Page 2 of Sawyer
Hector flashed a brilliant smile. "I think I just need to worry about my sister today. She’s the brave one here. She stood up against a drug lord bent on destroying our children. She took a stand against corruption in the very institutions that are supposed to be upholding the law and keeping us safe. Today is a great day. Today, justice won thanks to Leyla Cortez."
She smiled at the words, still a coldness gripped deep inside her chest, numbing her soul. The man on trial had seemed like a good man. When they found him guilty, the look he’d given her would haunt her nightmares for years to come.
She’d done her part to save the children. To keep drugs off the streets and out of the schools. She’d done the right thing.
Why, then, did she know that a peaceful sleep was a thing of the past?
Two months later…
Lele sat on the cold,metal folding chair, shivering, and stared down at the coffee-stained Formica table. Why would anyone put a metal chair right under the air conditioner vent? Her tights might warm her legs when she stood up, but not when she was sitting on what felt like a block of ice in a meat locker. If she’d known what today had in store for her, she wouldn’t have worn a short skirt.
She dug her fingernails into her palms. The pain kept her grounded in the reality of her situation. Pops and snaps punctuatedthe air as the radiator in the corner struggled against the cold in the interrogation room.
Was it possible for a person’s brain to hyperventilate? Because she was pretty sure hers had. She dabbed the latest round of tears from her eyes with a crumpled tissue.
Russell Parnel, the lawyer her stepbrother assured her was the best in Tennessee, scraped his chair back on the linoleum floor to stand. "You have to trust me, Lele. You won’t get a better offer. Possession with the intent to distribute the amount of fentanyl you had is a class B felony. District Attorney General Boucher wants to use you as proof that he is tough on drugs. He plans on asking for the harshest penalty if you force him to take this to trial. That’s thirty years. He’s offering ten with your admission of guilt, but the offer won’t last forever. He’s ready to pull it off the table. My advice is to take the deal. If you behave yourself, you can be out in three years.”
Why was he even asking her if she had no real options? The ticking of the clock over the door competed with the radiator noise in what seemed to be a competition to drive her insane. She wanted to scream, but she was too weak. Instead, she hugged her arms around herself and rocked in her chair.
How could it have turned out like this? She was waiting for the final paperwork to land her dream job at a rising game design company. She was finally about to take control of her life.
Hopelessness engulfed her like a tidal wave. How could this be happening? “B-but I d-didn’t do a-anything w-wrong!”
Russel glanced pointedly at his watch. “We don’t have much time. What should I tell them?”
Her future rode on this decision. No reputable company would hire her if she pleaded guilty to these charges. Her lawyer… strike that, her stepbrother’s lawyer… wants her to throw away everything she’d worked so hard for.
Had she not sacrificed enough? She would never survive inprison. She was a short, curvy girl with the survival instincts of a Steller’s Sea Cow. She’d read about them once and knew she’d found her spirit animal: slow, stupid, and overly trusting.
That was her. After a decade of Hector dealing with her crap, she had no idea why he still stepped in to rescue her from herself. She was just thankful he was always willing to help.
But there was only so much he could do. She’d really messed up this time, and now she was going to prison. All because someone had stolen her car while she slept off a bout of food poisoning and used it to deliver drugs to former FBI Special Agent Jaxon Ruick.
Russell cleared his throat, snapping her back to reality. One look at him should have told her she needed someone else. She tried not to judge people by their appearance, but sometimes she couldn’t help it. Russell was balding, which was fine. But he was trying to hide it with that comb-over thing men do, which wasn’t. His suit was too tight, too short, and so out of style it was almost comical. His leather shoes were scuffed and worn, and his briefcase wasn’t in any better shape.
Upon reflection, he was the perfect lawyer for her because just like her, he was falling apart.
He drummed his fingers on the table, clearly tired of waiting for her to decide. It wasn’t as if he had volunteered to be her champion. No, he was on her stepbrother’s retainer, which was lucky. All the other high-powered, big-gun lawyers worked for District Attorney General Boucher. She should be grateful she had a lawyer at all.
But even with Hector’s help, she wouldn’t be surprised if this guy was throwing the case on purpose to save his unremarkable career. If she’d learned one thing in the past two months, it was that no one stood against District Attorney General Boucher. Especially if their career choice was law.
At least her family, well, her stepbrother, was standing by her side.
No one else believed her. No one else defended her.
She didn’t blame them. They saw the news and heard the rumors.. Of course, they believed all the lies.
No one wanted a backstabbing drug dealer around them. That’s who they thought she was.
Russell shrugged his shoulders and said what she’d been telling herself. “They have the best lawyers in the world. Not to mention the public’s opinion. Everyone is on their side. You have to face facts. If we take this to court, you won’t win. And you’ll be facing a sentence almost seven times longer. Without confessing to the charges, you don’t make a very sympathetic figure. It is the best option you have. Why are you fighting this?”
"Why? Why am I fighting this? Don’t you care that you’re asking an innocent person to confess and pay for something she didn’t do?”
Lawyer Russell smirked. “Everyone in prison is innocent and misunderstood. Everyone was framed. Listen, this isn’t just about what they’ll do to you in the trial. I know you can’t see it, but I’m trying to do you a favor. DAG Boucher holds a mean grudge if you don’t fall into step with his plans. Don’t think his ability to punish you ends with the sentencing. He can make prison worse for you. A lot worse. I’m trying to keep you alive.”
Lele’s heart skipped a beat at his words. He wasn’t lying. The General, as he liked to be called, could do that. Could and would.
She couldn’t give up, even though tears choked her. "I didn't do it. Why does no one listen to me?" She despised the vulnerability in her voice.
