Page 82 of Never To Suffer (The Hollywoodland #4)
MY KINK IS KARMA
CHAPPELL ROAN
“She won’t dispute the charges if you do this.”
The second the lawyer says those words, all eyes are on me.
I go into the prison, let her say whatever she wants to say to me, and she agrees to plead guilty and write a full confession about my accident and what part she played in the accident that killed Jamie’s father.
Her father. One face-to-face visit and she’ll take the guilty plea and rot in jail for the rest of her miserable life. How hard can that be?
“Sky, you don’t have to do this,” Coop breaks the silence that sits heavily over the group.
Jamie has spent the last fifteen minutes quietly brooding in a corner, I almost laughed earlier at how much he and Dani look alike when they do that.
Steve’s across the room, staring out the window like the answers to life are in the clouds lingering over Los Angeles.
“They’ve got enough on her to take her to court and?—”
“That’s not a guarantee.” I shake my head, staring a hole into the carpet. “How many times have we seen that happen, slam dunk case and the bastard walks away? Those people had even more evidence against them.”
“Yeah, but we’re not in Florida,” Steve replies over his shoulder, before once again staring at the clouds.
I shake my head, they don’t understand. I don’t expect them to. “It isn’t even about that, Steve. It’s closure. It’s me finally understanding what happened that day instead of relying on my broken, messed up brain to try to tell the story.”
“But you said you remember her. That you had a flash of a memory the other day,” Steve says, finally turning away from the window.
“A dream, Steve. It’s not enough. If we let this go to court, her lawyer could be a total douche and use my drug history. It’s all the doubt people would need to believe I don’t remember what the fact are. I mean, do I? This is it. This is the only way I find out the truth.”
“And if it’s a trap?” Jamie says. “What if she’s lying?”
“I’ll go with them,” Xander says from across the room.
He’s been quiet, still adjusting to how they all treat him now.
It’s an emotional overload sometimes, but he’s handling it well, and fitting into his new role in their family.
“It’s the least I can do—keeping you guys from going in there.
Think of it as a thank you for your help with… Oliver.”
His body reacts to the name with a shiver and a pained expression.
When Coop and Jamie heard about what happened, they dropped everything and called an investigator they’d both worked with.
Not only did he track down Oliver and get him arrested, but he also dug up ties to a human trafficking ring.
Ties that included a buyer he had lined up in Tokyo for Xander.
Oliver’s parents were connected to the Maxwell corporation, too, but not how we thought.
Xander’s aunt found their employment records.
She also found the prison each of them was serving time in for embezzlement, fraud, and identity theft.
Oliver’s grand plan involved skimming from the company, which he’d done quietly for years.
But when Maxwell told him about the plan to introduce Xander as the next in line to head the new Tokyo office, Oliver made a new plan.
Xander understands my need for closure now more than he did before.
“You?” Steve questions him.
“I’ve been in prisons before. Not like locked up, but still.
I can go. There’s no way she’d plan on me coming along and I’d make sure Sky doesn’t do anything stupid while they’re with her.
” He shrugs before nodding at me. “Besides, I gotta go give a statement next week, and they already volunteered to go with me, so we’re even. ”
“Are you sure you want to go with them instead of one of us?” Coop asks, looking between us.
“I can’t go. I’m sorry, man. I mean, it should be me, it really should.” Jamie says, and I appreciate his honesty. “But I’d lose my shit. We’d both end up locked up next to her.”
“Same,” Steve nods.
“Alright, it’s settled.” I announce and look back across the room at the lawyer. “I’ll go.”
“Okay, what now?” Jamie asks, ringing his hands and bouncing his leg.
He’s one of the most mellow, down-to-earth guys I’ve ever met.
This entire situation has done a toll on him.
It’s his sister, and he doesn’t want to hurt her, but the things she did?
She threatened his friends, played a part in his father's death, and went after his future wife? He couldn’t let any of that slide, but it’s still his sister.
“James, breathe,” Alexis tries to calm him, rubbing his back.
“We locked her up for extortion, conspiracy, identity theft, and a litany of other offenses, but if I’m being honest with you, which I’m trying to be, none of those has enough weight to keep her behind bars,” The lawyer explains while she repositions her glasses and glances over some paperwork.
“If she does sign this confession for the murder of Mr. Barton’s father, there’s no way she’ll ever get out. ”
“What about what she did to Skylar?! We’re gonna hand them over like a steak dinner?
” Steve grumbles, Ethan at his side. That kid is one of the lucky ones who came around after Elle had gone to jail, avoiding her wrath.
But from what Dani has told me, he’s had his own share of traumatic experiences.
“I’m not dead, Steve.”
“It’s terrible to say, but they’re right.
It isn’t murder and they’re the only one she’s asked for.
Most of the evidence against her in Skylar’s case was circumstantial.
” The lawyer says. “No one could place her there because she’s too damn smart.
The judge, I hope, has recognized that, too.
As Skylar said, their part in this has to do with closure.
After this, I’ll want all of you to speak at her sentencing.
To remind everyone of what she’s capable of. ”
“Oh my god, seriously, you should have seen her face!” Xander cracks up, recounting the story one more time, a beer in one hand, Theo’s hand in the other. “She turned whiter than white, like, so damn pale and just stared at Skylar!”
“I still can’t believe your opening volley was to say thank you. That accident ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me ,” Steve chuckles. “We finally got out ahead of her, or you did, Skylar. Gods, what a line!”
“I only told her the truth. No offense, Stevie. But to be fair, the whole thing worked out pretty well for you in the end, too.”
“Oh, yeah. I mean, we were fun together, and if that hadn’t happened, we would have been good together for a long ass time. But if it had to happen, I’m glad we still got our happily ever after or whatever.”
“Swing and a miss, pumpkin,” Ethan snorts a laugh. “How did you let happy endings go? That was a softball for you.”
“Oh, I’m getting my happy ending tonight. Don’t you worry, pal.”
“From who?” Xander jokes and Jamie gives his hair a tousle for that one.
Our group feels whole again. The damage that one spiteful woman did has been cleaned up as best as we can, and we all raise a glass for Jamie’s dad, who finally gets justice.
We were never supposed to make it here, but we fought for this.
Our own demons, the demons of the world, and even the demons we’ll never stop fighting.
“So, the big show happens in a week. How freaked out are you all?” Alexis asks Dani.
“We had our last rehearsal of the new stuff yesterday. It’s epic.” Dani boasts. “Noah and Sky played some of the new songs that she’s co-wrote last week and I’m still not over how incredible it sounded. Seriously, shivers down my spine good. We’re totally going to win this shit.”
“And, if we don’t,” I say, reminding her of our promise.
“The hell with it, we go on tour anyhow, enjoy the benefits, and find a new label the second that contract expires! We might as well see the world on someone else's dime. It’s better than crying in bed!”
“Atta girl,” I wink.
“Speaking of bed,” Theo breaks up the laughter and cheers. “It’s time I get the kids home and in bed.”
“So, it is just one bed?” Steve asks, wiggling his eyebrows like he’s uncovered some hidden gem of a secret.
“Why don’t you send Ethan over to find out?
” Xander claps back as he jumps out of his chair and drops several hundred dollars on the table.
“I’ve got this one. The numbers came back on the site’s opening month, and we’re fucking crushing it.
The full version isn’t even out yet. Dani and Skylar don’t get to have all the fun throwing money around when they’re famous. ”
There’s another round of cheers and clapping Xander on the back before we pile into Theo’s car and head home, exhausted and full of life and love. I’ve never been so sure about my decision to come back to Los Angeles as I am now. I love this crazy city.