Page 133 of His Reluctant Omega

Tensen took a deep breath. “Unless they offer him a sweet deal.”

“He attacked me when he arrived,” Avery mentioned. “Tulla, that is.”

Tensen sat up straighter, seemingly excited. “Was it witnessed?”

He nodded. “By two guards and several of my other cellmates.”

Tensen scribbled in his notes. “I can use this. If they bring him in, I can ask about the attack and then call in other witnesses if he denies it. We could claim he’s lying to settle a dispute and sold you no drugs.”

“I…” Avery sighed. “I think I might’ve done enough to harm him. I’m the reason he’s there. Don’t make it any worse for me.”

“We can have him moved somewhere else in the prison,” Rohan said.

“He claims to have friends there. Friends who could make my life hell… especially if I’m there another month.”

“Of courseTulla has friends there,” Tensen spat.

“Just… let’s not go too hard on him,” Avery replied. “I don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“Avery, discrediting him might mean the difference between you getting out or not. No, it in itself wouldn’t free you, but we need a lot of little wins to get us where we need to be,” Tensen said.

Avery nodded. “Let’s… just… not go too hard, okay?”

Tensen sighed. “Okay. We don’t even know that he’ll be called. He’s not currently on the list of witnesses for the prosecution, but that could change.”

“Whoison that list?” Avery asked.

“A couple of your professors. Your old boss at the restaurant. And…” Tensen scoured his file. “Your most current boss, Gus Hardwick.”

“Fuck!”Rohan exclaimed.

“Ditto for me,” Avery added.

“What?”Tensen asked, appearing perplexed.

“My boss… who I was investigating for embezzlement,” Avery replied.

Rohan shook his head. “I’m sorry, Avery. I missed that when I read over the list. With everything going on, the investigation was the farthest thing from my mind.”

“He wasn’t on the list I showed you. This is the updated one that just arrived late last night,” Tensen said.

“Whew,” Rohan said.

Tensen jotted down more notes. “Just because he’s on the list doesn’t mean he’ll be called. Honestly, these witnesses will be irrelevant once we present our opening statement for your defense. We’re not claiming you didn’t break the law. We’re admitting they’ve established the impersonation and trespassing charges. I doubt any of these people will end up on the stand.”

“But Hardwick’ll be there… watching in the audience,” Avery said. A shiver raced down his spine. “Probably delighting in seeing me in handcuffs.”

“Possibly,” Rohan replied. “But you’ll have us. Wilder and the rest of your family there.Forgethim.”

“Has Vaughn picked a forensic accountant to take my place?” Avery asked Rohan.

“Between this and my regular duties, I haven’t even asked about that. When we see Wilder later, we can ask.”

Avery nodded. “I hope they pin that asshole to the wall.”

“With the work you started, I’m sure they will,” Rohan replied.

Avery would have to be happy that he was a brief part of the investigation. He’d no longer be allowed to work once he left prison. His chest hurt at the thought. What would he spend his days doing? That was,ifhe left prison.

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