Ever After

Ever After

by

Annie Jocoby

Books by Annie Jocoby

Beautiful Illusions

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Deeper Illusions

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End of Illusions

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Broken

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Saving Scotty

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Broken
,
Saving Scotty
and
Ever After
are spinoffs of the
Illusions
series, which are available at the links above. The first of the series,
Beautiful Illusions,
is permanently free! If you are interested in Nick, then these other stories are for you, because he was a prominent character in all of these books!

Copyright © 2014 Annie Jocoby

Published by Annie Jocoby

All rights reserved

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above author of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank Melba for being such an awesome beta reader and good friend and fan. Also, to Joey, for always supporting me through this crazy journey, and having patience for my obsession with these characters. My mom and dad – without you, literally none of this would be possible. Debbie – you’ve always had my back, and have been my biggest cheerleader. Christine – couldn’t love you more!

And, of course, I want to acknowledge my fans. I started this whole process not even a year ago, and I’ve already accumulated a growing group of devoted readers. You know who you are, and I can’t thank you enough! You’ve written me amazing emails and have posted on my Facebook page. You’ve recommended my books to your book clubs and have told your friends. My stories are in the hands of new readers every day, in no small part to all of you. You guys rock, and that’s all there is to it!!!!!!!!!!!
!

And now, without further ado….
Ever After
!!!!!!

Chapter 1

Scotty

I had just left my mother at Nick’s loft, and Nick and I were sitting in the back of his limo, going to the police station. I gripped his hand so hard, I was surprised that I didn’t cut off his circulation. I was dreading what I had to do. Dreading it, yet also looking forward to it. It was going to be a long, arduous process, I knew. But, hopefully, in the end, the predator would be behind bars, and it would all be worth it.

Nick looked at me, his blue eyes filled with sympathy and love. “It’s going to be allright,” he said. “You need to do this.”

I just nodded my head, unable to speak.

I silently prayed that I would find my voice by the time I got the police station.

And then I realized something – it wouldn’t be a big deal actually talking to the police. It was just that, once I put the ball in motion, there would be no stopping it. The horse would be out of the barn. Even if, god forbid, I chickened out in the future, and wanted to stop cooperating with the investigation, that didn’t matter. I knew enough about law and how it worked to know that the police would continue on without me.

Which meant that, once I told the police my story, the case against Mr. Lucas would go forward, my cooperation or no. And that, more than anything else, was what absolutely terrified me right at that very moment.

Finally I croaked out, “I know, Nick, I know I have to do this. But why does it terrify me so much?”

He took a deep breath. “Well, because, this isn’t going to be easy. I know that you know this. But, Mr. Lucas is a very powerful man. The media is going to be all over this. People
are going to know you. Of course, your name is never to be revealed to the media, but you know that people are going to find out your identity, and you won’t be anonymous for long. This is a salacious story, and Mr. Lucas has friends in high places.”

I nodded my head, and felt tears coming to my eyes. Fear constricted my throat, completely. I gripped his hand ever tighter.

Nick continued on. “I’m sorry, Scotty, the last thing I want to do is freak you out even more. But I also want you to be prepared for what’s about to happen. I saw it happen with Ryan, when he was involved in a very newsworthy story with his wife, Iris. Long story short, Iris was kidnapped, tortured and almost killed by a socialite who was obsessed with him. The media was all over them for a little while, and Iris really suffered because of it. There was even a nude photo of her making the viral rounds, and it was only of interest because
she
was of interest. So, yeah, you need to be prepared to be even more violated once this gets out.”

I felt my breath coming, harder and harder. Would I be able to find the strength for this?

I smiled weakly. “Well, maybe the media won’t care about this. He’s not that powerful, is he?”

Nick just looked at me for a few moments. Then he said “I didn’t want to say anything before, but…he has some U.S. Senators in his back pocket. Not that these Senators are going to intervene, but you never know, so just be prepared for the entire thing to be shut down. That’s my fear, anyhow.”

I felt myself start to shake. We were almost to the police station, and now he decides to spring this on me?

“I don’t understand,” I said to Nick. “Why haven’t you revealed this before?”

He looked out the window. “I just found out recently. I’ve been doing some digging, and so has Ryan. Ryan’s friendly with several Senators himself, because of what he does with his animal rights foundation. He was just able to find the connection a few days ago. I…well, I haven’t found the right time to tell you this. But you needed to know before you do this. I want you to have all the facts, so that you know what you’re dealing with.”

