by Shandi Boyes
“I will need you to make a statement advising what has happened today and I will also start the process of having Callum charged with battery” Ryan advises gently, as he starts gathering some papers off the desk.
“What do you mean charging Callum?” I promptly question panicked. Ryan stops stacking the pile of papers and lowers his concerned gaze down to mine.
“What he did to you today is illegal Lola. We will be able to charge him with assault and battery and I will organise a restraining order so that he cannot come within five hundred feet of you. This will deter him from having the opportunity of harming you again. I will have a female officer come in to take photographic evidence of your bruises and then I will come back and take your statement in a few minutes” Ryan advises as he commences walking to the door. I instantly start shaking my head, as I rise from my seat.
“No, I am not pressing charges against Callum” I reply, causing Ryan to halt walking, before he slowly turns back to face me.
If I press charges against Callum everyone will find out what happened to me and gossip in small towns like ours spreads like wild fire. I am not going to be portrayed as a victim of abuse for the rest of my life. It is bad enough that I am going to see it in Jacob’s eyes every time he looks at me.
“Lola, you can’t let him get away with this” says Maggie firmly as she grabs a hold of my hand tightly.
“He didn’t get away it. Jacob took care of it. I am not pressing charges” I respond panicked as my eyes flick between Maggie and Ryan.
“Are you sure you don’t want to press charges?” Ryan questions with a concerned tone. His eyes begging me to reconsider.
“Will pressing charges against Callum help Jacob?” I ask. Ryan hesitates, before he slowly shakes his head.
“Then I am not pressing charges” I state firmly as my heart rate continues to soar.
For the next hour I issue a statement to Ryan in regards to what had happened earlier today at Mavericks on the clear understanding that it is only going to be used to assist in Jacob’s case. Ryan is hoping that Jacob’s lawyer might be able to use our statements as evidence to the DA that Jacob didn’t just attack Callum for no legitimate reason. If the DA accepts our statements Ryan said Jacob will most likely only be charged with assault and battery instead of attempted murder.
When Ryan explained how serious the charges were against Jacob my heart started to crack. Jacob is one of the kindest guys I have ever met, he is like a gentle giant. But since I allowed him to get close to me, he is now facing years in prison. Jacob must be regretting the day he decided to offer a stranger a lift home.
“If you change your mind about charging Callum, I have placed my cell number on here” Ryan advises as he hands me his business card.
“Thanks” I reply quietly, but I am certain that I will never press charges against Callum.
“If he ever comes near you again please call me” Ryan requests. I nod my head hastily, before I commence walking out of the police station.
Just as I walk out the large double glass doors, I hear Maggie calling my name. She quickly moves towards me and I notice that her blue eyes are still full of unshed tears.
“I’m sorry I broke your promise Lola. I just didn’t know any other way to help Jacob” she apologizes sympathetically.
“Don’t worry about it Maggie” I reply. I have become accustomed to people not keeping their promises to me the past few years, so what is another name to an already long list.
“He loves you Lola” Maggie affirms softly.
“I know” I quietly whisper. And that is why I have to keep him as far away from me as possible.
After I take in several large deep breaths, I commence walking down the stairs at the front of the police station. As I hop off the last step, I turn back to face Maggie.
“Can you find someone to cover my shifts?” I question apprehensively.
Maggie’s eyebrows pull together closely, before she slowly nods her head. I then swiftly turn on my heels and start walking down the concrete path.
“For how long?” Maggie queries loudly.
“Forever” I answer as I continue to walk away from Maggie, not once looking back on what will be my old life.
Chapter 24
Jacob
“Did Noah get out of here ok?” I question Ryan the instant he walks back into the interrogation room I am being held in.
“Yeah, the neighbours that rang the police issued a statement saying Noah was an innocent bystander” Ryan replies as he sits down on the hard steel chair across from me.
“He said he will be back as soon as he gets you a lawyer” he informs.
I slump down lower in the hard chair, relieved that Noah isn’t going to be caught up in my fucked up situation, especially since he has only started dating Emily two weeks ago. To be honest, I shocked myself with how I reacted today. It is pretty fucking scary when you realise you have the capability of killing someone with your own bare hands.
“Don’t beat yourself up Jacob” Ryan states sincerely as he seeks my gaze.
“I am pretty sure most guys would have reacted the same way” he continues.
I am currently sitting hand-cuffed to a steel table that is bolted onto a polished concrete floor. The only person that has treated me like a human being since I was brought in here is Ryan. The rest act like I am some sort of monster.
“Did you want something to drink or eat?” Ryan queries, as he moves over to me and unlocks the cuffs around my wrists.
