Page 103 of Rio's Release

Everything in me compresses in grief at his words. “I have a daughter to protect.”

“And that man would lay his life down to protect her,” Zig replies, then shakes his head and walks off.

I can’t think about that now. It’s done. It’s over. We tried, and it was a nice dream, but this is reality, and I have to put Bella first. I climb behind the wheel and pull out, leaving them all, even Jenny, standing there.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

A Dose of Reality

Rio—

“Come on, Prez.” Zig shakes my arm. “We have that meeting with the DA.”

I watch Shelby’s car disappear down the street.

“She’ll cool off,” Jenny promises half-heartedly.

I shake my head. “She’s stubborn. She won’t change her mind. Besides, she’s right. I failed her.”

“Prez,” Zig repeats.

I climb on my bike. The two of us pull out, roaring off down the street. All the way across town to the DA’s office, I’m in a catatonic state, only able to function because all I have to do is follow Zig’s lead.

Everything inside me wants to go after Shelby, to stop her, to make her understand this is not game over. I can fix this. But a part of me already knows I can’t make her believe in me if she doesn’t. Sure, I could make her stay, lock her in a room. Hell, I’m capable of doing whatever it takes. But that wouldn’t win me anything but her loathing.

Already there’s a hole inside me that’s growing with every mile we ride.

When Zig and I stride into the DA’s office, heads turn, taking in our cuts, but no one says a word or makes any attempt to stop us.

He’s alone in his office when we walk in, and glances up from the paperwork on his desk, then leans back in his chair, sighing. “Have a seat, gentlemen.”

Fuck that. I shove everything on his desk to the floor in an angry swipe and pound my fist on the wood. “What the fuck happened? You said there was no way he’d get out on bail.”

He lifts his hands, leaning back. “I know. And in any other case, that’d be true.”

“This case should be easy. The guy has victims in this town. Why the hell would a judge let him free?”

“Let me explain some things. Sure, the appeals judge takes into account the nature and circumstances of the charges and the strength of the prosecution’s evidence, but he also takes into account the defendant's criminal history, his ties to the community, and the fact that until now he was a respected and decorated officer.” The man shrugs. “In this case, he gave him the benefit of the doubt. That, and it’s not easy to hold a cop in jail. He has to be separated from gen pop and…”

“I don’t give a fuck about that. We had a deal.”

“And I kept my end. He was arrested and charged. I’m prosecuting him. I have no control over the judge.”

“Are there any restrictions?”

“He’s restricted to a five-mile radius from his home, his lawyer’s office, and the drive route in between.”

“No ankle monitoring?” Zig asks.

“Not for someone with the strong ties to the community like he has.”

Zig gives me a look, and I know what he’s thinking. If he’s not being monitored, we could take him out. There’s nothing I’d like more than to kill that motherfucker, but there’s only one problem with that plan. I’d be breaking my word to Shelby.

Even though she’s threatening to leave, I can’t break that promise. It would solve our problem, but it would be the last straw.

“There’s no way to get his bail revoked again?” Zig asks.

“If he violates the terms. In this case, he’s forbidden from contacting any of the victims, and he’s to avoid specific locations, including all their residences. But that’s not going to help your friend. She’s not a listed victim in the charges we brought.”

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