novelxo A Drop of Pretty Poison: Chapter 12
When Cam was first arrested, only the day after we started the renovations on what will be our future bar, I thought the timing couldn’t be worse. But now, as we’re waiting for his preliminary hearing and need something to keep all of our minds off it, turns out the timing is perfect. It gives us something to focus on and a way to take out our frustrations.
“Damn,” Cam says as he looks around. “You guys got a lot done.”
Mali snorts. “Not us. Just him.”
She’s not wrong. With the surf shop being closed, I technically don’t have a job at the moment. So, every moment Laiken spent working, I spent here—breaking shit, as Mali would call it. I got the one wall knocked down, the rest of the counter cleared out, and most of the debris into the dumpster we had put out back. The only big thing left to do is rip up the floor, and then we start the rebuild.
“What happened over there?” Cam asks, seeing a hole in one of the walls we didn’t intend on taking down.
I chuckle as I rub the back of my neck. “I may have gotten a little carried away.”
His brows raise in amusement. “Oh?”
Mali walks over and takes a seat on the stepladder. “What he means is he has anger issues and was raging a bit too hard.”
Laiken wraps her arms around me from behind and presses her face against my back. “Monty isn’t his favorite person in the world, but he’s dealing with it because he knows it’s your best shot. Right, baby?”
“Yes, dear,” I murmur.
Cam snickers but something about the hole has his attention. He goes over and inspects it closely before dropping his head.
“Well, you just created a whole shitload of more work for us,” he tells me. “But you also saved us from a shitstorm later.”
“What? Why?” It’s just a small hole. It would only take a patch and a little spackle to repair.
Cam looks back at the hole. “This place was only open from April to October, right?”
“Yeah…”
He forces his hand into the hole and grips the sheetrock, ripping more out so it’s wider. “There’s no insulation in the walls. With it only being open in warmer months, it didn’t need it. But if the bar’s going to be open year-round, we need to take off all the drywall and put insulation in. All the walls need to be replaced.”
“Fuck,” I groan as my head falls back. “I know it’s better we know that now rather than after it’s all done, but still.”
Laiken squeezes me tighter. “Think of it this way, the walls will be all new and pretty when you’re done.”
“You won’t notice a difference,” I reply. “But your optimism is still cute.”
Meanwhile, Mali is practically vibrating with excitement. “Does that mean I get to break more shit? Because you were a little selfish with the demolition, Mr. Caveman.”
I chuckle as I roll my eyes, grabbing the hammer from the tool bag and holding it out to her. “Knock yourself out.”
“Are you sure she should be using that?” Cam questions skeptically. “Could be things behind that wall we don’t want to hit.”
In any other circumstance, I might side with him on this, but I shake my head. “Marc gave me the blueprints to the place. She’s good as long as she stays on that side.”
He doesn’t look convinced, but he also doesn’t fight with me about it.
OKAY, SO MAYBE HAVING multiple high-strung people in the same room for multiple days isn’t the best idea I’ve ever had. Laiken canceled all scheduled lessons between Cam’s release and his preliminary hearing, so she’s been here just as often as we have—and Mali comes when she’s not working. It’s only a matter of time before shit goes a little wrong.
Cam is choosing the safe route, carefully making a hole in one part of the wall, and then using the claw of a hammer to break off the rest piece by piece. I, however, have always believed you work smarter, not harder.
I take the hammer in my hands and use it to break through the drywall, the same way I’ve done with every other part I’ve removed, just as my phone starts to ring. I pull it out of my back pocket to see Owen calling me.
Answering it, I put it on speaker. “Hey, O.”
“Hey. What are you up to?”
“Breaking shit!” Mali yells excitedly
Owen chuckles. “Sounds like a lot of fun. Listen, I wanted to talk to you. It’s about Isaac.”
At the sound of his name, my hammer slams into the wall, and Cam winces.
“Are you trying to go through the outer wall, too?” he chastises me.
I roll my eyes and drop the hammer, focusing on my phone as everyone comes closer to hear him. “What about him?”
“He bounced,” he says. “Literally packed up his shit and peaced out. Claims he found some team in Arkansas that wants him.”
Wow. Looks like he has some sense after all. “Good fucking riddance. But wait, what does that mean for Cam’s assault case? Is he dropping it?”
