and innocent.

  “We’re going to do everything to make sure that doesn’t happen. You’ve got the best people behind you, Leighton has made sure of that. You’d know he’d be here if the police’d let him. He’ll be there tomorrow you can count on that. Don’t you worry, Gracey, this’ll be over before you know it.”

  “Will I be able to see him?”

  “That depends on whether they offer you bail or not. You’ve got to be prepared that they won’t. I’m not going to lie to you. We’ve got a good chance and we are doing everything that we can to make sure they do. Don’t you worry about it.”

  But Gracey was worried, and she wasn’t sure at all about it going away. If only she hadn’t got him that drink. If only she’d just left him be, instead of trying to build up a relationship.

  “What do you want on it?” Alex asked, and for a moment Gracey didn’t know what he was talking about. When she twigged, it brought a smile to her face.

  “As much meat as will fit”, she said, and make it a large. If I don’t finish it tonight, I’ll have it for breakfast in the morning. Anything will be better than that slop they tried to give me today.”

  “Alright”, Alex said with a smile.

  “Is it legal?” Gracey asked, just before he left. “You know, to keep me in here.”

  “You’ll be surprised just what is. You’re lucky to get away with just one day.”

  Chapter 30

  There were moments during the evening that Esmeralda could have convinced herself that nothing had changed and Leighton was and would always be hers. It was just the same as always, the jokes, the smiles, the comfort in each other’s company. The only difference was that she was waking up alone, frustrated and unfulfilled. She wasn’t the only one. Gracey, Detective Foster, Isabella, Alexis and Leighton all woke up without partners, each one having slept barely a couple of hours. Pandora was the only exception to the rule, having persuaded the muscled photographer from the Baltimore Sun to take her home and help her with her modeling portfolio really only as an excuse to have somewhere decent to stay.

  The arraignment hearing had been scheduled for 9am. Gracey was met by Alex at 8.00am for a last minute briefing about what to expect, before being collected from the cells at 8.30am and escorted to the courtroom across town. Leighton waited patiently in the public gallery for them both to arrive, Esmeralda alongside him, her fingers crossed for a personally beneficial conclusion. There were other members of the public present, including a couple of journalists Leighton recognized from yesterday morning, but only Alexis as a representative of Gracey’s family. As she passed Leighton, smelling of stale alcohol and a recently smoked cigarette, she didn’t waste the opportunity to hurl abuse at him.

  At ten past nine, the court was called into session and Gracey was brought into the room. Despite everything that had happened, despite two days without sleep and the possibility of not going home at the end of this, when she saw Leighton, she couldn’t help but smile. He knew it wasn’t allowed, but he wasn’t going to let it stop him, even if they decided to chuck him out because of it. He just couldn’t help himself. It was the police officer who broke the embrace, several moments after the prosecutor had ordered it, her gavel slamming repeatedly into the wood to call order.

  “I’m here”, was all Leighton had time to say. “I’m not going anywhere until this is done.”

  “Mr. Tempest”, the prosecutor said, rising to her feet. She’d followed the news as closely as anyone else and k
new exactly who he was. “Anything like that again and you will be removed from this courtroom, do you understand me?”

  “Yes”, Leighton said. “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re lucky you’re not stood alongside Ms. Logan here. That can be arranged if you’d like me to do so?”

  “No, thank you, your honor. That won’t be necessary”, Leighton said, acquiescing back to his seat.

  “Right then. Does anyone else want to manhandle the defendant before we begin?”

  Alexis’s mutters were just about picked up by the judge.

  “Mrs. Logan, do you have something to say?”

  “Just get on with it”, Alexis spat, low enough this time for the judge not to pick up on.

  “Right”, the judge said, banging her gavel enthusiastically again. “Gracey Logan, good morning, my name is Alicia Cornwell.” She held up the plate in front of her that carried her name.

  Gracey looked to Alex before responding to the judge. “Good morning”, she said eventually, the words getting caught as they came out.

