Evan's Addiction (60 page)

     It wasn’t jail time, but he had a record now.

     Then they moved on to Ford’s charges against Evan, and it didn’t appear
to be as cut and dried as Evan had assured me. They were saying that Evan used
excessive force on Ford by continuing to hit him when he was already down.

     Ford’s complexion was losing its green and was turning smug, and
it was pissing me off and making me sick to my stomach. I didn’t want Evan
leaving here with any charges against him, and even though misdemeanor charges
weren’t that serious, this was my shit fest and I should be the only one penalized.
It seemed my bad luck was seeping out to him. 

     Evan wasn’t showing any emotion so I couldn’t tell if he was
worried or not, but his mom was looking how my stomach felt…sick.

     The lawyers disputed back and forth for what seemed like forever,
and I was rubbing my belly because the knot in it was killing me, when the mediator…judge…whatever,
finally concluded that Evan’s actions against Ford, while excessive, were
reasonable due to the years of Ford’s continued harassment and hostile actions
toward me.

     The judge gave Ford a severe look. “You were advised to stop your
harassment of Miss. O’Conner by Mr. Michaels attorneys once and you didn’t. If
you are caught bothering her again I will consider that your third strike and
you will be seeing jail time.”

     Ford and his father blanched.

     The judge turned to Evan. “Mr. Michaels, you should have stopped
hitting Mr. Rainwright when he was down. While I’m not filing the misdemeanor
charges I am going to have you pay Mr. Rainwright’s medical bills. All it could
have taken was one off placed punch and you could have been arrested for
manslaughter. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to send someone to prison
for a fight that went wrong.”

     I breathed a sigh of relief but my stomach was still knotted
painfully. That was too close.

     We were there a little while longer for paperwork and then I
breathed another sigh of relief when we stepped out of the building.

     “Thank the Lord that’s over.” Jasmine hugged Evan. “I can’t
believe it took so long for the judge to render you innocent, and I can’t
believe he’s making you pay that boy’s medical bills.” My stomach cramped at
that notion. “He should be paying Shaw for the years of abuse he put her
through.”

    I wasn’t going to let Evan pay Ford’s medical bills when all this
was my fault. I didn’t know how much his medical bills were but I had a little
over six thousand in my savings. If it was more than that I could make
payments. Suing Ford was a thought, but those things took time, and there were
lawyer fees involved, and then I’d have to deal with Ford all over again. He
deserved it, but I would have to reflect hard about that.

     “Evan won’t have to pay Ford’s medical bills. I’ll pay it.” I announced.
That six thousand in the bank filled a fissure in my soul that growing up dirt
poor had hollowed out, but Evan was more important.

     They both twisted to look at me with differing frowns.

     “No you’re not.” Evan stated.

     “Yes I am.” I countered, rubbing at my knotted stomach.

     “No. You. Are. Not.” He stepped up close to me, amber eyes
blazing.

     “Don’t tell me what I can’t do.” I poked him in the chest. “This
was my problem. You may have butted in, but you are not bearing any of the
consequences. I’m paying Ford’s medical bills and there’s nothing you can say
about it.”

     His eyebrows arrowed down. “Yeah, there actually is; I could not
take your money.”

     I laughed darkly. “If I want to give you money there’s nothing you
can do about it. I can do it anytime, anywhere.”

     His eyes narrowed. “Are you seriously telling me you’d hack my
account?”

     “I’m not saying anything that could incriminate me, but I think we
understand each other.” I mocked.

     Irritation covered his face. “Dammit Shaw. I made the decision to
punch Ford. You had no part of that. When I did it I was willing to accept the
consequences.”

     I shook my head. Why would he want to? This relationship wasn’t a
lasting one so why should he waste his money on me?

     God, I couldn’t handle anymore today. My emotions were all over
the place; the restlessness of not knowing when my time with him was up, on top
of all this Ford crap, and feeling like my bad luck was spreading to people
around me. I was a bad fucking coin.

     “Okay you two.” Jasmine moved up next to us. “Today has been a
trying day, and emotions are high, so maybe you should shelve this discussion
for another time. There are other options; you could split the cost, or I
could…”

     Evan interrupted his mom as he glared down at me. “Why do you
always have to fight with me when I help you, or try to help you, or when I
want to give you gifts? Everything has to be a struggle with you; from
beginning to end.” He threw up his hands in aggravation.