“I was hoping for the same thing, but no. He said if he needs to testify, his lawyer said he can do it over webcam.”
Motherfucker. I was really hoping that would be the end of it, and we wouldn’t need Monty’s help. The last thing I want is for that prick to believe we owe him any favors. Unfortunately, it looks like we will anyway.
“Such an asshole,” Cam grumbles. “Thanks for letting us know, Owen.”
“No problem,” he responds. “Keep your head up, man.”
“Will do.”
Cam hangs up my phone for me and we all stay silent for a minute. Isaac listened when I told him to get the fuck out of town, but of course, the fucker still has to hold his grudge and try to ruin Cam’s life anyway.
I feel my blood start to boil and I pick my hammer back up, banging it into the sheetrock over and over again.
“H,” Cam says. “You don’t want to do that.”
“The fuck I don’t,” I growl.
He shakes his head while looking between me and the blueprints. “No, I’m saying you don’t want to do that there!”
This dude is lucky he’s my best friend because right now I want to hit him with this damn hammer. “I know what I’m doing! You want to do it your little pussy way, go for it, but you’re holding the blueprints! I’m nowhere near the fucking p—”
The unmistakable sound of the hammer hitting metal meets my ears just before water starts to spray everywhere, soaking all of us and the room. I close my eyes and stand there, just letting it soak me. And when I open them again, Cam is smirking like the irritating know-it-all he is.
“You were looking at them wrong.”
I huff, pushing my wet hair out of my face.
Well, fuck.
THERE’S A LEVEL OF tension in the air as we drive to the courthouse. It’s like none of us want to say anything for fear we’ll jinx it one way or the other. Monty has been rather vague lately. He’s told Laiken and Mali that he’s working on something, but he hasn’t explained what. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s just blowing smoke up our asses, honestly.
If I thought Laiken was nervous and fidgety during his bail hearing, it’s nothing compared to this. She looks like she may actually vomit this time, but I might be right there with her. This hearing will determine if we’re going to trial, and from what Brent has told Cam, their best chance of getting it thrown out is during this hearing.
I pull out to the courthouse and put my truck in park. Laiken and Mali rode with me, while Cam went with his parents. He tried to fight it—personally, I think he wanted to ride with Mali—but they wouldn’t budge. And being the mama’s boy he is, the moment his mom’s eyes started to water, he caved.
“Do you want to go in or wait out here for a bit?” I ask Lai.
She sighs. “Can we stand outside for a second? I think I just need some air.”
“Of course.”
All three of us get out of the truck and stand near the steps. The only good thing is that we know Cam will be coming home with us today, regardless of the outcome. The preliminary hearing isn’t the trial. But that doesn’t make us any less nervous. This thing will be hanging over our heads until it’s taken care of.
If it’s ever taken care of.
Laiken gives a small smile to someone behind me, and I turn around to see Monty. He’s walking in with Brent and a few other powerful-looking people. He waves to us, but then I watch as his eyes meet Laiken’s, and he winks. Just like that, I’m imagining what my odds are for getting away with murder if it’s committed on the steps of the courthouse.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I growl.
Laiken acts fast, grabbing my hand and holding it tightly. “Hey. Relax.”
“Relax?” I scoff. “Fuck that. He just—”
“He wasn’t winking about her, dumbass,” Mali tells me. “He was winking about the status of Cam’s case.”
“She’s right,” Laiken says softly, her hand on my cheek to make me look only at her. “Hopefully, it’s a good sign.”
I’m not entirely convinced. Not after he recorded us having sex for the sole purpose of blackmailing me with it. But Laiken doesn’t know that, and if I have anything to say about it, she never will. After the incident with Craig holding pictures of her over her head like a guillotine, I didn’t want her to feel like she’s constantly being exploited. And there’s nothing more demeaning than knowing someone watched such an intimate moment without your consent.
The sick fuck probably jerks off to it, but he’ll never get to experience the real thing. The closest he’ll ever get is by imagining he’s me.
“A thumbs up would suffice just fine,” I mutter.
Laiken chuckles. “It’s too obvious.”
