Page 58 of The Billionaire's Commitment

“Is that legal?” Grace asked.

“New York only needs one party to consent to being recorded,” Amber said.

“I take it you got something?” I asked.

“You could definitely say that. He not only confessed to killing Lauren but to stalking Grace,” Sean said.

Sean said it so matter-of-factly that it took me a second to comprehend what he was saying.

“Can you say that again?” Eric asked.

Grace looked over at him, smiled, and put her hand on his chest before turning to look at Sean again. It was what all of us had been hoping for since we came to the city. I could tell by the look on his face he never thought this day would come. I never did either, but I was so happy for my friend.

“He confessed. We got him. He was arrested at the facility yesterday. He will be arraigned tomorrow, but the DA is already talking about pleading him out.”

“To what?” Logan asked.

“He will be offered a life sentence with a possibility of parole.”

“You’re saying he could get out?” Logan asked.

“In about fifty years, assuming he’ll live that long. I don’t see that man ever getting out of jail. There is no death penalty in New York, so we couldn’t ask for that. Offering parole gives him hope, even if it is slim, and it’s something they can give to avoid a trial, assuming that’s what you want,” Sean said and looked at Eric.

“I want him behind bars. I want him to suffer for the rest of his life. But I don’t want this to drag on. Lauren wouldn’t want it either. The sooner this can be done, the sooner he’s in jail, the sooner we can forget about him and move on with our lives,” Eric said.

“He could get life without parole if it went to trial,” Sean offered.

“Or he could get less. This is the best option. I won’t fight the DA on this,” Eric said.

I looked over at Logan who gave a slight nod. It wasn’t for us to say or decide but we would stay by our friend and his decision, no matter what it was.

“Okay. She’ll want to talk to you, and I’m sure she’ll be getting in touch in the next few days, but I wanted to tell you as soon as I could,” Sean said.

“Why didn’t you tell us about the deal and the plan?” Grace asked.

“I didn’t want to get your hopes up. This could have gone the other way just as easily. I’m glad it didn’t,” Sean said.

“Us too,” Logan said. He looked over at Eric and smiled. Eric gave him a soft smile that didn’t reach his eyes and nodded at Logan. He looked over at me and did the same. He didn’t need to say anything; I understood everything he wanted to say in that look.

“I’m sure you’ll have more questions, and you know where to find me. I’ll leave you to discuss this. I should get back home. Let me know when the DA contacts you. I can go to the meeting with you if you want,” Sean said to Eric.

“Possibly. Thanks for everything. This wouldn’t have happened without your diligence and support,” Eric said as he shook Sean’s hand.

“Happy to help and glad it turned out the way it did,” Sean said and left the room.

No one spoke after he did. We were all absorbing what Sean had told us and what it all meant. It was Grace who moved first, turned to Eric, and gave him a hug. He held her tightly, and I could see she was crying. I wanted to be there for her, I wanted to comfort her and Eric, too, but I knew it wasn’t my place.

This was for them to deal with together. Sitting and watching them felt like I was intruding on them, their moment, and their pain. I looked over at Logan, who nodded at me, and he and Amber walked out of the room. I turned to help Zoey out of her chair, and she let me. She wasn’t as drunk as she was before, but she was still a little unsteady on her feet. Her eyelids were getting heavy, and I could tell she was getting to the point where all she wanted to do was sleep.

“How are you doing?” I asked Logan when we got to the hallway.

“Better than they are. That’s a lot for them to process,” he said and ran his hand through his hair.

“Yeah. I can cover the bar for a few days to give them some time. I would think Eric will want to go up and tell his parents what’s going on, and Grace will go with him,” I said.

“We can check with them tomorrow but assume they won’t be here for a few days,” Logan said.

“Okay. Um, I hate to do this, but can you keep an eye on the bar?” I asked and tilted my head towards Zoey.

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