Page 13 of Rico

He took a deep, ragged breath and let it out slowly. It had been a long time since he’d told his story to anyone. “So, they arrested me and charged me with rape and attempted murder. I was fingerprinted, photographed, and tossed into a cell. From there, I was arraigned and taken to jail because the bail was set too high for my aunt and uncle to get me out. I was in there two days before my friend Scout found out.

“His parents had known me for years and knew I was gay and wouldn’t have ... wouldn’t have raped anyone, especially not a girl. They hired a lawyer and bailed me out of jail. It was three weeks later that the DA’s office got the lab results back on the rape kit done on the girl at the hospital. I wasn’t a match—not even close—and all the charges were dropped.

“What they think happened was, since I was the last person she interacted with before the brutal attack, her mind focused on me because I was the only one she could remember talking to that day. They eventually connected the suspect to three other rapes before they caught him. He’s serving life in prison because one of the girls he raped and beat didn’t make it.”

Evan reached over and grasped Rico’s hand. Rico held onto it like a lifeline. His eyes watered when he realized Evan believed him. Unfortunately, Rico wasn’t done yet. “There’s more. A year after the attack, the girl committed suicide. She left two letters behind—one for her parents and one for me. She couldn’t handlethe aftermath of the rape anymore, nor the fact that she almost sent an innocent man to prison. She begged me to forgive her.”

“My God.” Evan took several deep breaths before turning to Brian. “How did you find out about the arrest?”

The teen’s gaze was now on the floor. “I did one of those background checks on him and Steve, the guy Mom’s dating. It said he’d been arrested.”

“That information’s still out there for anyone to see even though the charges were dropped?” Evan’s eyes were wide in disbelief and outrage.

Rico nodded. “Yeah, but it’s not supposed to be. Not long after Christina—that was the girl’s name—killed herself, I started seeing a guy. He did one of those searches, too, after our third date. Apparently, the record wasn’t expunged like it was supposed to be. The guy got a few of his buddies together and came after me to dole out some justice. They wouldn’t listen when I tried to tell them it was a false arrest. Beat the crap out of me and put me in the hospital for a few days. They didn’t think I’d have the courage to press charges, but I did, and they did prison time. My record was finally expunged, but once it’s on one of those random background-check sites, it’s almost impossible to get it off.”

The hand still holding his squeezed. “Shit. How the hell did you get through all that and come out of it okay?”

Rico snorted, then wiped his wet eyes with his free hand. “My family and Scout. My best friend was there for all of it, and I’ll be grateful to him forever.” He pointed to the file on the coffee table. “Brian, all the proof of my innocence is in there. I’ve kept everything in case I ever needed it. I care about your dad—he means a lot to me. I was going to tell him about all this at some point, but it’s a heavy subject, and I just hadn’t found the right time to drop it on him. But now that it’s out, I don’t want thishanging like a dark cloud over our relationship. Can we put it behind us?”

When the teen lifted his head, tears rolled down his cheeks. “I’m—I’m sorry, Dad. I thought I was protecting you.”

Releasing Rico’s hand, Evan pulled Brian into a tight embrace. “It’s okay, son. It’s okay.”

When he glanced over his shoulder, Rico’s gaze met his, and he nodded. Itwasgoing to be okay.

Seven

Evan held Rico’s hand as they strode up the front walkway leading to the home in Oakland he and Susan bought from her parents fifteen years ago when the older couple decided to retire to Arizona. At first, being a guest in the house he’d lived in with Susan and the boys was odd, but this time, it felt different. He looked forward to introducing his ex-wife to Rico. He would also meet the man Susan had dated for several weeks. Steve Probst was a radiologist and, according to Mark and Brian, a cool guy after he took the boys and Susan to a Giants game recently.

Things were better between Rico and Brian since Rico explained his past to the teen. Brian was worried he fucked up Evan and Rico’s relationship, but the latter assured him they could move past the confrontation. Rico finally met Mark the other night when the four of them went out for pizza and a trip to a local driving range open after dark to hit some golf balls. Evan was pleasantly surprised to discover that Rico enjoyed the sport, and they had a tee time next Saturday with Scout and Alex at the Olympic Club, a private golf course and social club that hosted big tournaments like the U.S. Open.

Out of courtesy to Susan, Evan knocked on the door before pushing it open. She’d left it unlocked for them. “Sue?”

“In the kitchen,” was her response.

He led Rico through the three-bedroom, two-bath house to the kitchen, where Susan stood at the stove, stirring something in a pot. Standing beside the island in the middle of the room was a tall, blond man with a mustache and goatee, mixing salad in a large bowl. Susan smiled broadly as she came over to give Evan a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Once again, he was reminded how lucky he was to have her in his life.

Pivoting, Evan gestured toward Rico. “Susan, this is Rico Demara.”

Not surprisingly, she gave Rico a hug and a peck on the cheek too. “It’s so nice to meet you finally. This is Steve Probst. Steve, this is Evan and Rico.”

The men shook hands, and then Susan returned to the stove, telling Evan to get drinks for himself and Rico. Evan had been worried about Steve’s reaction to not only having dinner with his girlfriend’s ex-husband but also said ex-husband’s boyfriend, but it didn’t seem to faze the man. Within minutes, Rico and Steve were in a discussion about the Cock & Bull, which Steve had eaten a few times. Susan caught Evan’s eye and winked at him, causing him to chuckle.

Yup, it looked like dinner would be a relaxing and enjoyable event.

After dinner, Rico excused himself when his cell phone rang. The number on the screen was for the Cock & Bull, and he went out the back door to the patio before connecting the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Rico, it’s Gino.”

Gino Demara was Rico’s younger cousin, who he lived with after his parents were killed. Still trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, Gino flittered from one job to the next over the years but worked as a bartender at the C&B since it opened.

“What’s up?”

“Just wanted to let you know Brett had to go to the hospital for stitches. He was filleting some fish and sliced himself up pretty good.” Brett was their sous chef.

“Shit. Do you need me to come in?”

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