“No thanks” I reply, as I move my wrists around in a circular motion to unstiffen them.
There is a brisk tap on the glass section of the door that Ryan had just entered. Ryan quickly moves towards the door and speaks with the detective who had earlier cuffed me to the table.
“Lola and Maggie have both issued statements on what happened today” Ryan advises when he sits back down.
“Does that mean Callum will get charged for assaulting Lola?” I question. Ryan’s gaze stares deep within mine, before he slowly shakes his head.
“Why not?” I query angrily as my blood starts to pump faster around my body.
“Because Lola won’t press charges” Ryan answers regretfully.
“What, why?” I question frustratingly, as I stand up from the chair I am sitting on to start pacing the room. Why would Lola not charge him for what he did to her today. It doesn’t make any sense.
Suddenly, the only door that enters the room slams open and the detective from earlier starts running towards me. Ryan dives out of his chair and stands between the detective and I, signalling to the detective that he needs to stand down.
“I can handle this” Ryan advises sternly. The detective eyes narrow at me while he looks at me with nothing but disgust on his face, before he slowly walks back out of the room. They truly do believe that I am a monster, that may attack without warning. Obviously they don’t know me at all.
“Please sit down or they are going to make me cuff you again” Ryan requests calmly. I move back over to the table and slump down against the black steel chair harshly.
“Lola supplied a statement to assist you Jacob, but she won’t press charges against Callum” Ryan confirms sullenly.
“So I am pretty much fucked?” I question roughly. Ryan’s gaze looks at me concerned, but he doesn’t say anything.
Around two hours later, a guy dressed to impress in an expensive looking suit enters my holding room. I look over at him confused. I am pretty sure neither Noah or I can afford such an expensive looking lawyer.
“Are you Jacob?” he questions in a deep voice.
“Yes” I reply, before I stand up from the seat I am sitting in to offer him my hand to shake. His eyes lift as he watches me stand and he smiles excitedly.
“It’s nice to meet you Jacob, my name is Isaac” he informs as he accepts my offer of a handshake.
“Are you my lawyer?” I question. He seems a little too young to be a lawyer, but maybe Noah could only a
fford a lawyer fresh out of law school.
“No” he replies while laughing “I am Nick’s brother and I have a proposition for you” he advises as he sits across the table from me.
“You need a good lawyer and from what I have heard from Nick you can’t afford one” he states while seeking my gaze. I shrug my shoulders at his remark. I am not poor, but I am certainly not rich either.
“I will get you the best lawyer I can find if you will agree to work for me” he advises while his grey eyes stare at me.
“Doing what?” I question curiously. From what I have been informed by Noah, Nick’s brother owns a dance club in Ravenshoe.
“I don’t dance” I advise him seriously, causing him to laugh loudly. His loud chuckle echo’s around the small interrogation room.
“I want you to be my fighter” he replies, once his laughter eventually dies down.
“Sorry I can’t. I am already fighting in the UFC and I have a trainer” I advise.
“Not anymore you don’t” informs Isaac, making my eyebrows pull together in confusion.
“The instant you got arrested for assault and battery, you are no longer a UFC fighter” he informs firmly.
“What?” I half question.
Isaac pulls some papers out of a small satchel he is carrying and hands them to me. It has examples of previous cases where UFC fighters have been prosecuted with various assault charges and every one of them was banned from fighting in the UFC.
“Do you want to do jail time?” he questions. I peer up from the papers I was scrutinizing and shake my head.
“Then I suggest you accept my offer. I will make sure you don’t do any time, if you sign a contract stating that you will fight exclusively for me in my private fighting circle” says Isaac.
Isaac kept his word. Within a few hours of me agreeing to become his fighter, I was walking out of the police station on bail. As he drove me home he advised that his lawyers are working on a plea that would ensure that I will remain out of jail. I will most likely be placed on probation for a few years and I will have a conviction recorded on my criminal record. Isaac also stated that he will be paying compensation to Callum. That is one part of our agreement that seriously pisses me the fuck off. The fact that Callum can put his hands on a woman and then he gets a payout for it, doesn’t make any sense, where is the justice in that? Isaac said it was the only way to ensure that I wasn’t going to end up in jail.
The instant I walk back into my family home I spot Noah sitting in the lounge room. When his eyes notice me strolling in, he leaps off the lounge and comes and offers me a quick man hug.
“Does dad know?” I question anxiously, as I return his man hug.
“No, I didn’t know if you wanted me to tell him” Noah replies, just as my dad walks into the room.
“Jacob, Noah” he greets as he looks up from the book he is reading to stare at us curiously.
