Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,62

know that by pleading no contest, you lose the right to a jury trial?” the judge asked solemnly.

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“And do you give up that right?” the judge asked.

“Yes, Your Honor.” He sounded so small.

“Do you understand what giving up that right means?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know that by giving up that right you are also waiving the right to cross-examine your accusers?”

There was a very small pause, during which Taylor saw her life flash before her eyes.

“Yes,” Chris said though it was barely loud enough to be heard in the utterly silent courtroom.

“Do you know that you are waiving your privilege against self-incrimination?” the judge asked as if she was trying to get him to rethink this whole thing.

As her gaze slipped to Chris’s back, Taylor had the sensation that he was actually shrinking right before her eyes.

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“Did anyone force you into accepting this settlement, Mr. O’Roarke?”

A breath and Taylor could see him sway slightly under the weight of it all. “No, Your Honor.”

“Are you pleading no contest to the charge of striking the victim and causing actual bodily harm without legal provocation?”

It was like every question drained even more air from the room, but not one of them needed the air because they were no longer breathing as they waited for the answers.

“Yes.”

“Let the record show,” the judge said, “that the defendant Christopher William O’Roarke has entered a plea of no contest to the charge of assault and battery and will be hereby sentenced to time served plus six months in jail followed by a two-year probation during which he is ordered to complete a court-approved anger management course. Bailiff please remand the offender to the Sheriff’s office by right of this signed court order.”

The room started spinning around Taylor and she nearly lost her grip even on Greg, but he put his hand on hers still wrapped around his arm to steady her. Down front, two of the bailiffs took up positions on either side of Chris and led him from the courtroom. He never looked back, and then the door closed as the law swallowed him whole.

With a bang of her gavel that made Taylor jump, the judge said, “Court is adjourned.”

As they stood, Greg kept careful tabs on Taylor even as she was swept up in the quiet jubilation that followed. With one hand shadowing her in case he was needed, he acknowledged Mitchell who clapped him hard on the shoulder.

“Wow,” Mitchell said, “I think I’m in shock.”

“You are?” Thomas said. “Where did that come from?”

“He only got six months though,” Ryan said from the row behind them. “That hardly seems like enough for what he did.”

Mitchell nodded. “Yeah, they made a plea bargain. Reduced sentence, reduced punishment. It’s not great, but it means no trial.” His gaze went to Taylor and Greg backed up between them, watching her very carefully. “That is, unless you want to pursue the civil case. We still can, you know. The no contest thing isn’t considered a guilty plea in a civil case, but I think the case is strong enough without it.” He looked from Taylor to her parents and back again. “It really is your call.”

Thinking that they would surely make this decision for her, Taylor’s gaze slipped over to her parents. No, she didn’t want to do a civil case. That’s why they had threatened to have one in the first place. But she hadn’t had to absorb all of the recovery costs either. The hospital. The counselor. Her care and upkeep through it all. It was a lot.

“What do you think?” she asked them both, but mostly her dad.

His gaze came over to her and he leveled it to steady as he looked at her. “I think that one’s up to you. What do you think?”

With her arms folded in front of her, Taylor looked down to the table that even the lawyer had vacated. It was empty now.

The truth was, she didn’t want revenge. She just wanted to be free. “I think… I’m done with Chris O’Roarke.”

Chapter 10

They had only made it to the lobby when Greg’s phone went off. He split away from the others to answer the call from Ms. Ornelas. In all honesty, he couldn’t begin to explain how relieved they all were. He thanked her several times for all of her help and promised to stop by sometime just to say hi.

Going back over to them, he found Taylor tapping like mad on her phone, so rather than step toward