Bad Things

25. Safe Sanctuary

Shawn dug harder into his flesh, trying his damnedest to stop the relentless fidgeting and thoughts, when soft, warm skin moved over his. Glancing over, he met Camila's gaze, and let out a shaky breath when her fingers squeezed his. She knew he was losing it. She always knew how to read him.

"Most of these are just forms giving me permission to legally represent you." Benedict's voice broke into Shawn's thoughts and drew his attention forward. "You'll need to sign them all before we can discuss more than the basics of your case."

Shawn reached across the table and drew the forms toward him with only his fingertips. Glancing down, he realized he had no idea what any of this shit meant. It was all legal jargon that made no sense at all to anyone who wasn't a lawyer.

Benedict must have recognized the confusion on Shawn's face because he said, "I know it looks like a lot of hoopla just to say I'm your lawyer, but I promise that's all it is."

Camila scooted a little closer to Shawn, her hand moving from on top of his to under it, and she slipped her fingers between his. Shawn licked his lips and chewed lightly on the bottom one, as he reached for the pen Benedict had placed in the center of the table. He heard Benedict's breath hitch and looked up in confusion. Benedict's eyes were glued on Shawn's hand.

"You're left handed."

Shawn's gaze flicked down to his own hand and swallowed. "Yeah."

"My father was—"

Shawn stiffened.

Benedcit shook his head and blinked, his Adam's apple bobbing as he struggled to maintain a neutral face. "Never mind," he said, looking up and smiling a forced, unnatural smile.

It took Shawn a moment to tear his eyes away. He felt as if he'd been struck, his skin stinging and flaming hot, his heart thudding hard in his chest. He didn't want to have his familial similarities pointed out to him. It was hard enough to hold it together knowing whom this man really was, he didn't need it pointed out to him. Camila squeezed his hand once more, and it was all he needed to snap back to the task of scrawling his name across the lines at the bottom of the pages. When he was done, a wave of nausea passed over him and he pushed the papers back across the table. He didn't dare look up, didn't dare catch Benedict's gaze, and instead studied the scratches and mustard stains on the Formica tabletop.

Benedict gathered the stack and placed them into his briefcase, before clearing his throat and speaking once more. "All right now, I'm not sure how much you've researched on the laws pertaining to statutory rape in this state, but though the guidelines seem pretty straightforward, there are actually several loop holes we might exploit."

Shawn finally met Benedict's gaze. "Like?"

"Well, maybe we should discuss what the law actually says before we get into that."

Shawn nodded.

"First of all, yes, Mr. Cabello has grounds to file these charges against you." His eyes drifted to Camila and she shrunk back into the booth. This time Shawn squeezed her hand. "Camila was under the legal age of consent at the time. Even if she said yes to any sexual contact, according to the law, she is not allowed that right." Camila huffed, and Benedict shook his head. "I know it seems ludicrous—that any law can say when you can consent to sex—but it really is there to protect minors."