by Naomi Niles
Sam looked down at his hands for a moment. “He did.”
“You signed documents?” I asked sharply.
“Yes,” he nodded. “But…I didn’t read them.”
I raised my eyebrows and stared at him for a moment. “You signed your name to something you hadn’t read?” I asked slowly.
“I know,” he said. “It was stupid.”
“Stupid?” I repeated incredulously. “Are you kidding?”
“Mia-”
“Do you really expect anyone to believe that, Sam?”
“Do you believe me?” he asked suddenly, his eyes boring into mine.
“It doesn’t matter what I believe-”
“It does to me,” he cut in immediately. “I don’t want you to think I’m that sort of guy. I’m a fire fighter, Mia. That is what I do – it’s what I love to do. I’m not the kind of guy who ends up…here.”
“And yet here you are,” I pointed out.
“Because I trusted my friend.”
I shook my head. “Think of how this looks, Sam. You’re a grown man who’s claiming to have signed documents that you never read. You think you’re going to get out of this based on that defence? No one is going to believe you. It sounds like an excuse – and a ridiculous one at that.”
“But it’s the truth,” he said steadfastly.
“It may be,” I sighed. “But it’s a truth that sounds too much like a convenient lie.”
“I’m sorry, Mia.” Sam cast his eyes downwards. “I didn’t mean to drag you into this. It’s just… You were the only one I could think of and you’re…so smart.”
I glanced away from him. I wanted to help him, but I was angry, too. I was angry that the little bit of hope that had materialized in my gut over the last few days had been stamped out and burnt. What would I tell Renni? I wondered. She didn’t need to know any of this, but she would undoubtedly ask about Sam at some point. She already talked about him all the time.
“Mia?”
I turned my gaze up to Sam’s. “Yes?”
“You look mad,” he said softly.
“I’m not,” I insisted, but I didn’t sound very convincing even to myself.
“You are. I can tell,” he said. “And, I don’t blame you.”
“I introduced you to my daughter!” I said before I could stop myself. “Renni’s half in love with you already. What do I tell her now?”
“I… I don’t know,” Sam said, looking dejected.
“Why would you?” I asked heatedly. I sighed in frustration and leaned back in my chair, surveyed him with cold eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment.
“What made you think you could trust this guy?” I demanded.
“We went through training together,” Sam explained. “We were both eighteen and clueless. We grew up on the force together, we trained together, and we’ve saved each other’s lives on several occasions. I thought we had a real bond – a bond that meant we couldn’t betray one another.”
I sighed. “He screwed you over.”
“I know,” Sam nodded. “I think that’s the worst part about all this. Not the fact that I’m sitting in jail, but the fact that the person I thought had my back threw me under the bus.”
“You really had nothing to do with this?”
“Nothing, Mia,” Sam said emphatically. “I swear to you, I didn’t know what was happening. I mean, I noticed Jackson was a little cagey when it came to discussing certain aspects of the bar. But I just thought he was being defensive.”
I sighed. “Okay…”
“Can you help me?”
I looked at his strong, handsome face and knew I couldn’t possibly be the person he needed me to be through this whole thing. I had to think of myself, and I had to think of Renni, too.
“I can’t take on your case, Sam,” I said, in my most business-like voice. “But I will refer you to a good lawyer.”
Sam looked at me with wide eyes. “Why can’t you represent me?”
I stood up abruptly and headed for the door. “I’ll have one of my colleagues get in touch with you,” I said, turning back to glance at him.
“Mia?”
I turned my back on him and walked out of the door. I made it all the way to the parking lot, and it was only when I was in the driver’s seat with my hands on the steering wheel that I felt the weight of that decision settle down over me.
Could I really abandon him now in his time of need? He was still practically a stranger to me, so why did I feel like I was turning my back on him? It didn’t make sense.
I did the only thing I could do under the circumstances: I called Vanessa. I wanted to hear a voice I trusted, someone to reassure me and tell me I was doing the right thing. She answered on the third ring.
“Hi, Mia,” Vanessa said brightly. “Called to talk to me some more about your fabulous date?”
I hesitated. “Umm…”
“Mia?” Her tone changed instantly as she sensed something was wrong.
“Oh God,” I breathed, into the phone.
“Mia, what’s wrong?” Vanessa asked, her voice instantly urgent.
“It’s Sam,” I said, stumbling over his name.
“What happened?” she demanded. “What did he do?”
“He… He’s in jail.”
“What?” Her tone was shocked.
“I… He’s claiming he didn’t do anything,” I said, wondering if I even made sense. “He’s claiming that he was set up, but I… I can’t believe this is happening. He’s in jail. What if Renni asks about him?”
“Okay,” Vanessa said in a calm voice. “Just take a deep breath, Mia. Start from the beginning. How did you find out Sam was in jail?”
“He called me,” I admitted.
“He called you?”
“I was his one phone call.”
“And when you went down there?”
“He told me that his best friend had set him up, basically,” I said, explaining the gist of the story to Vanessa. “He claims to be completely innocent.”
“And, do you believe him?”