  “Good. You’ll have to speak up if you want the court to hear you. Detective Foster, good morning.”

  Foster nodded a good morning to the judge.

  “Spritely as ever. Would you like to tell us all why you’ve brought this young girl in here and got us all out of bed so early.”

  “We have reason to believe that Gracey Logan is responsible for the death of her stepfather, Philip Mandrake De Vries. Philip was poisoned at his home on the sixteenth of September 2015, with digitalis, a poison derived from the Foxglove plant which grows naturally within the grounds of the family estate. After forensic sweeps of the property, we found fingerprints on the glass Philip drank from, and traces of the poison hidden in Gracey’s bedroom. As far as I am concerned, this is a first degree murder charge.”

  Alicia nodded thoughtfully. “You have conducted tests? You have the relevant paperwork.”

  Benjamin Pope approached the bench to pass a document to Alicia.

  “If I may?” he said after returning to stand alongside Detective Foster.

  “Please give your name. I haven’t seen you on the TV yet, nor in here.”

  Benjamin smiled. “I’m Benjamin Pope”, he said. “I’m a scientist, well lab technician really. The tests we conducted twice, just to make sure. You have everything in the documents. Digitalis was found in the glass Philip had been drinking from, and inside Gracey’s bedroom. It’s fairly conclusive.”

  “Was it found anywhere else in the house?”

  “No”, Benjamin said, rather enjoying his moment in the spotlight.

  “Alex Dibbell?”

  “Here, your honor”, Alex said, putting up his hand.

  “I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure before. It says here that you practice in New York. What on earth are you doing here?”

  “I’m on a sabbatical.”

  “Is that right? Well let’s see if it’s been worth it then, what have you got?”

  “I’m not questioning the veracity of the tests conducted, because I believe they are correct. Gracey’s fingerprints were on the glass Philip drank from and a residue of the digitalis that killed him I believe was found in her room, it just wasn’t put there by Gracey. There is enough doubt in this case, that it should go to trial, but it isn’t Gracey that should be taking the stand.”

  “Liar”, Alexis shouted, which gained her a couple of silencing bangs from the gavel and a stern glare from Alicia.

  Alex continued. “We are conducting our own tests within the property, after which I believe we will be able to say with much more accuracy who is truly responsible for his death.”

  “Gracey, do you have anything to say?”

  Gracey looked around at the courtroom, first her lawyer, then Detective Foster, and finally behind her into the darkness of the public gallery, to search out Leighton.

  “I didn’t do it”, Gracey said. “I don’t know who did but I didn’t do it.”

  “This is your first time in any kind of trouble like this, right?”

  Gracey nodded.

  “And how would you describe your relationship with your stepfather?”

  “Just the same as all of us. He was a difficult man. We didn’t get along for a long time, but right before he died. I mean, before he was murdered, I was trying to bridge the gap that had developed between us. I could see he was lonely, like he was shutting himself off. I could tell he was hurting inside. I don’t know, I just wanted to be his friend. He didn’t have any. None of the others-. That’s it really.”

  “Thank you, Gracey.”

  “Detective Foster, do you have anything else to add about this case? Anything about the rest of the family? You had Mr. Tempest arrested I believe, and then subsequently released, can you explain your thinking on that?”

  “Pandora and Isabella, the eldest and second eldest of Philip’s children, Gracey’s two sisters, have signed a statement suggesting they saw Mr. Tempest and Gracey together at the property a week before he died. I also have a conflicting statement from Mr. Tempest’s PA saying that they spent that night together. I didn’t think there was enough evidence at this stage to keep him arrested. I thought it would be better dealt with at Gracey’s trial.”

  “Right, thank you Detective, as clear as always.”

  Alicia took a moment to study the lab report, which had been annotated with red pen in all the important places, and then looked even more closely at Gracey. After a while Gracey had to look away.

  “Do you know what digitalis is, Gracey?” Alicia asked.

