Gabe
I watch my cousins fiancé pace the living room, her hands rubbing repeatedly through her hair.
"It's fucking one in the morning." She says. "He should be home! He would've been home hours ago so where the hell is he?" She whips around. "Mason,"
"His car was still there when I left." He tells her for the millionth time.
"He probably fell asleep at his desk." I say reasonably.
"No, something is wrong." Annalise says quietly. Everyone looks at her. She shrugs. "Gut feeling."
She sips her beer.
"I'm calling Annie." Odette decides.
"No, you don't want to do that." I say, plucking the phone from her fingers before she can dial my Aunt. "She'll have a freak attack. Don't call her until we find out if we need to call her."
"If I don't hear from him by-"
The doorbell starts ringing insistently.
I stand up, pushing back Odette.
"It could be your crazy assaulting stalker guy." I say. "Nate isn't here, which means it's my job to protect you."
She follows me to the door anyways. I unbolt it and open it.
A women with blonde hair and green eyes stands there.
"Does Nathan live here?" She asks.
"Yes?" I say. "Who are you?"
She practically shoves past me and into the house.
"Uh, sure, you can come in." I say, closing the door.
She walks straight into the living room.
She sets a set of car keys on the table, along with a wallet and phone.
Nathan's car keys, Nathan's wallet and Nathan's phone.
"Who are you?" Odette demands. "Where did you get my fiancé's things?"
"You must be Odeletta." She girl says. "I'm Amanda. I'm-"
"Nathan's assistant." Odette says.
Why is Nathan's assistant at our house at one in the morning.
Dread fills me.
"Where's my cousin?" I ask her.
"He's in jail." She says.
"Bullshit." I say. Anna, Mason, and Harper are standing up now.
"I'm not kidding." She says. "It was around um...noon, I think? It was his lunch break. He was getting ready to leave for his break and the cops came in and asked if he was in, and I told them yes because-they're the police!" She looks distraught. "And then they arrested him for assault!" Her face screws up in disgust. "He doesn't seem like a violent person. But he got arrested for the assault on some guy named Jacob...I don't remember his last name, but I think it started with an R."
"Jacob Roshard?" Odeletta demands.
"Yes!" She snaps her fingers. "Oh god, is it true?"
She grits her teeth.
"That bastard!"
She starts yelling in French at a mile a minute.
"Odeletta!" I snarl. "Who the fuck is that guy?"
"That's the fucking guy who I pressed charges against for trying to rape me! He's the guy Nathan punched when he wouldn't leave the house! He got out of fucking prison and now he's trying to put Nathan in jail! I my life going to always be so miserable?"
"No, they can't arrest him for that." I say. "That's bullshit."
"Oh god, what are we going to do? Nathan is not cut out for jail!"
"Uh, Odette?" Mason says. She looks at him. "You might want to call Annie now."
Nathan
They gave me one phone call, one fucking dial.
I went to dial Odette and fucked up the number from how bad my hands were shaking.
She probably doesn't even know where I am.
She probably thinks that guy killed me.
I've tried so hard to figure out who the fuck Jacob whatever his last name is but I don't know who he is.
Jail is terrifying.
You can hear people crying at night, you can hear people doing their business, people whimpering, it's horrifying.
I didn't sleep at all last night.
How long am I going to be in here? Am I going to die in here?
My mother is going to kill me!
I see a corrections officer come up to my gate.
"You've been bailed, Reed."
"Bailed? Somebody bailed me out?" I demand.
How much was my bail?
I'm getting bailed out of jail?
I'm getting bailed out of jail.
She opens the gate and I follow her numbly, my hands not cuffed.
Thank god, what, do they think I'm going to harm somebody?
I don't hurt people?
She leads me to a white door and opens it, leading me into a waiting room.
"He bailed you out." She says, pointing.
Josh. He's leaning against the wall in a gray t-shirt and jeans, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
When I walk out, he straightens up.
"Let's get the hell outta here son." He says, clapping my shoulder.
I'm still in my black dress pants and my blue button down. He walks calmly out to a black BMW.
