Should’ve Known It’s You (Not You Again #7)

Chapter 59

CHAPTER 59

AUSTIN

E arly the next morning, I walked out of the police station and dragged in my first breath of fresh air since last night. Bone tired and frustrated as hell, all I wanted was to head home and grab a shower, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Tate rolled up to get me, and I made a beeline for his car, collapsing into the passenger seat. Leaning back, I closed my eyes before I’d even buckled up. “Thanks for coming, man. Now get me the hell away from this place.”

He chuckled. “You look and smell like shit. What happened?”

“I spent the night in a cell instead of Kennedy’s bed.”

“Yeah, I figured out that part when you asked me to come pick you up from the police station,” he said. “Are you okay?”

I snorted. “Ask me that after we stop for all the coffee that has ever coffeed .”

“You got it,” he said, pulling into the next drive-through we came across and ordering us each a mega coffee as well as some food. As he pulled the paper bags in through his window, he handed them over and glanced at me. “Gritty details now please. It’s the least you can do since I picked you up.”

As we drove away, I caught him up, ending with the part of the story that had only happened this morning. “There’s a chance I’ll be taken to court on assault charges. It all depends on how things fall.”

“That’s bullshit,” he said. “For one punch? It sounds like you should’ve hit him harder. Where am I taking you, by the way? I know how hard things are on the inside. What do you need? A steak? A woman? Just say the word.”

“The law offices of Henry and Stone,” I said. “Slate hooked me up with them a while ago, but this is the first time I’ve had to pay them a visit. I checked with Slate this morning, though, and apparently, they’re the very best there is even for this kind of thing. As soon as I was given my phone and stuff back, I called to get an emergency appointment.”

“Let’s get you to it, then. The steak can wait.” Tate entered the name of the firm into his navigation system and took me to the fancy office building a while later. “Good luck, bro.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Let me know if you need a ride when you’re done.”

I nodded. “Thanks, but I’m sure you need to get on with your day. I’ll be fine.”

“Sure, but if you’re not, let me know,” he said. “Doing nice things has been making me feel like less of a piece of shit. It’s a better way to live life.”

“You owe your therapist a gift basket or something. You’ve made some serious progress.” I climbed out of the car and saluted him, shutting the door before I turned and went up to the very top floor of the modern building. A few people shot me sideways looks as I made my way through the lobby, but at least no one stopped me.

After punching the button with a shiny metal plate bearing the firm’s name next to it, I sagged against the side of the elevator, resigned to getting bad news from the lawyers. As it turned out, Danny’s parents were more connected than I’d realized, enough that the officers who had questioned me had visibly balked when they’d put together who the victim of my assault was related to. I really wasn’t looking forward to hearing my lawyers say the same thing as the cops, which was basically that it was extremely likely I would get the maximum sentence for this.

Pushing away from the rail as the doors slid open, I exited the elevator and was shown to the office of Sarah Henry, a well-dressed older lady with a no-nonsense attitude and a navy blue power suit. She was already standing at the head of the conference table in her office when I walked in, and she gave me a quick onceover before she waved me into a seat.

“Rough night?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I’ve had better.”

“Coffee?”

“Please.”

She cracked a tiny smile. “Of course.”

Reaching for a landline on the table, she punched a button and asked for two coffees. Then she turned back to me and gracefully lowered herself into her chair. “Alright, so I’ve already made a few calls for you. I think we can get you off without any issues.”

My eyebrows arched. “You’re more optimistic than the cops.”

“Well, that’s because I’m not scared of this brat’s family,” she said. “Let me be clear that I’m not promising anything. Physical assault can come with a prison term. I simply doubt it’s going to shape up that way in your case.”

“Why not?”

“The facts are in your favor,” she explained. “Our best course of action is to make sure that Ms. Sweet backs up your version of events and that she testifies to it.”

“I don’t really want to ask her to do that.”

“No one ever does,” she said. “However, it would be a mistake for the jury not to hear her side of the story if this ever gets that far, Mr. Merrick. Ultimately, you’re the protector here. The hero. The jury will only believe that if the girl you were protecting tells them what happened.”

I blew out a long breath. “Let’s cross that bridge if we ever get to it.”

