Page 167 of Prey for You

Then he clapped me on the arm, smiled at his Second Chair behind me, and they both urged me walk out with them.

Which I did—what else was I going to do?

But Bridget was still sitting in that seat, eyes looking haunted, while the Prosecutor and his team had a muttered argument at their table.

She looked at me when I stood up, but she didn’t move. I held her gaze for as long as I could, until I was forced to break the contact to walk out the door.

Hold on, babe. Just hold on.

Five hours later I was sitting in Stephen’s conference room again and I was struggling to sit still. I’d been home and called Bridget, but gotten no answer. Two hours later, Stephen calledme and I was driving back into the city to look at a new plea deal he said would arrive within the hour. But still hadn’t showed up when I made it to the office, so I was in the conference room, waiting, while they worked.

ME: WTF, Bridget? You’re scaring me. Where are you?

BABE: With the lawyers. I can’t answer the phone, they’ll see it.

ME: Okay. Just don’t stop answering me.

BABE: I won’t.

But she wasn’t telling me what was going on either, and that made me nervous.

I sat in a swivel chair, one foot on the other knee, swinging back and forth because I couldn’t sit still.

Please, Lord. Please…

Then suddenly, Stephen was there with a sheaf of papers in his hand and a smile on his face.

He stared at me and I stared at him.

When he didn’t talk, I almost threatened him. “Is that it? A plea deal?” I asked, my heart pounding so hard my ears thrummed.

He nodded.

“And?!” I said, leaning in, almost cursing.

“And…” he smiled. “If you sign it, you’ll do parole for two more years, and a thousand hours of community service… and that’s it.”

I blinked. “You’re serious?”

“Two counts of reckless endangerment and one of menacing. They aren’t even felonies.”

My stomach dropped at the same time my heart rose—like I’d been dropped off the side of the building. “Wait…what?!”

Stephen beamed and threw the papers on the table in front of me. “Read it for yourself. But as your legal counsel I am suggesting you sign the fuck out of that before they take it back.”

I was so overwhelmed, I shook. I couldn’t take in Stephen’s words as he chatted me through the process, showing me where to sign and joking with his clerk. My hands trembled so badly I was worried they wouldn’t accept my signature.

Then, when it was done, he asked me if I wanted a drink.

“I… Are you serious? This is it?”

“Well, we’ll have to take it in front of the judge on Friday, but yeah. She could smell that something was fishy. I’m guessing they’re talking to her behind the scenes, and she’ll sign it. I don’t know what the fuck else he did, but theyobviouslydon’t want him in the witness seat.”

My head spun. I almost fell over when I got out of the chair. I turned down a glass of champagne because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to drive.

The second I stopped receiving handshakes, I raced to the men’s room to text Bridget.

~ BRIDGET ~

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