     There it was…he’d had enough. My body imploded with pain and I
took a step back reflexively. Hanging on to the last of my self-control I took
another step back.

     “You’re right. Jasmine, it was nice meeting you. Evan, you should
spend time with your mom. I’m getting a cab home.” My voice was gruff and my eyes
were stinging, warning me I needed to get out of here as quickly as possible.

     “What…now you won’t even let me drive you home?” He growled.

     Without answering him…because I couldn’t…I turned and rushed away.
It was finally over, but I was tough. I could handle being decimated. Life had
been preparing me for just this situation.

CHAPTER
THIRTY

EVAN

     I started after Shaw but my mothers hand on my arm stopped me.
“Evan, I think Shaw needs a little time, and I think you could use it too.”

     “She shouldn’t be taking a cab home.” I frowned after Shaw’s
retreating figure. There had been tears in her eyes when she’d walked away from
me. I hadn’t meant to turn my anger on her but she was always fighting me when all
I wanted to do was help her, do things for her, make up for all the things
she’d missed.

     “It’s better she take a cab home than you two saying things to
each that can’t be taken back.”

     Mom had a point. I was irked that the judge was making me pay that
assholes medical expenses after everything he’d done to Shaw, and unfortunately
I’d let that anger fall on Shaw. I knew she’d been anxious about what the judge
was going to charge me with and the fact that I had to pay with money I knew wasn’t
making her feel any better.

     I also recognized that my nerves were strung tight from not having
been able to spend time with her in the last three days which had only added to
my bad mood. 

     I watched as Shaw pulled out her phone to call a cab. “I wish
she’d let me do things for her without arguing about it.”

     Mom laughed. “She’s a woman, she’s going to argue. And Shaw seems
especially independent.”

     I nodded. “She is.” She hadn’t had a choice.

     Shaw was still on the phone as she walked around the corner out of
view. My muscles tensed more than they already were at losing sight of her. I
didn’t like the idea of her getting a cab home when I should be taking her.

     “Do you really want to be with a woman who goes along with
everything you say?” Mom asked.

     I turned to her with an involuntary leer. “It would have some
advantages.” Mom smacked my arm. “Okay, not really.” I admitted, knowing that
would kind of suck.   

     “So, how long have you two been seeing each other?” She asked
curiously.

     I’d talked to her a couple times about Shaw but hadn’t gone into
great depths because I hadn’t wanted to jump the gun and get her too excited
about the fact that I was seeing someone seriously. She was always asking me if
I was dating anyone and my normal response was ‘
not really’
. When I told
her about Shaw she’d tried to go all ‘Matlock’ on me but I’d asked her to hold
off on the questions for after she met her. In fact, I’d planned for all three
of us to go to dinner together after court, but the day hadn’t gone as I
expected.

     I quirked my brow at her. “Are we going to have a mother and son
moment?”

    “I sure hope so. It’s been forever since I’ve seen you.” She
grumbled.

     “Then a little over a month now.”      

     She hooked her arm with mine and began pulling me through the
small courtyard. “And how is everything going…this time with her?”

    “What do you mean ‘this time’?” I frowned.

     She sighed. “You normally evade telling me you’re seeing women,
but I know when you say ‘
not
really’
it really means you’re
seeing someone casually, not seriously. I’m hearing and seeing something more
this time.”  

     I looked like she didn’t need my answers to her questions to go
all Matlock on me.

     “It’s more than casual.” I admitted.

     Interest lit up her eyes. “Really?”

     I was still sorting out my feelings for Shaw so I wasn’t ready to
discuss them with my mother. That was another reason why I’d kept the details
brief. All I knew was that they were intense, and they weren’t fading. In fact,
they were getting more powerful.

     “You’ve been pretty quiet this last month on what’s been going on
in your life. Is there anything I should know about?” I asked to change the
subject. A flush spread over her face and I stared at her in astonishment.
“Something is going on. What is it? Are you seeing someone?”

     She leaned into my side appearing embarrassed. “I am, but I’m not
ready to talk to you about it yet.”

     Sounded familiar. “Are you enjoying a secret affair?” I cocked my
brow at her.

     “And if I was?” She chuckled self-consciously.

     I hugged her into me. “If you’re happy I’m all for it.”

     “I am…very.” She sighed, and it did sound like a happy sigh.

     “I’m glad. You deserve to be happy after dealing with Kyle for so
many years.”

