Page 10 of His Wicked Revenge

“There is no bail,” I say. “Myles, I’m in for five years.”

He goes silent, and for a moment, I think the call dropped, or maybe he hung up on me. I hear his heavy breathing on the line. Myles always has something to say, no matter the situation, so his silence right now is shocking.

My relationship with Myles is simple: we joke, we laugh, and we always have each other’s backs. He has never been one to judge me for the stupid decisions I have made in the past, but I’ve also never done anything this stupid. This extravagant of a fuck-up and the silence burning my ear on the other end of the phone… it scares me.

“Say something,” I beg softly, hoping that he will say something—anything—to reassure me that he doesn't think any less of me.

“For once in my life, I’m speechless.”

“Don’t tell Chloe or my dad. I’ll tell them. I just have to figure out how to do it.”

“Listen, keeping the secret that you were hooking up with your patient? Easy. This? Leo, you are in prison!” The confusion in his tone has been replaced with worry. “How the hell am I supposed to keep my mouth shut?”

I sigh and say, “Figure it out. Them hearing this news has to come from me.”

There is another beat of silence between us before he responds, “Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut, but you have to tell them soon. If you stay radio silent after your mother’s funeral, they will start to get worried.”

“I’ll call them soon. Could you do me a favor? Will you see if this whole thing is like public knowledge?

“Yeah, give me a second.” Myles goes quiet, and I hear him tapping his phone screen. “Shit.”

“What?”

“There are articles about you,” he informs me.

“Shit.” I run my hand through my hair. “Do you think Chloe and Dad are going to see it?”

“Probably not. They’re grieving. Your dad has been throwing himself into work to keep his mind off things, and Chloe—” He takes a deep breath. “She is trying to stay strong for Carter, but once he is in bed, she drowns herself in a bottle of wine.”

“I’ll tell them before they can see the article,” I reassure him before the line cuts out, informing me the call time is almost over. In that short time, I attempt to provide him with good news, “On the bright side, I could get out early for good behavior.”

“That is good news. Stay calm in there, and don’t get into any fights.” He gives me words of encouragement. “Oh, and don’t turn into someone’s bitch.”

“Yeah, I’m trying not to.” And just from that simple comment, I know I still have my best friend on my side.

The line goes dead, preventing us from saying our goodbyes. The humming on the other end sounds in my ear, and I stare blankly at the engraved numbers on the keypad. Someone behind me in line yells angrily, telling me to get off the phone.

I put the phone back in the receiver and head back to my cell to figure out how to tell my family.

CHAPTER 6

Leo

Two days after talking to Myles, I decided to bite the bullet and call my sister.

I’ve been sick to my stomach the past couple of days. I had finally talked myself up to call her, and I went as far as waiting in line, only to walk away from the phones once it was my turn. But I knew that if I didn’t just suck it up and call, I never would.

That's why I'm standing in front of the pay phone right now, staring at the numbers. I need to hurry because I only have a certain amount of time for a call. Wetting my lips, I wrap my hand around the phone and bring it up to my ear.

Without thinking about it too much, I dial her number and listen to the ringing until I hear her voice. It has the same amount of confusion that Myles held in his voice, with a hint of sadness, and that alone breaks my heart.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Chlo.”

“Leo? What? I thought this was Jeremy calling because he fucked up again.” She sighs in relief that it isn’t her asshole of an ex, but then she becomes concerned. “Why the hell are you calling me from a prison?”

“It’s a lot to explain. Is Dad there?” My heart is beating so hard. I worry she can hear it on the other end.