Dark Sexy Knight (A Modern Fairytale)(73)
“And after that?”
“Come see me next Monday.” She glanced at Ryan, giving him a sour look. “Alone. We’ll talk about what’s best for . . . everyone.”
“You mean you’ll fire us too.”
“I don’t know what I mean!” shrieked Lynette. “My Head Knight was just rolled out of here on a stretcher. Another knight beat him so badly, he was unconscious. The police are involved. You and your brother were in the middle of it. That said, your brother’s an ADA employee. So I’m sorry if I don’t have all the answers, but I don’t know what’s going to happen yet. All I know is that I need you two out of here while I figure it out! Now, forgive me while I go get a copy of the goddamned police report!”
Lynette turned and stomped toward the exit to follow Officer Marks to his car and get a copy of the police report for HR.
Verity looked up at Colton, huge tears in her eyes. “We just lost our jobs. All three of us.”
“Shhhh,” he said, pulling her close. “You don’t know that yet. We’ll, uh . . . Let’s just get you home.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the stable exit, where Joe and Ryan were waiting.
“Colton,” said Joe, his eyes troubled, “I know you did right. That Artie was a bad seed.”
Ryan’s face had finally been washed, but there was still dried shit in his hair, and it made Colt flinch with fury as he slid his eyes from Joe to Ryan and back again. Bad seed? He could think of a few more-appropriate descriptions for Artie.
“Yeah. Thanks, Joe.”
“I’ll do all I can for you, son.”
Colt looked at him in confusion. “But you weren’t even there. You didn’t see anything.”
Joe nodded. “That’s true, but I still might be able to help.”
“Sure, Joe. Thanks,” he said, appreciating Joe’s kindness but fully aware that this was going to come down to Artie’s word against theirs, and Artie looked far worse than any of them. He turned to Ryan and said, “Let’s go, Ryan. We’re going home.”
It was a quiet ride.
When they pulled into the driveway, Officer Marks and his partner were waiting to arrest Colt.
Artie had woken up in the hospital.
Colt was going to jail.
CHAPTER 16
The arraignment came swiftly.
Just forty-eight hours after Colt was arrested he was walked into the Superior Court of Fulton County and immediately spied Verity’s worried, tired face for the first time in two days. Her eyes were ringed and bloodshot, her skin sallow, her hair flat. And he realized, in a moment of searing self-hatred, that she looked a little bit like his mother used to. Tired and worn. Frightened and sad. It made his heart clench with powerful feelings of disgust to know that his actions had caused her to look like that. And that she should have to see him like this—in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs—brought on a wave of shame so profound, he could barely stand to look at her, so he turned away quickly.
He sat down in one of two chairs at a table facing the judge’s bench, and his public defender, Leslie Belden, sat down beside him. He’d met Leslie only once, yesterday, when she came by to inform him of the arraignment date and details, and to tell him that she felt it was best to enter a plea of no contest, which meant that he didn’t admit wrongdoing, nor would he dispute the charges leveled against him. He didn’t know what this meant in terms of consequences, but he had tried to prepare himself for the worst. The very worst, which included losing the person he had come to love more than anyone else in the world.
Colt now sat quietly, waiting for the judge and prosecutor to arrive, the heat of shame warming his neck to bright red because he could feel Verity’s eyes on him from four rows behind. His stupid heart, however, still felt tethered to hers, and it leaped with joyfulness to be so close to her again. It still hadn’t accepted the reality that this was likely the last time he’d be this close to her again. Over the past two days, he’d decided, with his head, not his heart, that the only decent thing to do would be to let her go.
This wasn’t the first time Colt had been arrested, of course, so being photographed, fingerprinted, and booked on Monday evening wasn’t a new experience. Nor was the county jumpsuit and the hospitality of a Fulton County holding cell. None of that had even fazed him, really. The nightmare of it all was that his worst fears had come to fruition. He’d jeopardized Melody’s care and his guardianship of her. He’d lost his job. If he went to jail, he’d lose his house.
But more than his job, Mel, Aunt Jane, or anything else, he’d thought of Verity Gwynn while he lay on his back for two long days, trying not to inhale the stale odors of urine and bleach that permeated his cell. From the first moment he saw her, he somehow knew she’d be a weakness for him. He’d told himself to stay away. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t fall for her. He’d worried, after making love to her, that he’d inevitably f*ck things up. Because not much in Colton Lane’s life had been constant, but his temper, rolling around inside him like thunder, couldn’t be controlled, wouldn’t be stopped.
He’d told her over and over again that she deserved better, and now she had to see, had to know—this is what he meant. Him in shackles. Her wearing her sorrow. He wasn’t able to control his fury when it came to her. Melody was in a good place, a kind place, where people treated her with respect, so Colt didn’t have to worry too much about her. She was safe, so he was safe. But Verity and Ryan lived in the real world, and as long as there were evil, malicious f*cking monsters there, he’d fight them off, he’d protect what was his, and it was only a matter of time until he was put away for good. And then what? Then he’d abandon not only his cousin, but his sweet woman and her brother as well. And that? Fuck that. That would be breaking every promise he’d ever made to her. Every promise he’d ever made to himself too.