“I… He asked me that, too.”
“That’s a good sign,” she told me.
I frowned. “How is that a good sign?”
“Because he cares what you think,” Vanessa said. “He doesn’t want you having a bad impression of him. And chances are, he’s innocent.”
“How did you figure that?” I demanded.
“Because he had one phone call, and he called you,” Vanessa said reasonably. “If he really was guilty, then don’t you think he would have wanted to hide this from you?”
“I don’t know…”
“Think about it.”
I sighed. I was pretty sure I was going to spend the whole night thinking about it. I was pretty sure I was going to spend the next few days thinking about it, whether I wanted to or not.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sam
The cot I was lying on was basically the thinnest mattress imagination on a hard metal grill. I could feel the rods of the grill prick at my back, a nasty reminder of where I was. I couldn’t even close my eyes because the presence of the jail was more oppressive than I could have imagined.
I opened my eyes and stared at the gray ceiling. There were stains in one corner and cobwebs growing on the other. But it was reasonably clean compared to the walls. Its surfaces had been covered by scratches that I could only assume had been made by some poor loser trying to while away time until he was freed or moved. I kept staring around my tiny cell, wondering how on earth I had landed there. It seemed unbelievable to me, like a bad dream.
My thoughts flickered to Jackson for a moment, and I kept veering between extreme anger and complete confusion.
One thing I knew was that Jackson had known what he was doing this whole time. His expression back at the bar when we had both been arrested had admitted as much. What baffled me was why he had done it. Had he wanted to make money that badly? And even if th
at were the case, why drag me into it? I couldn’t understand he had gone through with all of this. It was beyond me.
I fixated on Jackson for only a moment before my thoughts turned once again to Mia. Her words kept screaming in my head every few minutes, and no matter what I did, I could not escape the accusation in her tone or the way she had looked at me. There was more than just shock there. There was disappointment, too. I hated that I had disappointed her, and somehow it seemed to me that making her believe my story would solve all my problems.
A loud sound came through from outside my jail cell, followed by footsteps. I ignored them until they stopped right outside my cell.
“Get up, Burbank,” the raspy voice of Officer Penn said. “You have a visitor.”
Wrinkling my eyebrows, I got out of the uncomfortable cot and turned around towards the bars of my cell. A second later, Peter stepped into the depressing muted light of the jail. Even though I couldn’t see him clearly, I could tell he was upset and probably disappointed, too. I swallowed my feelings and took a step forward.
“Hi, big brother,” I said. “Goes to show… I have to get arrested for you to pay me a visit for once.”
Peter didn’t even crack a smile. He just stared at me until the smile faded from my face. “I’m just trying to lighten the mood,” I mumbled.
Peter looked around. “Look at where you are, Samuel.”
“Samuel,” I repeated. “Geez, this is worse than I thought.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, taking a step towards the bars. “Is this a fucking joke to you?”
I bit my lip and shook my head. “I’m sorry… I just… This is not a joke. I know that. But, Pete, I didn’t do anything. I swear.”
“They’re saying that they’ve brought you up on charges of money laundering. And, Sam, they have proof. They have your name on several documents and financial statements.”
“I know.”
“You know?” he repeated.
“I did sign some things for Jackson,” I admitted weakly. “A couple of stray documents here and there.”
“And you didn’t notice anything…funny going on?” Peter demanded.
“I….”
“Yes?” he said impatiently.
“I was an idiot, okay?” I said. “I wasn’t thinking straight and… I trusted Jackson, much more than I should.”
“What are you saying, Sam?”
“I didn’t read any of the papers he got me to sign,” I admitted.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“I know, it was stupid-”
“Stupid doesn’t even begin to cover it,” he said, through gritted teeth.
“Peter,” I said, cutting him off before he could go on a full-blown tirade. “I know you’re angry, and you’re confused, and you’re disappointed. Trust me, I feel all those things, too. But do you really think I would be so stupid as to try money laundering?”
“Well, you were stupid enough to sign legal documents without looking through them first,” he pointed out.
I sighed. “You’ve got me there,” I agreed. “But, Pete, I swear to you. I didn’t do what they’re accusing me of. My name may be on those papers, but I had no idea what was happening.”
Peter looked at me carefully.
“I’m a fire fighter,” I said fiercely. “I chose to be a fire fighter because it’s a profession that has honor and respect and…purpose. Why would I choose a job like that only to end up here?”
Peter’s eyes were thoughtful, and I hated the fact that he might not be sure of my intentions. “You… You do believe me, don’t you?” I asked.
Peter’s eyes came up to meet mine. He sighed deeply. “I do,” he nodded.
I breathed a sigh of relief and gave him a small smile. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me just yet,” he said. “I tried to see if I could release you on bail.”
“No dice?”
“Apparently, you’re not eligible for bail,” he sighed. “We’re going to have to wait this one out.”
“Awesome,” I said, without feeling. “Just my luck.”
“I tried to speak to Jackson,” Peter admitted. “He refused to see me.”
“Of course, he did,” I nodded, feeling the sting of betrayal. “Pathetic coward. I can’t believe he would do this to me. I can’t believe he would do this at all.”