I felt myself shaking even more.

But, really, what Nick was telling me wasn’t really news to me. Mr. Lucas’ voice on the plane echoed in my ears –
I own this town, and you’re nobody.

“Um,” I began. “Do you think that his power and wealth was the reason why nobody would believe me before? Or maybe they did believe me, but they knew that nothing would come of it, so they just didn’t want to help?”

Nick nodded his head. “That’s my suspicion,” he said. And then he looked into my eyes. “But I want you to know that I’m with you all the way. This isn’t going to be easy. It’s not going to be the slam dunk that it should be. I’m only telling you these things so that you’re prepared. I don’t want to discourage you from doing this at all. I know that you need to find some peace in your life, and I also know that Mr. Lucas needs to pay for what has done. So, this is necessary, for your peace of mind and to ensure that he never hurts you again.”

I breathed heavily, but said nothing for a little while. I looked at my hand, and it was shaking.

“By back pocket, what do you mean?” I finally asked.

“Mr. Lucas has the ear of several Senators. Basically, when he calls, he talks directly to them. He has contributed millions in campaign funds to these men, and he has their ear.”

I started to feel that this entire thing was going to be hopeless. More hopeless than I had ever imagined that it would be. I mean, I would give my story to the police, but who is to say that they would even do anything about it? They might not even arrest him, let alone charge him with anything. The entire thing might end up being swept under the rug.

And then what? I would have to go through my life knowing that Mr. Lucas not only wouldn’t pay for what he did to me, but that he would probably do it again. If not to me, to somebody else. Or multiple somebody elses.

And I would never feel safe. He was capable of anything, as was shown with him virtually abducting me from that hospital, over my protestations. That hospital was being sued by Nick’s lawyers, but the money that I would win from the settlement that was being negotiated would be cold comfort for what I had to endure.

Just the thought that Mr. Lucas was able to get me out of that hospital, even though I clearly didn’t want that, made me feel like it would happen again in the future. Somehow, someway, he might be able to kidnap me again, and then where would I be?

Nick stroked my hand a little bit. “Honey, you have to be brave,” he said, as the police station loomed ahead. “I’m with you, and, well, I hope you don’t mind, but…”

I looked at him questioningly.

“I made an appointment with a therapist for you. It’s something that I think that you need, after what happened on that island. And what has happened in your life. I know that you have suffered a great deal, and my heart absolutely breaks for you. I really hope that you can make this appointment.”

I smiled at him. He was such a wonderful guy. I really didn’t want to go to therapy. Frankly, I was afraid of it. I didn’t
want to be probed and be forced to process all that I had gone through in my life. It was always just easier for me if I simply tried not to think about it. But, at the same time, I knew that he was right. I did need to talk to somebody about my feelings. I was able to avoid my emotions during my waking hours, but I was having night terrors, more and more frequently, and the night terrors were magnified with the loss of my babies. Therapy would be the best thing for me. I wanted to at least try to move forward with my life, and try to be happy.

Nick deserved that. He deserved a woman who was a little bit less screwed up than I was right at that moment.

I took a deep breath. “Thank you, Nick. I’ll go to the therapist.”

He said nothing, but just smiled and gripped my hand a little bit more.

The limo pulled up to the station.

Nick and I got out.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was going to my execution.

Chapter 2

Nick and I walked into the station and addressed the dispatcher at the window.

“May I help you?” Tanisha, the dispatcher, asked. She was an attractive black woman with cornrow braids.

“Yes,” Nick said. “We’re here to see Officer Miller.”

Tanisha nodded her head, and got on the phone. She addressed Officer Miller, and then nodded her head to us and buzzed us in. “When you go in that door, please wait for Officer Miller to escort you,” she told us.

“Thanks,” Nick said. Then, he took my hand, and the two of us walked through the door and waited for Officer Miller to appear.

After a few minutes, we saw a rather attractive blonde woman heading towards us. She was just a little bit taller than myself, and was very fit. She had hazel eyes and wore very little makeup. Her long hair was secured in a chignon on her head. She sashayed a bit as she walked. She looked to be around 30 years old, not much older.

She looked like one of those stereotypical librarians, who became a night-time temptress after she got off of work.

