Page 82 of Ravish

“My father has friends in the DA’s office,” Lara muttered.

“Can we get our own prosecuting attorney?” Colby asked.

“Not for the criminal case. You can pursue a suit in civil court in addition to the criminal case, and you could ask for damages. But either way, you’ll need discuss that with your attorney,” Logan said.

“I’ll take care of it.” Colby stood and pulled out his phone as he walked out the door.

“How soon will they be out on bail?” she asked Logan.

“Depends on the judge at their arraignment once you press charges. But you should talk to a lawyer about pursuing a civil case. In any event, you definitely want to retain counsel to help you through the criminal and civil process. This is second degree kidnapping, a class B felony. Your brothers and parents are in some serious trouble.”

“Jordan and Crystal are on their way,” Colby said, reentering the room.

“I’ll escort them in here so you can talk. Once you make a decision, I’ll take it from there.” Logan stood. “If you need anything, let me know.”

Lara crossed her arms over her stomach.

“I need to hold you.” Colby’s husky tone made Lara shiver.

“I need that too.” She stood, and Colby pulled her onto his lap, her legs over the arm of the chair. Colby buried his face in her neck. “They hurt you.”

“I won’t say they didn’t.” Not only were her wrists sore, but her heart was bloodied and bruised.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“For what, sweetheart?”

“I didn’t call you.”

His arms tightened around her. “While I would have preferred you did, I understand why you called Logan. You were scared, and the police were necessary, just in case.”

“That was part of it.” She tilted her head back and gazed up at him. “I didn’t want you to get hurt if my family did come after me.”

“Never again, sweetheart.” He brushed a soft kiss over her forehead.

They sat there in silence until Jordan and Crystal walked in. Lara straightened, and Colby tightened his hold, then released her. She slid off his lap and took her seat.

“Logan gave the rundown version; I’d like to hear from you,” Jordan said, taking a seat across from Lara with Crystal by his side.

“Are you okay, Lara?” Crystal asked.

“As best as I can be.” She let out a sigh. Colby took her hand in his as she told the story again. When she finished, Jordan had a grim look on his face, and Crystal was frowning.

“And I thought my family was a mess,” Crystal muttered.

“Are you willing to press charges?” Jordan asked.

Colby squeezed her hand.

“What will happen, Jordan?” Lara asked.

“Once you press charges, they’ll be arrested, booked, and held in jail until they are arraigned and bail is set. If they don’t post bail, they’ll be held in jail until the trial. Your story meets the criteria for second degree kidnapping under the Washington State code for your brothers and accessories to same for your parents and ex. Kidnapping is a serious felony and carries significant jail time. To save the cost of a trial, the DA might offer them a deal, but there is likely going to be jail time in any event. I can speak to the DA and look out for your interests in the criminal case, and we can decide later if you want to pursue a civil case.

“And how long will all of this take?” Lara didn’t want this to drag on for years.

“Depends. Once you agree to press charges, Logan has enough evidence for an arrest warrant. Your parents’ and brothers’ lawyer or lawyers will do everything they can to delay and make life difficult for everyone, but your brothers were not careful. They were picked up on security cameras, and those videos and the marks on your arms make this a pretty much open and shut case. If we get a no-nonsense judge, this could move relatively quickly.”

“What videos?” She stared at Jordan.

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