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Hours later, we walked into the courthouse hand in hand to face the terrible situation, together. I changed into a flowing top and baggy jacket to hide my bump even more, but I felt like everyone could tell regardless.
When we got to the doors of the courtroom Maddie paused with her hand on the knob and turned to me. “Are you ready, babe?” She asked and I nodded silently.
She pulled the door open, and we walked in. The side behind the defendant’s desk was packed with Rusty Hawk riders and other bikers I didn’t recognize. At first, I felt anger that those men were choosing to sit behind Fox, giving him their support when Blaine was a rider and friend to them as well.
But then that other part of me was glad that there were people still in his corner.
“Delilah.” Colt said, standing up and gaining the attention of everyone in the room. He walked into the aisle and stopped in front of my sister and me. I instinctively clutched at her hand and my jacket to hide my belly. “You haven’t returned any of my calls.”
“I don’t think there’s anything left to say.” I said with practiced grace.
“I promised Fox I’d take care of you.” He said firmly and I wanted to wilt under the pressure of it. “I sold off the things he asked me to and put all of the money in an account in your name.” He tried to hand me a slip of paper, but I wouldn’t take it.
“I won’t take his guilt money, Colt.”
“It ain’t guilt money girl. It’s his way of trying to take care of you, even from inside.” He lowered his voice and stepped closer, “Remember what I told you at the end of our visit. Someday sooner than you think, you’re going to have to remember how much he meant to you.”
“Yeah,” I nodded and looked around, noting the look of confusion on Maddie’s face. “But today isn’t that day and I’m not ready to remember.”
He sighed but nodded, folding the paper up and put it in his breast pocket, “When you are ready, come see me.” Lawyers started walking into the room, signaling the beginning of the session, “But don’t wait too long, or I’ll come looking for you.” He said and then walked away back to his seat.
Maddie pulled me down the aisle to sit behind the prosecution desk as the bailiffs and court personnel walked in.
“Say the word and we’ll leave.” Maddie whispered, “The DA can call us later and tell us what happened.”
I smiled tightly at her but looked away when the door on the far side of the courtroom opened and police officers walked in with a shackled Fox between the group of them.
Six.
Six police officers escorted him.
Like they were anticipating a problem from him or the large crowd of rowdy bikers.
Fox’s hazel eyes searched the crowd until they landed on me, and he took a deep breath like he was breathing for the first time in months.
And I did the same, because it was exactly how it felt for me too.
His hair was a little shaggier than the time I saw him at visitation and there was a healing scar on his forehead that hadn’t been there before.
Maddie’s hand tightened around mine as I watched the guards shackle him to the chair and table like they had in the visitation room. Instead of paying attention to them, he looked over his shoulder at me the whole time. Like he was trying to say something with his eyes.
It looked a hell of a lot like longing and pain.
“All rise.” The bailiff said and everyone stood up, including Fox and his weighted chains.
I listened on autopilot as the judge and her staff went through the normal court stuff until she told Fox to stand again.
This was it.
Numbers flashed in front of my eyes as I imagined what his sentence would be. When I called the DA’s office last week, they told me they were requesting twenty-five years for the charges he admitted to.
First degree murder.
But they weren’t sure he’d serve that if he kept his nose clean.
Twelve and a half was what the junior lawyer had told me.
Twelve and half years for killing someone else.