     “Just remember that when I finally introduce you to him.” She eyed
me nervously.

     Both my brows rose this time. “You make it sound like I might have
a problem with this guy.”

     “I hope not.” She rubbed at my arm like she was attempting to
pacify me.

     That was a disquieting comment and while I wanted her to expound
on it I could see she wasn’t ready, so I forced myself to accept what she was
willing to give at this time.

     Mom had been leading me to her car and as we walked up to it she
clicked the unlock button and turned to grip my forearms. “A bit of advice for
when you talk to Shaw; try compromising instead of telling her what’s going to
happen. Women respond better to that.”

     “I really like her a lot, mom.” I blurted out, surprising myself
and her with that sudden exclamation. It had just felt really heavy on chest,
and I needed to get it off letting my mom know how I felt.  

     Mom’s eyes were wide in astonishment, and then she grinned. “Don’t
you be screwing up your apology then.” Pulling my head down she kissed my cheek
and then climbed in her silver Mercedes.

     I gave a wave as she drove away at the same time grabbing my phone.
I typed a quick text to Shaw:
Sorry for being cranky. I hate the idea of
Ford getting money from either of us.

     I called Dan as I waited for a response back from her.

     “How did it go?” He asked, forgoing the greeting.

     “He got two years probation, and I have to pay for his medical
expenses.”

     “Are you shitting me? I need to have a talk with John and ask him
what I’m paying him for.” He groused.

     I chuckled. “The judge thought I went too far when I continued to
hit him while he was down, but the guy needed some hard dialogue time with my
fist.”

     “Judges can be so judgmental.” He joked. “But seriously, I’m going
to have John appeal that decision.”

     “Instead, maybe he can talk to Ford’s lawyers and warn them that
Shaw is thinking about a civil suit but might be inclined to overlook it if
they disregard the medical bills.”

     “
Is
she thinking about it?” He asked.

     I remembered seeing her grimace when mom had mentioned it; like
the last thing she wanted to do was have to deal with Ford ever again. After
everything he’d put her through I know all she wanted was him gone from her
life.

     “I’m almost positive she’s not. She just wants him out of her
life.”

     “Understandable. I’ll talk to John about it.”

     Arriving at my car I unlocked it and slid behind the wheel. “Do
you need me to come in and get a few more hours in tonight?”

     He exhaled through the line. “I told you to go ahead and spend
time with your mom and Shaw. You logged in more than enough hours these last
three days by staying late. Go celebrate and I’ll see you in the morning.”

     We said our goodbyes and disconnected. Shaw still hadn’t gotten
back to me and that had me edgy. She’d been exceptionally upset when she’d
walked away.

     I sent out another:
I’m coming over. We need to talk.

    
Starting my car I pointed it toward her apartment. My phone
stayed silent the whole way.

     Shit, she was either really pissed or really upset. I had a
fleeting thought that I should leave her be for a while to possibly cool down,
but if she was more upset than pissed I didn’t like the thought of her staying
in that frame of mind if I could fix it.

     When I arrived at her apartment I sprinted up the steps and banged
on her door. Nic answered it.

     I strode in. “Is she in her room?” Without waiting for his reply I
strode down the hallway, past Carrie, to Shaw’s bedroom.

     “If you’re talking about Shaw, than no. She’s supposed to be with
you.” Nic’s yelled after me.

     Swearing, I turned around. Nic and Carrie were both frowning at me
in confusion. “We had a disagreement at the courthouse and she took a cab
home.” I made my way to the living room and slumped down in the chair.

     Nic and Carrie took the couch. “What happened? And tell us
everything from the beginning. Did Ford get five years in the state pen?”
Carrie demanded leaning forward in hope.

     My lip hitched up. “Sorry to say he wasn’t given a prison
sentence. He’s on probation for two years.”

     They both scowled in disappointment. “What happened with your charges?”
Nic asked.

     “The judge is making me pay his medical expenses, and that’s where
the disagreement ensued.” My head fell back against the back of the chair.

     “Shaw wants to be the one to pay his bills.” Carrie deduced.

     I pointed my finger at her. “Bingo.”

     “And let me guess; you said no way.” Nic surmised.

     “You guys are good at this game. What happened next?” I tilted my
head to the side and raised my brows at them.

     Carrie rolled her eyes. “You already told us the ending; she took
a cab.”

