by M J Andrews
"Yes ma'am," he pulled his gaze to his shoes.
"Do you deny the allegations?"
"No, ma'am."
"Are you willing to do whatever is required of you by the court to rectify your error?"
“Yes, ma'am."
“Good, I'll see what I can do about getting you out of here. But rest assured Leo, this isn't going away so if you are released, I need you to keep your ass on the straight and narrow, you get me?" she drew his gaze to hers as she wanted him to understand that this was real life and there are consequences for every action. Something she learned the hard way and had the physical scars to prove it.
“Yes, ma'am," he mumbled.
"Fine. Now, I'll go see what I can do," she said turning on her heels and moving out of the holding cells and was greeted by Deputy Johnson. She smiled politely.
"Can you provide me a copy of the police report for this case? And I will need to speak with the Sheriff."
"I can get you the report, no problem. But I believe the Sheriff may be… ah… indisposed at the moment," he said, his eyes hit the floor. Laughter was heard from behind the door which indicated the Sheriff's office in bold gold lettering. Lexi's brow rose and Johnson seemed to know what she was thinking. She moved swiftly and knocked on the door firmly.
"I'm in the middle of something…" a deep voice announced, followed by a female giggle. If this dickhead thought that he can get laid on the job, he had another thing coming. She was on a tight timeline and couldn't wait for him to whack off to get what she needed. She knocked again, louder.
"Go away," the voice replied. Okay, she was done being professional, now she was royally pissed. How dare this asshat take advantage of his position of authority. Who the fuck did he think he was?
She twisted the doorknob and barged into the office. Straddled on the man's lap on a leather couch was a petite blond who wore a tight pink mini skirt and tube top. Her blond hair was not natural and Lexi was certain there were many things about the woman that wasn't natural. All she saw of the Sheriff was his legs.
"What the heck, Parker?" he bellowed.
"Not Parker and certainly not pleased to know that an elected official is using his office for some afternoon delight. So if you're done doing whatever inappropriate thing you were doing, I'd like to get on with my day. And my day can't move forward until I have had the unfortunate pleasure of a conversation with you. So, if Candy could move along that would be great," she said sternly. Lexi's blood pressure was rising with this jackass and her hands are fisted and placed on her hips in her Wonder Woman pose.
"My name is Mandy… not Candy," Blondie whined, before rising and grabbing her purse. She flicked her hair as she made her way out the door. Lexi watched her as she left and questioned whether or not she needed to be tested for STIs just from being in her presence.
"Last I was aware, having a lunch break is not against the law and nor did I provide you permission to enter the office…" he clipped. His back was turned to her so she still couldn't see his face.
"Well, I have a scared thirteen-year-old boy locked up that I need to get bailed out, so if we could move this along it would be great. I don't have time to wait for you to have a booty call while I'm trying to work," she snarled. The jackass was trying her last nerve.
Then he turned and her heart dropped as their eyes met and a flash of recognition crossed his stupidly handsome face. A face that haunted her dreams and made her blood run cold.
"Lexi?" he asked seemingly surprised. He stood immobile when he recognized her.
Flashes of the night that changed her life flicked across her vision and her chest tightened and the air left her lungs. Not now Lexi. Not now. She couldn't have an anxiety attack right now.
She took a deep breath before talking. She was not going to let him get to her. She was not seventeen years old anymore. She was not weak or easily intimidated.
"Hello, Sawyer. If you don't mind, I'd like to get some information before Leo is seen this afternoon," she said, fixing her expression to show no emotional response whatsoever to the man who stole her virginity and dismissed her like trash. That night changed her life.
"Of course. It's … nice to see you. How long has it been? Nine years?" he walked towards his desk, pulled out Leo's file and handed it to her.
"Ten actually," she corrected.
He rubbed the back of his neck before he met her gaze again, "So, you're going to represent Leo?"
"I believe we already covered that," she responded coldly, while she skimmed through the file in her hands. She gathered that her client had a criminal record and that it was likely the prosecutor wanted to set an example of him.
"Yes, well… Leo is my nephew."
"I'm aware. Your sister drove me here and I'm doing this as a favor to her on behalf of my family. I'll seek for Leo to be released into her custody while a trial or plea bargain is settled," she said drily.
"That would be best. He's a good kid, he just makes stupid mistakes. But I guess we all did at his age," he smiled. She didn't.
"Stupid mistakes can often mean life and death for many people, Sheriff. The goal is to prevent him from re-offending before something like that happens."
He stared at her for a long time and she knew that he was looking at her scar.
"Maybe while you're in town we can get together for a drink, maybe catch up?"
Did he just ask her out? Like they were friends? Was he so stupid that he thought that was what was happening here?
"Absolutely not," she said, angrily before she turned on her heel and headed for the door. His hand caught her elbow and she flinched away from his touch, but still aware of how his touch lit her up inside.