She got to us, and shook my hand. “I’m Officer Miller,” she said, looking me right in the eye. “You must be Ms. James.”

I nodded my head, and felt instantly more comfortable. I was imagining Officer Miller to be a gruff man who would be giving me an
I’m calling bullshit
look the entire time I talked to him. Not sure why this was the vision that was in my head, but I was happy that the vision of Officer Miller wasn’t true.

“I am,” I said. “And this is Nick. He’s my, uh, significant other. I hope you don’t mind if he sits in with us.”

“Not at all,” she said, and then turned to Nick and shook his hand as well. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you. Follow me.”

Nick and I walked back to Officer Miller’s office, with her leading the way.

We got to the office, and Officer Miller gestured to two tweed chairs that were on the other side of her desk. The desk was made of metal with a formica top, and looked quite inexpensive. Behind Officer Miller there was a bookshelf lined with procedural and law books. The carpet was a well-worn shag in blue. In all, it looked as if this office hadn’t been updated in quite awhile. It was a little bit depressing being in there, as it was cramped and dingy and had hardly any natural light.

It then occurred to me that I was spoiled already. I had grown accustomed to comfort, being at Nick’s loft and the gleaming office building that held Anson and Stroker. This office reminded me too much of my youth- of the social workers, who worked in run-down buildings, and whose offices always smelled of children. Of the police stations where I was brought in after my petty thefts. Of the juvenile halls where I had to report to for my community service. Of the courthouses where I had to go to for my foster care hearings.

I could feel a little bit of the apprehension that I had felt growing up, just sitting there in that office. And that alone made my heart start to race.

But Officer Miller seemed to be very hospitable, so I willed myself to calm down.

“May I offer you a glass of water?” she asked Nick and me.

“Yes, please,” I said. Nick also nodded his head in assent.

At that, Officer Miller got up and went to a little bubbly water jug, and poured us both a cup of water in little plastic cups. She handed them to us, and I took a sip.

She smiled. “So, Ms. James. May I call you Scotty? And you may call me Angie.”

“Yes,” I said. I liked that Angie wanted things to be a little bit informal, as it made the process of talking to her suddenly seem less daunting.

“Okay,” she said. “I understand that you need to talk to me about a sexual assault. I ordered the evidence from Dr. Woods before you got here, so I’ve been able to look this over prior to your arrival.”

I nodded my head, suddenly unable to speak. I took Nick’s hand, and put it into a death grip.

“Now I know that this isn’t going to be easy,” she said. “But I need for you to tell me, in your own words, what happened. Just for the record, with this rape kit, we have enough to charge Paul Lucas with sexual assault. But I need to get your statement on the record as well. I also need to tell you that what you say will be recorded.”

“Yes,” I said. “I figured that it would be.”

“Okay, then,” she said. “Are you ready to begin?”

I looked at Nick, and he stared back at me, his blue eyes encouraging me silently. I then looked back at Angie, and she was also staring at me, with a half-smile on her face. She looked friendly and inviting, so I started to calm down just a hair.

“Uh, okay, let me start at the beginning,” I said.

And, for the next hour, I told Angie my story. I started when I was 13 years old, and was repeatedly raped. Then I told her all about what happened on St. Croix. She carefully made notes, even though my story was also being electronically recorded.

Angie looked thoughtful. “How old did you say that you were?” she asked me.

“23.”

She nodded her head. “Good. You’re just under the wire for the abuse that happened when you were 13.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you mean,” I said.

“There’s a five-year statute of limitations on sexual assault in this jurisdiction. It doesn’t start running until you’re 18, though. So, if you have had your 24
th
birthday, you would be out of luck.”

“I still don’t understand,” I said. “What do you mean by statute of limitations?” I looked at Nick, and he clearly understood what she was getting at, but said nothing. I knew that he could explain it to me – his father is a lawyer, and a prominent one at that. But I wanted my questions answered right then.

“Well, all that ‘statute of limitations’ means is that a crime gets too old after a while to prosecute. Basically, after you turned 18, the clock started running. You had five years from your eighteenth birthday to report the rapes, and, after that, you would have been barred. So, thank goodness you haven’t turned 24 yet.”