The door opened and a young guy came in with our coffees, setting them down on the table and hurrying back out. Sarah got up and fixed mine, then her own, sitting back down before pulling a notepad closer.

“Okay, I want you to tell me everything you know about this Danny character. Start at the beginning if you can, and we’ll work our way to you being driven away in the back of a cruiser last night.”

Settling in with my coffee, I did as she’d asked, pausing to give details when she asked for them and finally telling her all about how I’d ended up taking that swing at him. As I recounted the story, the only thing I really cared about was Kenny.

I’d called Winrey before I’d even called Slate, so I knew Kenny was still with her, but I was worried about how she was holding up. Last night had been intense by anyone’s standards, and while I knew she was used to dealing with more crap from her parents than most, it still couldn’t have been easy on her. Danny had been at her doorstep like a barbarian at the gate.

Sarah kept me talking, refusing to let me skip over absolutely anything. She stopped me whenever she thought I was moving too fast, making sure she got every inch of my story exactly right. By the end of it, I was even more exhausted than I had been before, but I kept going.

I had to get to Kenny. It seemed impossible that she and I still needed to have that conversation about her not having to choose between business and pleasure, but ultimately, I still hadn’t gotten around to telling her how I felt. And I needed to make sure she was okay.

Finally, Sarah stood up and extended a hand toward me. “I’ll be in touch, Mr. Merrick. As soon as I know anything, I’ll give you a call. In the meantime, try to stay away from Danny. Any further altercations now will only aggravate the situation.”

“Of course,” I said as I shook her hand. “Trust me, I have no intention of seeking him out.”

She pursed her lips at me. “Let’s also sit on all that information you have on him. You really don’t need to add blackmail or extortion to the assault charge. I understand that it’s tempting, but if we’re going to keep this out of court, we need to be smart.”

I sighed. “Sure. I’ll be good. I promise. For now.”

She chuckled and walked me back to the elevator, waiting until I’d climbed on before she turned to go back to her office. Once the doors were sliding shut in front of me, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and opened the Uber app, quickly typing in Winrey and Benji’s address.

To my relief, there was a car practically right out front. When I walked out into the cloudy day, my ride was already waiting for me like a little slice of sunshine. The driver seemed to realize I wasn’t in the mood to chat, and I wondered if I should’ve gone home to grab a shower before I tracked down Kenny. Even as I had the thought, I texted to let her know I was on my way.

My own discomfort could wait. I needed to see her and I needed to do it now. As my driver pulled up in front of her sister’s building, I saw her sitting on the front steps, waiting for me, looking tired, but otherwise okay. A wave of relief rushed through me.

She jumped up as soon as she realized I was in the car parking in front of her. The prettiest woman in the world ran down to me as I climbed out. Acting completely on instinct, I opened my arms as she raced toward me.

“Thank God, you’re okay,” she murmured into my chest as she smacked into me, clinging to me as if she’d never let go. “I was so worried about you.”

She buried her face in my shoulder, her arms in a vise around my waist. I slid my hands around her back, holding her close and breathing in that sweet vanilla scent of hers. My eyes fluttered closed as I spoke softly against her hair.

“I’m fine. I’m all good, Kennedy. I promise.”

“I’m so sorry,” she breathed, her voice shaky. “I feel awful about what happened. I’m so embarrassed. I never should’ve put you in that position.”

“You didn’t put me in any position,” I said, pulling back so I could look into her eyes. I took her face in my hands, brushing my thumbs along the soft contours of her cheekbones and locking my gaze on hers. “I put myself right where I wanted to be, which is between you and the people who were hurting you. You don’t have to apologize for that, Kenny. It was on me, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“But you spent the night in jail and the morning with a lawyer , Austin. This is serious.”

I wiped her tears away with my thumbs, staring deep into those sparkling blue eyes. “Sure, but what I’m serious about, is you. I was never going to stand by and watch them bully you, baby. Never. If I have to face charges for that, then so be it.”

She fell into me for another hug and I pulled her closer. As she dug her fingers into my shirt, she lifted her head to look up at me and her next words nearly knocked me on my ass this time.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I know you told me to take some time to think about everything, but just after I got home, I realized that I didn’t need any time. I love you, Austin, and I’m never going to stop.”