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Carrera quietly stewed over my version of events, and I didn’t know what would happen next. I tried to brace myself for it, but I couldn’t.
“According to his journal entries, he became enamored with you from a young age. I’m going to take a wild guess this happened when you were at Ricky’s?”
I couldn’t give voice to that affirmation, so I bobbed my head.
Carrera studied me, opting to break the news to me slowly. “Everything you’ve said so far corroborates Brentwood’s suicide note. Not to mention the new evidence that’s come to light.”
“There was a note?” I asked.
“Yes.” Her lips tightened into a thin line. “In addition to the evidence linking him to the murders of Trouble and Joe, there were also several bodies located in his basement.”
My stomach churned. “Whose bodies?”
“Missing teenage girls,” she said. “Horrifically enough, they all appeared to resemble you.”
I felt like I was going to vomit, and Carrera gave me a moment to collect myself before she opted to continue.
“With all this evidence coming to light, the state will not be going forward with the trial.”
“What does that mean?” I blinked, certain I was delirious.
“It means the charges against you in the state of California are being dropped. I’ve also spoken with the prosecutor in Nevada, and she’s prepared to offer you a deal for a few minor charges in relation to the theft.”
“What sort of a deal?” I asked.
“Three months, time served. If you accept, you’ll be free to remain on probation at home in Nevada.”
“But what about Ricky?” I forced out.
“After reviewing the evidence, the state believes it was an act of self-defense. Again, I’m not going forward with those charges.”
It still didn’t seem real. How could it be? Twenty minutes ago, I was resigned to the fact that my life was over. I had lost Ace, and once the baby was born, I would lose her too. I would spend the rest of my days in prison, doomed to think of them but never see them.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Carrera said. “And I realize it won’t be real for you until you’re out of here.”
“What about Ricky’s operation?” I pried my tongue from the roof of my mouth. “What’s going to happen to those girls?”
Carrera offered me a sad smile. “The girls have been rescued. They are getting the help they need.”
“And the guys running it?” I pressed.
I could already tell by the expression on her face that I wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “Unfortunately, they disappeared. Somebody must have tipped them off. But we won’t stop looking for them.”
It wasn’t the answer I wanted or needed, but at least, for today, for right now… that group of young girls would be safe.
Carrera collected the files from the table and began packing her briefcase, and I knew she was right. None of this would ever feel real until I was standing outside, free from my cuffs and the crushing weight of my past.
As the district attorney moved toward the door, I felt the urge to say something. Anything. But the words didn’t come easily for me.
“Hey, thank you,” I murmured. “For coming here. For doing this.”
She offered me a tight smile and shook her head. “Don’t thank me, Birdie. It was just the right thing to do.”
KODIAK SHIFTED BESIDE ME FOR the sixth time in the past thirty seconds, and I had to stop myself from elbowing him in the side. He was nervous, just like the rest of my brothers beside me. They were anxious on my behalf, and it was a testament to their loyalty. Over the past few months, they’d all put in countless hours to help me. They’d tracked down every lead I’d given them and searched under every rock. And in that time, they’d come to understand Birdie wasn’t just a passing phase in my life. She was my whole fucking world, wrapped up in one beautifully damaged package. By default, that meant she wasn’t just mine to protect anymore. The Beards of War would look after her as if she were any of their own wives or daughters. But first, I still had to convince her to choose me.
In her absence, I’d had a lot of time to think about our relationship. Birdie and I had never done anything the typical way. I’d taken her by storm, the only way I knew how to handle a woman as wild as she was. I could have come in here with the same attitude today because there was nothing holding us back anymore. It would have been easy to pick her up the moment I saw her and cart her back to my compound in the desert where I could keep her and never let her go. And if I was being fucking honest, if she said no, I still might. But I didn’t want it to be that way. I wanted her to choose this life with me. Because Birdie had never had a choice in much of anything life dealt her before. I needed her to use her freedom to sit down at the table with me and say that I was fucked up, and she was fucked up, but together we’d figure out a way to make it work.
