Damaged Souls (Broken Man) - By Christopher Scott Page 0,37
him softly. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Greg answered as Amanda again became emotional
* * *
“That went well,” Mike tried to lighten the mood as they sat on the back patio and shared a drink. “I’m glad you remained calm.”
“Sorry about that, Mike,” Jack regretted his actions as he took a sip of scotch.
“That’s alright. I would have done the same thing if it had been my daughter.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t help the matter,” he tried to formulate a strategy. “So, what’s our next step.”
“It’s a little more complicated now,” Mike placed his drink on the table and returned to being an attorney. “It looks like Greg did some damage to Mitch, and they are going to use that as leverage in addition to the he said she said nonsense. I’ve really got to talk to Greg and Delaney and get their version of the story.”
“Like I said, we can do that tomorrow,” Jack replied before moving on to unsettled matters. “What do you know about this sheriff and Mitch’s attorney.”
“Steve’s a good attorney, tough but reasonable. I’m not too worried about him,” Mike paused as he recognized the real problem. “But, Sheriff Warner, he is going to be a problem.”
“How do you mean.”
“I’ve heard some stories, none of them good. He operates in very gray areas and bends the law as he sees fit, or more to the point, as his supporters see fit.”
“Can’t we just turn the case over to the police.”
“I wish we could, but this case falls outside their jurisdiction because we are outside the city,” Mike tried to explain how the judicial system worked.
“So, what are our options.”
“The main thing we have going for us is Mitch’s need to avoid publicity. It’s not going to look good to have his star quarterback son up on charges of sexual assault. That might offset some of his advantage of having the sheriff’s department in his pocket.”
“So, why can’t we just file a complaint,” Jack became impatient with Mike’s pragmatism.
“Because the minute we file charges, Mitch will counter file an assault complaint against Greg,” Mike replied as he read between the lines. “We definitely don’t want that to happen after what he’s been through.”
“Sounds like we are screwed,” Jack replied and again found himself getting angry.
“Not quite, Jack. Just let me do some investigating, maybe I can find something,” Mike said as he stood up from the table. “I’ve got to get going, Karen is expecting me for dinner. But I’ll call you tomorrow. Try not to worry.”
“I’ll try,” Jack replied as he stood up to thank his friend. “Thanks for all your help, and sorry again about earlier.”
“No problem,” he said as they shook hands and he turned to go.
“And Jack,” Mike had some final words as he opened the screened door. “Don’t worry, Greg and Delaney are going to be okay.”
“Thanks, Mike,” Jack replied as he watched him exit down the walkway and he returned to his thoughts.
* * *
“I think I understand what you meant now when you said I’ll know when it’s time,” Delaney surprised Amanda with her choice of topic as they pulled out of the hospital parking lot.
“How do you mean,” Amanda expressed concern.
“When Greg finally woke up today, we were able to talk, and we talked about things we had never spoken about before,” she paused and seemed to relive the moment. “Something happened, and I felt something I have never felt before. It’s kind of hard to describe.”
“It’s called love, Delaney,” Amanda replied as she smiled and remembered finding them together in bed sleeping. “I’m glad you two finally figured it out.”
“Me too, it was amazing,” Delaney said as Amanda sensed her need to talk about it. “When we kissed for the first time, it was different than ever before. I mean, I’ve kissed other boys, but it never felt like this. My entire body responded to him and I just knew I had to be with him. Do you know what I mean.”
“I do know what you mean,” Amanda grew cautious as she wondered what they did. “Do you want to talk about what happened.”
“Don’t worry, Amanda, it’s not what you’re thinking,” Delaney calmed her fears as she smiled. “But we came close.”
“Delaney, in the middle of a hospital room when Greg is half conscious,” Amanda questioned her decisions.
“I couldn’t help it, don’t worry, we stopped,” Delaney defended her actions and clammed up.
“It’s okay, honey, I understand,” Amanda reassured her as she touched her arm and reopened the