Page 45 of Spiteful Lies

He takes off his winter coat and throws it over me. He turns around as Ted Leister tries to stand up. Pierce balls up both fists and punches Leister’s face, twisting it so far around his neck should’ve snapped. Blondie screams bloody murder and runs to Leister as Pierce lifts me off the bar.

He carries me through the crowd, heading for the door. And when that man, Chad, tries to stop us, Pierce shouts at him and tells him Leister wants him. Chad heads toward the office as Pierce pushes through a wall of people. Pierce slams his back against the metal door, and it swings open. He starts running with me cradled in his arms until we reach his car in the lot. Panting, Pierce places me down gently on the ground. He looks behind his shoulder while unlocking the passenger door.

“Astrid, it’s okay, but we have to get the fuck out of here before these nutters kill us. Stay with me, girl.”

I nod and climb into the car with his help. In the distance, there’s shouting as Pierce runs to the driver’s side door. I look out the car window, and three shouting bouncers are racing at top speed toward his car.

“My hand is aching, so his face must be fucked up.” Pierce turns the ignition, “Hang on, Astrid; we’ll be back at Stonehaven soon and will leave their shit behind.”

The car peels in reverse, kicking up gravel, and Pierce almost hits a startled bouncer. Someone bangs on a window, but Pierce slams down on the gas, and the car tears down the street. My head falls back as I cry.

Thank God.

Someone heard me.

Charlotte sighs, and I open my eyes, wiping my face with my hands. She reaches into her bag and hands me a wad of tissues. Cautiously, I look at her face, and her cheeks are wet as she wipes her eyes daintily with a tissue, careful not to smudge her mascara.

“I love you, Charlotte,” I whisper, “You’re always a lady.”

“It’s a challenge,” she replies, wiping her nose, “I had wondered why you liked Pierce all of a sudden. Now, I know.”

“He acts like a jerk, but a jerk wouldn’t give a shit. You know he never said ‘I told you so.’” I look at her. “Are you sure, Charlotte, about doing this?”

She nods her head. “Yes. I have to do it. For both of us.”

“You really don’t. I know we decided to be sisters, but Charlotte, this is too much to ask for.”

She looks away and stares off into the distance. “You can’t tell anyone this. You promise.”

I sit up, but she refuses to look at me. “I will never tell, and I mean it this time. I only told Bryce because I was worried, and I knew he would help.”

Her eyes shine, and a tear slips from her eye. “Ted Leister touched me. It wasn’t as bad as what he tried to do to you. But he did it. That’s why Howland hates the sight of him. He caught him touching my breasts through my swimsuit. I was too young to know that he shouldn’t touch me like that. But thank God, Howland caught him.”

“Charlotte, I’m so sorry.” I grab her in my arms, and we hug each other.

“He’s the worst sort of person,” she speaks softly, but the words send a chill through me. “There’s a place for him in hell right alongside our father. I mean…Mr. Howland.”

Chapter 30

Astrid

Now I understand why Charlotte was determined to testify. Money isn’t motivating her to face Leister in the courtroom.

It’s revenge. And I can understand that.

The awful thing that happened to both of us builds a bond that nothing—not even blood—can break. Charlotte will always be my sister. I promised not to tell her secret to Bryce, and this time, I won’t.

Charlotte can decide if she wants to tell the judge, but statute of limitations claim that too many years have passed to press charges.

Bullshit. A crime like that doesn’t fade away with time.

My pain is enough to bring to court to win the case. I had blocked out a lot of things, and now, some of my actions are clear. Since that night, I’ve avoided leaving Stonehaven after curfew unless I have to or one of the boys is with me. And I haven’t seen Nova until today. The preliminary hearing is today.

In the Rock Hill County Courthouse, I wait with Pierce and Nova in a small office on a floor far away from the courtroom. I close my eyes tight and grip the stiff cushion on the upholstered office chair I’m seated in. I gotta shake this dread off me. I may want to be Astrid Howland, but I don’t want to lose all of me in the process. And old me was never scared. Not like I am now.

We can watch Charlotte testify on a monitor set up on the desk. I’m thankful that I won’t be facing the lawyer. Though I won’t be seen in court, I dress in my black dress with low heels, the same as Nova’s. All the boys wanted to come, but they couldn’t. If Leister’s lawyers get wind of my unusual relationship with all of them, it’ll ruin my testimony. The whispers on campus about my personal life are getting louder.

Pierce sits on my left, and Nova on my right. They know firsthand what went on at the Pit and what I went through in that heinous place. Nova knows what it was like before it slid downhill, and Pierce knows what it became before the cops shut it down. If the district attorney needs more witnesses, they’re ready to talk.

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