I looked at my hands. I was astounded that there would be any kind of time limits on such things. But, then again, I supposed that it made sense. Evidence doesn’t last forever, and people’s memories are fleeting as well. I did feel, however, a sense of foreboding. If I just would have waited a couple of more months, when I turned 24…

“At any rate,” Angie said. “We have plenty of evidence of what happened to you recently, so, even if you didn’t report the earlier rapes until the statute of limitations had run, we still would be able to bring Mr. Lucas to justice. Of course, it helps our case that we can bring in all of the assaults that happened when you were younger. I know that this is a delicate question, but do you know approximately how many times you were assaulted?”

“This time, or the time before?” I asked.

“This time. And then try to remember how many the time before. I understand if you don’t know, but we can bring a charge against him for every time he did this to you. That would help ensure that he can get the maximum sentence.”

I took a deep breath, and felt my entire body starting to shake. I was only on that island for a few days, but the rapes happened at least ten times while I was there.

“Um, this time, there was, uh, 10 counts.”

I couldn’t look Nick in the eye, but I felt him squeeze my hand again.

“And, when I was thirteen…” I had to think, hard, about that. It had happened every night that Elle wasn’t there, for about a year. But there were often times when it happened several times a night. So…. “I would say that there were probably 400 times when I was thirteen.” That seemed like a realistic number over the course of one year.

Nick again squeezed my hand. He knew what had happened to me, of course. But my quantifying it somehow made it more real for me, and probably for him as well.

“Of course, I didn’t keep track,” I continued, “but, it, uh, happened every night, except on weekends, when his wife would visit. And often multiple times a night.”

Angie nodded, and her hazel eyes looked sympathetic. I had to admit that I was happy, once again, that I was talking to a woman. A woman who obviously believed my story. This
was already such a different experience than the last time I tried to tell people about what had happened.

Angie offered me some more water, and I gratefully accepted it with shaking hands. “Thank you,” I said.

“You’re very welcome,” Angie said. Then she paused meaningfully. “Scotty, I don’t want you to have any illusions as to what’s going to happen. Unfortunately, Mr. Lucas is very well-known and counts many powerful people as friends. This isn’t going to be easy for you, so brace yourself. But, I promise you, I’m going to give this report to the prosecutor as soon as you leave, and we will make an arrest immediately. We take this report very seriously, and from the looks of the pictures and the other evidence in that rape kit, you suffered greatly. But I just don’t want you to go out of this office thinking that this is going to be an open and shut case. Because it will be far from that.”

At that, she patted my hands a little, and touched my forearm.

I nodded my head. “I know, Angie. I understand that there’s a great chance that he will walk. The privileged usually do. They can hire the best attorneys, and people like Mr. Lucas can pull some powerful strings to make it all go away. But I really feel that I have to try. I have to try, so that I can find some peace. And I also want to make sure that all other girls and women are safe from him.”

“Of course,” Angie said. “And the prosecutor will be vigorously pursuing this. She always does, no matter who the perpetrator is. She’s gone up against some very wealthy and powerful people before, so she’s not a shrinking violet. You’ll be in good hands.”

“Do you know her conviction rate?”

“It’s 90%, so she has one of the highest conviction rates in her office.”

“What about her conviction rate for the wealthy and connected?”

Angie looked down at her hands. “Well, that’s a little bit lower, as you might imagine. From what I understand, she’s only won about 10% of the cases where the defendant has made over $500,000 a year. And that’s rather high, in and of itself.”

I put my fingers on my temple and looked down at my feet. Then I looked back at Angie. “Too bad Mr. Lucas isn’t poor and using the public defender’s office, huh?” I said with a weak smile.

She looked sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Scotty. I wish that I had better statistics to give to you. But, the reality of this world is that the rich rarely get put into prison. That’s why it’s such big news when one of the upper crust actually does get a lengthy sentence in the penitentiary. But, please trust me when I tell you that the prosecutor who will be assigned this case, Tanya Wright, will pursue this just like any other case. She’s very hard-nosed, and takes no prisoners. You’re in great hands with her.”

“But there’s still a 90% chance that Mr. Lucas is going to walk,” I said.

Angie said nothing, but just looked at me with an expression that said
I’m so sorry, Scotty. But, yes, he probably will end up walking.

I looked at Nick, and he had the same expression as Angie. After all, Angie was just echoing what it was that he had told me in the limo. Not to expect much, but, if I did nothing, then there was a 100% chance that Mr. Lucas would get away with it.

At least there was some chance for justice.

As low as that chance actually was.