We both silently watch him as he continues reading while walking towards his favourite reclining chair.
“What are you two up too?” he questions curiously as he places the bookmark into his book, before closing it and dropping it on the coffee table.
“Nothing” we both reply at the same time, causing my dad’s eyes to narrow.
“I’m just going for a shower, but… umm…Noah wanted to ask your advice on something” I mumble quickly, as I bolt into the hallway leaving Noah defenceless.
As I reach the hallway, I look back to Noah to see he is glaring at me, before he slowly walks over and sits in the reclining chair next to my dad.
Not long after I have gotten out of the shower, Noah comes strolling into my room.
“Thanks for that asshole. I had to spend the last half an hour asking him relationship advice” Noah huffs in annoyance.
“Sorry” I reply sincerely, while trying not to laugh.
I know Noah hates talking about his feelings in general, so I know that would have been difficult for him to do. But I needed to stall talking to my dad as I haven’t worked out what I am going to tell him yet.
“Did he give you any good advice?” I question while chuckling slightly.
“Only to make sure I remember to wrap it” Noah responds mortified as his face morphs into disgust.
That was all it took for me to no longer be able to hold in my laughter and my loud chuckle starts echoing around the room. Noah tried to keep the conversation serious, but it didn’t take long for him to also start laughing.
“It wasn’t fucking funny at the time” Noah advises as his laughter slowly dies down and his face takes on a more serious appearance.
“What happened to you today Jacob? I have never seen you snap like that before” Noah ask seriously as he sits down on the chair near my desk.
I run my hand roughly down my face, before I sit down harshly on my bed.
“Have you ever asked my dad about how he met my mom?” I question. Noah cocks one of his eyebrows into his hairline. Obviously Noah would have never asked a question like that.
“You should ask him one day” I instruct.
My dad had met my mom when he moved into her neighbourhood when he was fifteen years old. He said she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever laid his eyes on. What he didn’t know was that she was raised by an abusive alcoholic father. It was only when he arrived at her house one late afternoon uninvited did he find out what abuse my mom had been enduring since she was a little girl. My dad reacted the same way as I did today and beat my grandad to within an inch of his life, before they both fled their home town and never returned.
I have met my dad’s parents a handful of times, but I have never met my mom’s parents. I don’t think they even know me and my brother exist, which suits me just fine.
“I know I don’t like to talk about stuff Jacob, but that doesn’t mean I can’t listen” offers Noah sincerely.
“Yeah I know” I reply as I flop back against my bed, trying to work out how I am going to explain what happened to my dad.
Chapter 25
Lola
“I just want five minutes of your time” Curtis requests irritably as he stands in the doorway of my family home.
The instant I opened the front door and spotted Callum’s brother standing in the doorway, I attempted to slam the door in his face, but his boot foiled my attempt. I was home alone and there was no way I felt comfortable inviting Curtis inside, so I quickly slipped in front of the door and closed it behind me.
“Five minutes” I declare crossly.
Curtis’s eyes narrow as his gaze slowly roams over my body. I take an angry stance, as I cross my arms in front of my chest and narrow my eyes back at him. I knew he was trying to scare me and I wasn’t going to put up with his intimidation tactics anymore.
“What do you want?” I ask annoyed.
I never understood why Curtis seems to despise me so much, but I know the instant he started hanging around with Callum, Callum’s personality always shifted towards the negative.
“A little less attitude wouldn’t go astray” he comments sarcastically, as his eyes narrow even more.
He then suddenly pulls his hand out of his pocket and moves it near my face, causing me to flinch from his sudden movements.
“I am not going to strike you” he advises while chuckling. He moves my hair away from my neckline to look at my now faded week old bruises.
“I didn’t realise Callum would have taken my taunts so seriously” he states roughly as he lowers his hand.
I immediately move my hair back into place to ensure it is covering my bruises. The past week I have become accustomed to hiding the bruises from my family and friends. Long sleeve shirts, foundation and the length of my hair means no one is any wiser about what had happened to me last week at Mavericks.
“Now that you have your proof of what Callum is capable of, you are free to leave” I reply angrily, as I unlatch the front door and attempt to walk inside.
“Did you know that Callum is addicted to
crack? Supposedly he has been for over a year. That means he begun using when he was with you” Curtis advises, making me freeze in the doorway.
Now the sudden change in Callum’s personality, his irritability and the isolating us from our friends all starts to make sense. I had occasionally seen Callum dabble in some recreational drugs at parties when we first started dating. But I had never seen him take anything more than the occasional ecstasy tablet or sometimes he may have smoked a joint.