No. Obvious is the fact that he basically fucking drools over her every time she’s around. But apparently, I’m the only one who sees it.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly before throwing my arm around Laiken and heading inside. Mali, however, isn’t someone to let things go as easily.
“Your boyfriend is going to piss on you to claim his territory,” she teases Laiken.
Lai giggles and leans closer into me. “He knows I’d never let his dick come anywhere near me again.”
I didn’t, but that’s good to know. Golden showers aren’t my thing, but I’ve done some crazy things when I’m drunk so it’s nice to have a mental list of don’ts—just in case.
IT’S A LONG DAY of listening to other peoples’ cases. We hear one with a woman who purposely crashed her car into some woman’s house because her husband was having an affair. Another where a guy punched his girlfriend in the face because of a prank—he thought she threw his PlayStation into the pool when in reality, it was a broken one, so she could give him the new PS5. Needless to say, he didn’t get the new one, and she threw the actual old one into the pool, too.
And I have to agree with the yes, bitch Mali muttered in solidarity under her breath.
When it’s finally time for Cam’s case, Laiken grabs both mine and Mali’s hand—mine for her own comfort, and Mali’s for hers. I could mention that to anyone around, we probably look like a throuple, but there’s a time and place for everything, and now is not it.
“The court calls the case of the State of North Carolina versus Cameron Blanchard.”
Brent stands from his place next to Cam. “Before we begin, your honor, all of the evidence was not turned over in this case. The disk that they gave to my office with the aforementioned video of the assault is blank. There’s nothing on it.”
“That’s impossible,” the prosecution argues.
Brent shrugs, handing them the disk. “See for yourself.”
The prosecutor slips it into his laptop and opens the file to see there is nothing there. “Your honor, there seems to be some kind of mistake.”
“That’s fine,” the judge answers. “These things happen. Why don’t you just pull up your copy and we’ll play it now?”
He nods, but when he goes to find his copy, that’s missing, too. “Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have it, your honor, but if I could just have five minutes, I’ll have it re-sent to me.”
The judge reluctantly agrees, and we take a short recess, but when court comes back into session, the prosecutor doesn’t appear any more at ease than he did when we left.
“Okay,” the judge says. “Let’s see this video.”
“I still don’t have it, your honor,” the prosecutor tells him. “I have checked with the police department and the original source of the video. It seems to be missing from all servers.”
The judge pinches the bridge of his nose while the prosecutor looks like he’s on the verge of a breakdown. Though I probably would be too if I was tanking my case in front of an entire courtroom.
“In light of this new information, I have no choice but to dismiss the case,” the judge announces.
Laiken gasps, squeezing my hand tighter, and I feel like my chest is about to burst. But the prosecution still tries to debate.
“With all due respect, your honor, we still have the testimony of the victim, and his brother who witnessed it.”
“Well, are either of them here today to testify?” he counters.
The prosecutor sighs, defeated. “I’m sure I could get his brother here, but the victim would have to be through a webcam, as he recently moved to another state.”
The judge’s eyes widen. “You mean to tell me that the man accusing Mr. Blanchard of assaulting him cared so little about this case that he moved out of state before it even went to trial?” The prosecutor goes to answer but the judge raises his hand to stop him. “That was rhetorical, prosecutor.”
He takes his attention off the state and moves it to Brent and Cam. “Mr. Blanchard, you are free to go, but the original terms of your probation still apply.”
“Thank you, your honor.” You can practically hear the relief in Cam’s voice.
The judge nods once. “And I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I do not want to see you in my courtroom again.”
“Yes, sir.”
We all file out quietly, but the moment we get outside, Laiken screams and jumps into Cam’s arms. He smiles an actual smile for the first time since he got arrested. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that this could not have gone any better.
“Congratulations,” Monty tells Cam.
Cam tilts his head at him. “I don’t know how you did it, man. But thanks.”
Monty looks back at the courthouse and then at Cam. “Hey, we just got lucky they misplaced that video.”
His silent message is clear—he made it go away. I wonder if another video has gone away yet, but for some reason, I doubt it. But he just got Cam out of a situation that most likely would have sent him to prison, had Monty not intervened. So, whether I like it or not, he’s here to stay.
But he better keep his fucking hands, and his twitchy eyes, off my girlfriend.