  “Yes”, Gracey admitted.

  “Do you understand what first degree murder is?”

  There was a moment before Gracey responded. “It’s defined as an unlawful killing both willing and premeditated.”

  “Murderer”, Alexis shouted again.

  “Remove that woman from my courtroom”, Alicia insisted, this time pointing the gavel instead of banging it.

  “It’s the most serious of crimes”, Alicia said when the guards had dragged Alexis out, kicking and screaming. “You seem intelligent enough to know that.”

  “Yes, your honor.”

  “Is there anything else, or shall I proceed?” Alicia said, her question addressed to Alex. “I presume you know the formality, Mr. Dibbell? New York isn’t all that far away after all.”

  “Please”, Alex said.

  “Gracey Logan, you are being charged with first degree murder, how do you plead?”

  “No”, Gracey said, shaking her head.

  “Louder”, Alicia commanded.

  Alex took a moment to hold Gracey by the wrist, but it wasn’t enough to stop the tears. After all that had happened, now was the moment reality was setting in.

  “I need to know what you are pleading?”

  “If I may?” Alex said.

  Alicia nodded.

  “My defendant would like to enter a plea of not guilty”, he said.

  “Detective Foster”, Alicia said, turning her eagle like head towards him. “Is there any reason why you believe that bail should not be offered in this specific case?”

  Detective Foster cleared his throat. He took a moment to look at Gracey, caught eyes with Leighton and discovered an empty space where Alexis had been sat.

  “My only concern would be a repetition of the crime”, Foster declared. “The rest of the family have come to me over concerns for their well being. As you can imagine, this has had a huge effect on Gracey’s sisters and her mother. That and her relationship with Leighton Tempest.”

  “Go on”, Alicia said.

  “It is of my opinion that with bail set at any amount, it won’t ever be high enough to be out of reach for Leighton.”

  “What is your point, Detective Foster?”

  “That it makes the issuing of it redundant if he can cover the amount so easily.”

  “Objection”, Alex called.

  “Overruled, Mr. Dibbell, Detective Foster has a point. Because that happe
ns so infrequently, we should listen to him, don’t you think?”

  “Your honor”, Alex complained. Gracey looked at him nervously, while Leighton leaned forward in his seat, impotent and concerned. Esmeralda took the opportunity to squeeze his knee. This might be going the way she wanted after all.

  “Well that’s it, really”, Foster said.

  “Do you believe the Logan family to be in danger?” Judge Cornwell asked.

  “I don’t believe it is out of the realm of possibilities, no.”

  “Do you believe that Gracey will skip her trial?”

  “I don’t believe it is out of the realm of possibilities either”, Detective Foster added. “Especially if she has unlimited resources at her fingertips.”

  Alicia sighed. “This is a first degree murder case”, she said. “Poisoning of a family member. An unlawful killing both willing and premeditated. Bail is not usually set in these cases. Gracey, how old are you?”

  “Twenty one”, Gracey said, tears staining her cheeks.

  “Twenty one”, Alicia repeated. “Detective, it is your responsibility to protect the Logan family, it is mine to determine whether Gracey is likely to return to the courts for her trial. In this case, I believe she has every intention of doing so. For that reason, and the reasons you have been kind enough to inform me of, I’m suggesting that if the Logan family truly feel that their lives are in danger, that they must seek adequate protection. Gracey has never been in trouble before, and as far as I can tell, she is an intelligent, mild mannered, hard working member of her community. Despite that, she is here on charges of first degree murder, and there is strong evidence to suggest she may be responsible. This case will go to trial and a verdict will be reached. In the meantime, I don’t believe she should be lost in the prison system while she waits. I’m setting bail at ten million dollars-”.

  “Yes”, Leighton shouted, an outburst that earned him a daggered stare from Alicia.

  Gracey put her hands to her mouth and dropped to her knees in shock.

  “-with house arrest until trial.”