The man surveys the state of the room and grins. “Looks like somebody needs a lawyer.”
Chapter Fourteen
Pat
“Thanks to my lawyery magic, you are free to go, gentlemen,” Thayden announces, waltzing into the small room where we’ve been waiting since Chevy unlocked our cell. The space seems to function as both an interrogation room and the break room, based on the burned coffee smell emanating from an ancient pot in the corner. Between our stiff, mud-crusted clothes and these metal folding chairs, we are all ready for a change of pace.
“About time,” James mutters, shoving his chair back under the table with a loud screech.
But as I stand, Thayden grabs my shoulder, and his grin widens. “Oh, no no no. You, my dear Patrick, will be joining me in front of a judge today.”
I swear our lawyer and friend is having way too good of a time with all this. He’s on his way to being demoted to almost-friend. The amused smirk has not left his face since he walked into the fray thirty minutes ago, right after I accidentally assaulted a police officer.
Hitting Chevy was truly the cherry on top of my last twenty-four hours, in which my brothers came, saw, and dismissed Sheet Cake, we all got arrested for disturbing the peace at a local “bar,” and I got to see Lindy proposed to and pawed at by a man named Wolf. I’d like to stuff him in a shipping container like in the movie Madagascar.
James, Collin, and Chase pause near the doorway, looking back at me.
“A court appearance?” Chase asks.
“Today?” Collin frowns. “Isn’t that … soon?”
“It’s a small town. Not much on the docket.” Thayden shrugs. “Judgement is swift when you assault a police officer.”
I roll my eyes. “I didn’t—”
“You did,” James says, glowering at me. “Even if you meant to assault the other guy. And before you say this is my fault for bringing us here—”
“Wasn’t going to say that. But now that you mention it …”
James jabs a finger in my direction. “You started this when you joined forces with Tank and went behind our backs. Let’s go.”
And then, James is gone. Chase and Collin don’t immediately follow.
I drop my hands on the table and slump in my chair. “They’re really charging me?”
Thayden raises his eyebrows, like he’s telling me to get with the program. “You hit a cop. And assaulted a private citizen. Wolf’s lawyer, the illustrious Billy Waters, Esq., who is also his brother, has encouraged him to press charges.”
“I never touched that guy!”
But I wanted to. From the moment he got down on one knee, it was like I was seeing through a pair of jealousy goggles. Not that I have any right or reason to feel so protective. When it comes to Lindy, reason takes a back seat.
I’m sure the fact we hardly slept last night didn’t help. It was a shock seeing a proposal when Lindy told me the other day she was single. And what was all that about needing to get married to keep custody of Jo?
“And I’ll argue your point before the judge,” Thayden says. “But you struck the deputy, who then collided with Mr. Waters. You’ll be lucky if his lawyer doesn’t file a civil suit for damages. That’s what lawyers do.”
“You’re a lawyer,” Collin points out.
Thayden leans back in his chair, linking his fingers behind his head. “I am. But I’m not one of the undesirable ones. At least, not anymore. I’ve amended my smarmy lawyer ways. Now, I have your family to keep me in business. So, thank you for that. Delilah’s been wanting to get a new rug. Why are rugs so expensive when you’re just going to walk all over them?”