"Why not?" he asked, "You married or in a relationship?" He sought out her hands to look for a ring.
"No, I'm not. You're just the last person in this galaxy I would ever want to share anything with," she admitted, as his mouth popped open and hung in shock. He was not used to women rejecting him.
Tough shit.
With that said, she turned and exited the office heading to the prosecutor's office to distract her from Sawyer fucking McGuire.
Chapter 5
Sawyer
"What the fuck just happened?" Sawyer mumbled to himself, as he watched Lexi Scott leave his office.
She just blatantly rejected him. Sawyer didn't have too large of an ego to say that women didn't reject him. But, he didn't know what he did to cause such a disgusted reaction. He recalled the night they were intimate. He was such a dick. Part of him had been in love with Lexi since middle school. He was honest when he told her he wouldn't push her into anything. If she had pulled back, he would have walked away with his pride.
After her accident, he visited her in the hospital every day. She wasn't conscious for most of his visits, and when she did wake, she was on a large cocktail of medications that left her drowsy. He was not sure she remembered any of their visits. That night changed her life, but it also changed his. He realized that night that he needed to treat people better and that he needed to be a better person. It was why he joined the US Army and then moved into law enforcement when he left the service. He tried to repent for his poor behavior.
A knock on his office door pulled him from his deep thoughts. He looked towards the newest distraction and found Brett. After all the years that passed, Brett and Sawyer still had a good relationship.
Brett didn't look a day over twenty-five and he worked as a contractor in town, with a specialty in restoration. The man had a gift and his eye for design was well known all across the state. He fell in love with Lucy in college and they had Sara, who was now six years old. Lucy was diagnosed with stage four breast Cancer when Sara was two years old. She did treatments and surgeries, but in the end, it wasn't successful. She passed away three years ago and no one has turned Brett's head since. He'd rather spend his Friday night curled up with Sara watching Monster's Inc for the five-hundredth time than be at the Barn House with him.
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nbsp; "Hey man, did I just see, not one, but two pissed off women leave your office?" Brett snickered. He entered Sawyer's office and sprawled out on his leather couch, where Sawyer had planned to relieve some stress with Mandy minutes ago.
"You sure did," Sawyer groaned. He placed his hands behind his head and rested his feet on his desk.
Brett still wore his gear from his renovation job down at Halley's B & B, leaving a trail of dust and dirt on his couch and floor.
"I know the first is Mandy, but who's the other woman?" Brett asked.
"Lexi Scott," Sawyer admitted. Brett's face scrunched in confusion as he struggled to make the connection.
"What the heck is she doing in your office?" he asked.
"Leo got into some more trouble last night and Jordan called in a favor with the family. Lexi's a lawyer and she's visiting," he huffed.
Brett whistled as his eyebrows found themselves lodged in his hairline. "Well, you do remember the night of her accident, right?" he asked.
"Of course I do," he snapped. In reality, he hadn't forgiven himself for how he treated Lexi. He'd been stupid and inconsiderate.
"You know her grandmother passed recently. I'm guessing she's only in town for a little while before she takes off back to the big apple," Brett said.
"Probably for the best, she didn't exactly give me the warm and cozy feeling," he admitted.
"Might have something to do with the stripper visiting you when you're on the clock," Brett scoffed.
"Maybe, but I've always loved the company of a woman, Brett. And I've never been shy about it."
"Speaking of the ladies in our lives, Sara is wondering when her Godfather is planning to stop by again. She and Mr. Bunny have been talking non-stop about the new tiara she has for Uncle Sawyer," Brett smiled. He knew there was nothing Sawyer wouldn't do for Sara.
Sawyer ran his fingers through his hair, "You know, I've been thinking I need to spice things up with a bit of bling. How's about Friday?" he asked. Brett nodded and stood to exit his office but turned to face Sawyer. His expression was no longer fun and amused.
"Watch yourself around Lex. You maybe my best friend, but I will kick your ass if you fuck with her the way you did back in high school," he threatened. Sawyer nodded because he already knew that he deserved to have his ass kicked if he treated a woman like that again.
That night changed Lexi, without a doubt. But it also changed him in ways that he couldn't even begin to acknowledge. He pushed aside his thoughts about Lexi and moved to get to Leo's hearing. He had Parker transport him to the courthouse and he’d planned to meet Jordan there.
When he arrived outside the courthouse, he had the unfortunate luck to bump into Colin Kincaid. The pretentious dick leaned against his Lexus with his brand name aviators. Just laying eyes on the fucker boiled his blood. He took responsibility for his role in what happened with Lexi all those years ago, but that dick never even as much as acknowledging what happened to her.
Sawyer got out of his car and walked towards the courthouse with intentions of ignoring Colin. Unfortunately, he had a different idea and popped out in front of him to goad him some more about Leo being arrested.