     My head slanted back to its original ceiling view. “Oh, right. I
ruined the whole story by giving you the ending first.” I frowned and
straightened. “Why isn’t she back? She should be back because she left before
me. Carrie, find out where she is.”

     Her brow shot up and I didn’t miss Nic glower at my demand. “Don’t
talk to my girl like that. I take it she’s ignoring your calls again?”

     “Yes. And I hate it when she does that.” I scowled. “My
imagination is too volatile; all kinds of catastrophe go through my head when
she doesn’t answer. Please, can you just find out if she’s okay?” I entreated.

     Carrie smiled and reached for her cell on the coffee table. She
tapped on it and then we sat and waited…and waited…and waited. My muscles began
to twitch at the wait and I stood and started to pace.

     “This is taking too long. Why is it taking so long for her to text
you back?”

     Not looking that worried, Carrie shrugged. “She doesn’t always
text me back right away. She could be in the middle of something. Let’s give
her a little bit.” She stood up. “Are you hungry? There’s some left over
Mongolian, or I could make you some soup.”

     I waved my hand and shook my head in refusal. “No, thank you
though. Are you guys okay if I stick around and wait?”

     “Of course.” Carrie waved at me with a warm smile.

     The minutes and hours ticked by slowly while I waited watching
television with Carrie and Nic. I continued to text Shaw as did Carrie. Neither
of us got a response back. After three hours I called David, but he wasn’t
answering either. At first, that calmed my anxiety because I imagined they were
together at some location where there was no cell signal, or she was telling
him to ignore me, but the longer neither of them answered higher my anxiety and
irritation ratcheted.

     Carrie and Nic weren’t as relaxed about it any longer either. Shaw
hadn’t gone this long without answering Carrie before.

     “I’m going to run over to David’s. Call me if either of them gets
a hold of you.” Grabbing my keys I tore out the door.

    It took me fifteen minutes to get to David’s and my heart
nose-dived at the absence of light from the house. I knocked just to make certain
and when I didn’t get an answer I wrote a note and left it wedged in the door.
Getting back in my car I drummed my fingers on the wheel and closed my eyes to
think. A second later I snatched up my phone and called Seth.

     “What’s up?” He answered.

     “This might sound weird, but do you have Trick’s phone number?”
Seth knew the guy from a few classes so it was possible.

     “Yep.” There was a second of silence as he searched for it before
rattling it off. That was the thing about Seth; he liked short and to the
point. “Everything okay?” He asked.

     Nadia had worked some magic and loosened his lips somewhat over
the last few months though.

     “So far; I’ll let you know if it changes. Thanks for the number.”

     “No problem.”

     We disconnected simultaneously, and then I called Trick.

     “Trick speaking.” I heard the loud blare of video games in the
background.

     “Trick, this is Evan. I’m trying to locate Shaw or David. Have you
heard from either of them tonight?”

     “No, can’t say that I have. Was I supposed to?” He asked sounding
distracted.

     I disregarded his question. “If you do hear from either of them
can you tell them to call me, or could you call me?”

     “Sure,” He replied.

     “It’s important, Trick.” I stressed.

     “Shaw…David…important…call you.” He repeated, his tone more
focused this time.

     “Do you know if either of them would be at Tim’s, or any of those
other guys’ homes?” I asked.

     “It’s possible David could be at Tim’s. I’ve never known Shaw to
go anywhere but David’s house though.” Trick answered.

     “Do you have any of their numbers?”

     There was a short pause. “Is everything okay, man?”

     “I just need to locate Shaw, and she’s not answering her phone.” I
relayed.

     “Okay, give me a minute.” And during the next minute Trick rattled
off five numbers for me.

     “Thanks for you help, Trick. Talk to you later.” I said before
hanging up.

     I called Tim’s number first and came close banging my cell on the
wheel in frustration when no one picked up. Why the hell was no one answering
their damn phones?

     The other four guys did answer their phones but said they hadn’t
heard from or seen Shaw or David. However, I did get an address for Tim and
wasted no time driving over there. He lived in an apartment complex and I
didn’t get any response to my thirty seconds of knocking. The last fifteen
seconds were more for me; a way to expel some of my frustrations. I nearly
shook the cheap ass door off its hinges.

     I called Nic on the way back to Shaw’s apartment. “Any word yet?”

     “No. She wasn’t at David’s?”