"They didn't give me that black parole thing." I mumble.
"You aren't on parole." He says. "You stink, Nate, and you look like shit."
Leave it to Josh to be completely blunt.
"Now I know where Odette gets her bluntness from." I mutter.
I hear him laughing while I get in the car.
He starts the engine and drives.
"I didn't assault anybody." I say. "I didn't."
"I know." He says.
"I really wouldn't-you know?"
"Of course I know." He scoffs. "Don't explain until we get home though...Odeletta is beside herself. Prepare yourself for her wrath."
"I miss her wrath." I mumble weakly, looking out the window.
It's almost two hours until we get home.
He shuts the car off and walks ahead of me, letting himself inside of my house.
"Dad? Where the hell did you do?" I hear Odeletta demands when he walks out of the foyer.
Before he can answer, I step into the living room.
"Oh my god, Nathan!"
She runs to me, throwing her arms around my neck.
I wrap mine around her, letting out a breath that I feel like I've been holding for hours.
She pulls away, kissing my face anywhere she can reach, and when she's done, she steps back.
"Now go take a shower, you stink." She pushes me towards the stairs.
_____
I showered and shaved and washed everywhere like four times and then I put on a t-shirt and sweatpants and brushed my teeth and went downstairs.
The moment I walk in, everyone goes silent.
Gabe walks over to me, clapping me on the shoulder.
"You need a lawyer, Nathan."
"I don't know what I did. I don't know what the hell I did."
And then I lose it, pacing around the living room.
The entire family is here, watching me.
"Assault on Jacob Roshard. Who the hell is that?" I mumble. "I mean, the only person I can think that I've punched before is that one guy in the mall with Brenda but that was years ago. Why is he all the sudden coming at me? I'm a good guy now, I've changed! I'm not mean anymore! God, I'm going to prison! I'm going to die in prison! I'm-"
"Nathan, stop being a wuss and listen." Gabe snaps his fingers in my face and hits my cheek lightly with his hand. I notice a blonde here.
"Amanda?" I ask. "What are you doing here?"
"She showed up at one in the morning with your things." Mason says. "Explained everything. She's been here since."
"Jacob Roshard is the guy who was going after Odeletta." Gabe says. "He's out for money."
"I think he feels guilty for what he did to Odeletta so he's looking for something to make him not look so bad. You're his target." Mason says. "I got all his medical records with Gabe's help and he's got some serious mental problems man. This dude is crazy."
He drops a file on the coffee table.
"Does he have a good lawyer?" I mumble.
I feel numb.
"His lawyer is cheap and he loses a lot of cases. He works at one of the shittiest law firms in the country." Gabe says. "And Nathan, you need to get a lawyer."
"You can do it." I say. "Right? You can be my lawyer? Is that legal?"
"I was wondering when you'd ask." Gabe says. He sighs. "His case sucks, however, you did lay hands on him and-"
"I told him to leave." I say. "Like, twice, I think."
"You did." Gave gives me a sorrowful look.
"He swung at me." I say. I dodged it, punched him in self defense and forced him off the property. I didn't beat the shit out of him, I punched him to protect myself. Who the fuck does this bastard thing he is? I have too much going for me to go to prison!"
I'm so fucking scared right now.
"Come here beau." Odette pulls me onto the couch, kissing my cheek. "It's going to be okay."
"Either way, you're not going to prison. You'll probably owe him medical money if he wins, but I doubt it. He swung first, and there's every singe person in their room...except for Amanda, as an alibi."
"Nate, any judge would look at that case and call bullshit." Annalise says. "Especially after having proof of what his motives are when he came here."
"What were his motives?" I ask, confused.
"What happened to Odette." She says quietly. "Those were his motives. He already has a bad case against him."
"Truthfully, and I hate to say it Nate, but him doing this is better of Odeletta's chance of not going to trial."
That's going to help me through it. I don't want her to have to go to trail with this jackass.
"Okay." I sigh slowly.
"Now you already have a court date." Gabe says. "This Friday. And we're going to win."