"Well, hello Sheriff. Coming to support your kin and their bad habits?" he snarled with a twisted grin on his douche bag face. Sawyer mentally ran through all the ways he could hide his body before he spoke.
"Get out of my way, Kincaid," Sawyer growled trying hard to hold onto any rational thought.
"I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, right? Makes sense the boy would be a druggie like his mother…"
"Mr. Kincaid," a strong feminine voice came from behind Sawyer. "I would hope that your opinions of my client will not impede your ability to be professional. Otherwise, I would ask that you recuse yourself from this case so that the law can do its job," Lexi challenged.
Sawyer looked to his side and saw Lexi, standing strong with her head held high and a fierce stare glared directly at Kincaid. Kincaid eyed her up and down but didn't recognize her until she turned her face and her scar was on full display.
"Lexi Scott?" he sounded surprised.
"Yes, and based on what I’ve overheard of this conversation, I could argue that you're unable to be unbiased and proceed based on facts of this case," she continued.
"Well, L-Lexi," Kincaid stuttered.
"Ms. Scott will work just fine. And before we go in front of the judge perhaps we should speak privately about what is best for my client. I would truly hate to have to discuss with the judge my concerns around the prosecution's bias," she nodded towards Sawyer, who couldn't wipe the grin off his face, "Sheriff," she said in acknowledgment.
"Ms. Scott," he grinned.
Poor Kincaid's face was white as a sheet as Lexi grabbed him by the arm and escorted him to a briefing room to discuss the case.
"Sawyer!" Jordan called from up the sidewalk. She was flanked by the whole God damn family, Aubrey, Remi, and Daisy.
"Jordan, I'll take you to see Lexi. She's speaking with Kincaid right now. From the little I've seen of her, she's a shark and is probably going to eat Kincaid for lunch," he assured.
"Oh, thank God she's here," Jordan said, as relief passed through her body and her shoulders relaxed. "Let's go."
They ascended the stairs and made their way into the courthouse hallway where the briefing rooms were situated. Kincaid left one room and appeared red and flustered. Good, that meant Lexi was doing what she could for Leo. Shortly after, Lexi exited the room and spotted Jordan.
"Jordan, can we speak?" she asked.
"Of course," Jordan replied.
"Sheriff?" Lexi asked.
"Yes, Ms. Scott," he answered.
"I'd like to confer with my client before we are called into court. Can you please have him brought to me?" she posed, and he nodded in agreement.
He descended the stairwell to the holding cells located in the basement. Leo was there, secluded from the others of course. Being a child, placing him in the same cells as the adults would be suicide.
"Leo," he called opening the cell doors.
"Is it time?" Leo questioned.
"Not yet, but your lawyer wants to speak with you. Hands behind your back," Sawyer directed. Leo was surprised by the request and Sawyer leaned into him.
"Son, you don't want special treatment around here, trust me. You don't want to stand out among the rest, you get me?" he whispered, and Leo nodded his understanding. Sawyer handcuffed him and escorted him like any other prisoner. When he brought him into the room, Jordan leaped to her feet and rushed to hug him. She pulled back and looked him over as if assessing him for injuries.
"Can we sit please?" Lexi asked.
Everyone took a seat, Lexi on one side of the table and the McGuires on the other. Leo sat in between Jordan and Sawyer.
"Firstly, I need to advise that I typically would only speak with my client, but given he is a minor, his guardian shall be present. Sheriff, I know you're family, but you're also the law. I'm asking you to leave this conversation as required under client privilege," she said flatly.
She asked him to leave. She had to be out of her mind if she thought that he was not going to be present for things concerning his family.
"I'm not leaving," Sawyer rebutted.
"Yes, Sheriff, you are and you will. You're not just family in this situation and I am not going to risk his privacy by having you present. Nor do I want to give Kincaid any more ammunition to fire at us in open court. Now, you can leave of your own accord, which I would strongly recommend. Or I can have the court officers escort you from this meeting room. Whatever you chose will be fine by me," she said, as cold as a fall morning breeze.
Sawyer glared at the woman who’d been entrusted to represent Leo with shock and a little bit of respect. As much as he wanted to argue with her, he had enough sense to know that they were wasting valuable time.
"Fine," he gritted before he stood and exited the meeting room. He paced the hallway in front of the
office for what seemed like hours, but in reality, it was fifteen minutes max. When the door finally opened, Jordan greeted him.
"What's happening, JoJo?" he asked.
"Lexi thinks that prosecution is firm on moving forward with the charges, but she's going to try and get him released into my custody," she said her voice little and defeated.
He grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, hoping to provide some comfort to her. He didn't know how to fix it for her and the brother in him always wanted to fix what was hurting her. This was the one time where he wanted to value his role as a brother over the role of the Sheriff.