“Show him the messages and ask him if it’s enough to prosecute her.”
Mr. Cutler reads the messages. “Would Miss Weinstock be willing to testify? With that, they would be able to prosecute.”
“Serena would use her testimony against Clare to get a plea bargain,” Lake mumbles.
I look at Lake, frowning, “Are you telling me one of them is going to walk free?”
“No, Serena will still receive a sentence if found guilty. But it could be reduced,” Mr. Cutler explains.
“Reduced to what?” I ask, not liking the sound of this at all.
“For example, she could be sentenced to a year’s imprisonment, along with two years of probation.” When I open my mouth, Mr. Cutler holds up his hand. “It’s only an example, Mason. We’ll push for the harshest punishment.”
“Let’s all take some time to think about this,” Mr. Reyes says. “We need to have all our ducks in a row before we start this war.”
“Serena can’t get off with a tap on the wrist.” Closing my eyes, I rub them. “I promised Kingsley.”
“The girl you’re dating?” Dad asks.
Mr. Reyes leans forward, his face looking like a thunder cloud. “What are you saying, Mason?”
“The girl on the footage is Kingsley,” Lake answers for me.
Dad stands up and walks away from the table, and Mr. Reyes slowly rises to his feet, growling, “Why wasn’t I made aware of this?”
“We had it handled,” Julian answers.
“You knew about this?” Mr. Reyes slams a fist on the table. “My God.”
“Sit down, Warren,” Mr. Cutler murmurs, pulling at Mr. Reyes arm. “I’ll pay the DA’s office a visit tomorrow morning.”
I get up and whisper, “Excuse me.” Walking to where Dad is standing out on the patio, I stop next to him and stare out over the green.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispers, his voice sounding drained of all the laughter we shared today.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Kingsley was my first priority. I didn’t even think to tell you. Sorry, Dad.”
“Don’t apologize,” Dad whispers. “If I had been more involved in your life, I would’ve been aware of what was happening.”
Dad turns to me and placing his hand on my shoulders, he says, “We’re going to win this. I will do everything in my power to help you.”
I didn’t know how badly I needed to hear those words until they leave his mouth.
My breathing speeds up, and I try to suppress the emotions, but when Dad pulls me to his chest, the wall breaks.
He wraps his arms tightly around me. “I’m here, son.”
It takes every bit of strength I have to not cry, and my voice is shaky and hoarse, when I say, “Serena almost killed the woman I love. I need to see her suffer.”
“And she will,” Dad says as he pulls back. Our eyes meet, and when I see the promise on his face, it makes the load on my shoulders feel lighter.KingsleyAfter I finally submit my assignment, I close my laptop and let out a sigh of relief.
“At least, that’s done and taken care of.”
I get up and stretch my body when there’s a knock at the door. I hardly have the door open when Mason pushes his way in and lifts me off my feet.
Laughter bubbles over my lips as I hug him back.
“Are you done with the assignment?” he asks, as he sets me back down.
“I finished seconds ago.”
He presses a kiss to my lips, then says, “There’s something I want to do with you.”
“Oooh… that sounds promising.”
He smiles for a moment, but his expression quickly turns serious. “I know it might be too soon, and I’ll understand if you’re not ready, but I really want to teach you how to swim.”
I didn’t expect him to say that, so it takes my mind a couple of seconds to catch up. “Tonight?”
“I want to do it as soon as possible, but you have to be ready. I don’t want to push you. If you’re afraid of water then we –”
“I’m not afraid of water,” I interrupt him. “I’m afraid of deep water.” I bite my bottom lip, already feeling anxiety tightening in my stomach. “Can I learn in the shallow end?”
“Definitely,” he answers quickly. “We don’t have to do it all at once. Maybe we can just get in the pool tonight. Once you feel comfortable with that, we can take the next step.”
“I like the sound of that more,” I admit, some of the anxiety easing back.
“Do you have a swimsuit?” he asks.
I let out a burst of laughter then shake my head.
“That’s okay. I booked a room with a private pool at Hotel Bel-Air, in case you agreed. We’ll have more privacy there, and I didn’t want your first time back in the water to be where the incident happened.”
This man. Who knew he could be so caring?