“People very often have two faces,” Peter reminded me gently.
“This is Jackson, Pete,” I said emphatically. “We were partners. He had my back, and I had his. That was how it always worked. We fooled around, we made jokes, we may have been assholes from time to time, but we had a code. We would always be there for one another. Remember last year – the woman who got stuck under that truck?”
“I remember.”
“Gas was everywhere, the car was about to blow up, and I had minutes to get her out,” I continued. “I got wedged in there with her, and Jackson was with me every step of the way. I told him to get out because if the car blew up, it would take all three of us with it – but he refused.
“He told me that he couldn’t just walk away. He told me that we were in this together. Not only did he get me out, he got her out, too. And the car blew up a minute after he did.”
“I remember,” Peter said again.
“One minute longer and we would have all been burning bodies on the highway,” I said. “And Jackson didn’t have to be there at all. He was there for me.”
“I know, Sam,” Peter said gently.
“So, I don’t understand how he could do this…to me,” I said, shaking my head. “To me.”
“Maybe it’s time to face the fact that maybe you don’t know Jackson as well as you thought you did.”
I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “Motherfucker,” I hissed. “He ruined everything.”
“I’m going to get you out of here, Sam,” Peter said. “Don’t worry.”
“How is Mom?” I asked, glancing at Peter and worried about what his answer might be.
“She wanted to come with me,” he said. “But they would only agree to let me in to see you. And that’s only because of my connections in the force. Mom is…upset.”
“Right,” I nodded.
“But if you’re worried about what she thinks of you, then don’t be,” he reassured me. “She claimed you were innocent without knowing anything at all about why you were arrested in the first place.”
I smiled. “Tell her not to worry about me,” I said. “Tell her that I’m a tough boy, and I’ve been through worse.”
“I’m not sure that will help, but I’ll tell her all the same,” he nodded.
“Pete?”
“Yes?”
“I need you to do me a favor,” I said.
Peter raised his eyebrows, noticing the seriousness of my tone. “Okay,” he nodded. “What is it?”
“I need you to contact Mia for me.”
“Mia?” he repeated. “The girl you went out on a date with?”
“Yes, she’s a lawyer, remember,” I said.
“Right,” he nodded.
“When I couldn’t get through to you, I called her,” I said. “I was hoping…she could help me.”
Peter raised his eyebrows. “How did that meeting go?”
“Not well,” I admitted. “She was upset – and I’m not quite certain I convinced her that I was innocent. I wanted her to represent me, but… She told she would refer me to one of her colleagues.”
“Ah,” he said. “Well, it’s something.”
“Talk to her, Pete.”
“Sam,” he said gently. “I can’t force her to take on your case, particularly since there’s a personal connection here.”
“No, that’s not what I want you to do,” I said.
“Then what do you want me to do?” he asked in confusion.
“I just want you to convince her that I’m innocent.”
Peter looked at me in surprise. “You’re serious?”
“Yes,
” I said firmly. “I am.”
“Sam… Isn’t it more important that the court finds you innocent?” he asked reasonably. “Why are you wasting your time trying to convince someone who has no bearing on your case that you’re innocent?”
“Because… I don’t want her thinking badly of me.”
Peter looked at me closely for a moment. “Seems like you’ve got it bad for this girl.”
“I… I just… I didn’t do this. I don’t want her thinking that I did,” I said, brushing aside my brother’s comment.
He sighed and nodded. “Fine,” he said. “For what it’s worth, I’ll talk to her. What’s her number?”
I repeated Mia’s number, and Peter wrote it down and slipped it into his jacket pocket. “I’ll talk to her first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Perfect,” I said. “Thanks, Pete.”
He sighed, and I could tell he hated seeing me behind bars. “Does this bring up bad memories for you?” I asked.
I knew that we were both thinking of Talen in that moment. It had been some years ago now, but no one could ever forget how Peter had thrown Talen in jail in order to save him from the path of destruction he had been on.
“A few,” Peter admitted. “But that was different.”
“How?”
“I was sure I could save Talen,” he said. “I’m not so sure I can do the same this time. This case is out of my hands.”
“I trust you,” I said, giving him a confident smile. “And, I trust Mia, too.”
“You’re okay to go with the lawyer she recommends?” Peter asked. “Or should I look for someone else?”
“No,” I said quickly. “Whoever Mia chooses for me will be fine. I would have preferred if she took on my case, but I’m not going to force her into it.”
“She’s good, is she?”
“She’s brilliant,” I said.
“And that’s not bias talking?”
I smiled. “It might be… I’m not sure.”
Peter smiled. “Hang tight, little brother,” he said. “I’m going to do my best for you.”
“I know you are,” I said. “You always have.”
After Peter left, I lay back down on my uncomfortable cot, stared at the ceiling, and thought of Mia’s beautiful green eyes. It struck me as odd that despite everything that was going on, it seemed more important to me that she know I was innocent than anyone else. I was probably being an idiot, just like I had been with Jackson, but I couldn’t deny that that was how I felt.