She rolls her knowing eyes at my words. “Yes, yes. Hello. Now tell me how my favorite boyfriend is doing.”
“Myboyfriend is doing better every day. He’ll be back gossiping with you sooner than we all anticipated. As for the other things—can you connect me with the DA’s Office please? I have a few questions about said bastard myself.”
Walking past the reception desk, I head to my office. I don’t plan to be here for the whole day. So the sooner I get to work, the sooner I get home to Jordan. Not that Jordan's place is my home just yet. I don’t think we are quite ready for that conversation. Everything has been moving at the speed of light since the incident. Our relationship is now fully cemented, and I'm staying with him morning to night. I’m sure we both need to decompress. I won’t go back to my apartment until I know Jordan feels safe, though. Not just from Jace, but also from his own mind. The therapist he has been seeing a few times a week over Zoom has certainly been helping. I think if Jordan knows that Jace can never get to him again, he will be able to fully focus on healing his mind.
“Give me two minutes and I’ll have his secretary tracking him down,” Maddie calls behind me.
“Great, you know where to find me.” I walk further into the office and notice Jackson waiting for me. “I was hoping to run into you today.” I clap him on the shoulder and gesture for him to come in. “I need someone here with me as a second set of ears during a conversation with the DA. I don’t want to miss a piece of information when I relay it all back to Jordan and co later.”
“I was just going to ask you about it. Are you okay handling this? I can take over the case if you need to step back,” offers Jackson. “And no, that isn’t any reflection on your capabilities. If you would rather not deal with this, I can do it.”
Jackson knows exactly what my answer is going to be, but I appreciate his concern. I shake my head. “Thanks for the offer, man, but I'm good. I think I have to see this through for all our sakes.” I won’t be involved in the court case. All I need to do is represent Jordan and make sure that he is taken seriously and treated fairly as a victim.
We enter my office and I drop into my chair. The leather is cold and squeaks loudly in the room from lack of use. My phone flashes with a connecting call from Maddie’s desk. Reaching over I hand Jackson a legal pad and pen before answering the call on speaker. Maddie's voice comes through first, letting me know that she has the DA on the line. I take a deep breath and wait for the call to connect.
“Rich. Appreciate you taking my call. How are your girls?”
I met Richard Lough several years ago at a charity function. He spent the majority of the night gushing like a proud daddy about his twin daughters, who at the time were starting kindergarten. I’m well aware that if there’s one way to get this guy in a good mood, it’s to ask about his princesses.
“As you would expect. A huge strain on my wallet,” he jokes.
“Wife is teaching them well, I see…”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” There’s clear adoration in his voice. “Now, cut the bullshit and let’s get to it. We both know you ain’t calling to talk about my personal life.”
“Nothing wrong in catching up before we dive into the heavy stuff. I am great by the way, thanks for asking.”
Jackson snorts next to me and I shoot him a warning look.
“Well, I know that’s a crock of shit. I assume you’re calling to get an update on where we’re at with the Jace Kemsley case?” Rich isn’t immediately blocking me, and I appreciate it.
“It’s either give me the update or Christopher Bell. If you’d prefer to talk to him, I can arrange that.” I smirk to myself, knowing exactly what Rich thinks of Jordan's father.
Christopher is a fantastic criminal prosecutor in LA. Therefore, he has made himself a permanent home up Rich's ass. Christopher and Beverly have both given the guy hell multiple times for how long it’s taken to confirm that Jace Kemsley would not get bail.
Rich groans loudly. “Please, no. I’ve had enough of that man to last a lifetime. Persistent fucker he is. Not that I blame the guy. If it was my daughter that had been shot I can’t say I wouldn't be worse, but I really do not want to deal with the Bells again.”
A laugh bursts from me. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during one of those meetings.
“I’m sorry.” I cough to clear my throat and gather myself. “Let’s get to it, then I will leave you to enjoy the rest of your day.”
“As you know, Mr Kemsley pled not guilty at his bail hearing. Which was incredibly stupid. The evidence we have against him is airtight. In the interest of the family and the state, I met with Mr Kemsley personally and offered him a plea deal. He pleads guilty to second degree attempted murder and the illegal possession of a firearm charge and we would make sure that he is kept in state rather than be shipped off somewhere like Texas. He signed on the dotted line. He’s probably looking at a twenty stretch, but you know how these things go.”
I sit up straighter, almost sending my chair flying out from under me. “Second degree? The asshole got a hold of a gun and came directly for Jordan because he helped his brother! That’s bullshit, Rich!”
Jackson reaches over, tapping my forearm and signaling for me to take it down a notch. Scrubbing a hand over my face, I wait for Rich to explain why the fuck they were helping this loser.
Rich’s sigh is long. “If we present this all to a jury, there is a chance that they will believe him when he testifies that it was a spur of the moment decision. Without concrete evidence of premeditation, we run the risk of a lesser sentence. The guy isn’t the smartest tool in the box, and with the amount of drugs in his system, I wasn’t going to risk him getting off lightly. This way he will be behind bars for at least fifteen years. This is a good thing for us, Eric. I promise you.”
Closing my eyes, I put on my attorney hat and tuck away the boyfriend hat so I can process this information from a professional standpoint. I can’t deny that he is right. As much as I hate it, it is a good deal for us. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll let Jordan know he won’t be required to testify.”
“We will be in touch with Mr Bell when we have a date for sentencing. I would encourage him to give a victim impact statement to the court.”
“Thanks. I have already mentioned that to Jordan.” Sometimes I forget that Jordan has a law degree, so none of this came as a surprise to him. “He may not want to face Kemsley. He’s still struggling with everything. I will let him know the option is on the table and he can decide if he wants to do that. Better coming from me than you. No offence, but Jordan might feel obligated to do it if you ask.”
“Sure, whatever you think is best. We also plan to speak with the brother—Blake, is it? I understand that you and Mr Bell came across a domestic incident between Kemsley and his brother and that is what set this all in motion. I think the judge should hear from Blake and know that this shooting was not Kemsley's first or only act of violence.”
“That is correct. Everything was reported and a restraining order filed. Blake had been staying at a local shelter, but since the attack, he has been staying with Jordan’s parents. They’ve gone through child protective services to be an emergency foster for Blake. The kid is seventeen, it’s all paperwork at this point. I’m sure you will be happy to give Beverly or Christopher a call to arrange a meeting with Blake, right?” I ask this in a teasing tone, and his answering groan makes me laugh again.
