Page 59 of Beck

“Time to go,” Becca said, interrupting gently.

They all shared determined gazes and squared their shoulders. They headed for the building, Beck never once removing his hand from Kole’s, and joined the mass of people. Breaking through after several greetings, they climbed the steps and entered, the warmth from inside not even touching the ice Kole held inside. The feeling of being watched had never abated, but he couldn’t concentrate on that right then. He had other things to focus on.

It didn’t take them long to be guided to the room used for the hearing. The audience, so to speak, entered the court room, while the witnesses—and the person supporting them—headed for another room. They wouldn’t be allowed in the main roomuntil they had given evidence, and right then, they didn’t know who would be called on first. They had a police officer in the room with them, ensuring they weren’t talking about anything they shouldn’t be, but Kole internally laughed at that. If they had wanted to talk about it, they would’ve done it before then.

Surprisingly, it was barely half an hour before Beck was called in. Kole settled into a chair next to Ethan in the front row while Beck continued through to the witness chair. What followed was an hour of excruciatingly painful details about what Beck went through. He gave every detail they asked him and didn’t lose his cool when the defendants tried to paint him in a poor light.

Once Beck was done, he settled beside Kole and grabbed his hand, squeezing hard and shaking so much that Kole wasn’t sure how he was still sitting on the chair.

And on it went. Person after person, account after account, a list as long as some of the most prolific bad guys Kole had ever heard of. Not everyone who Drake had hurt had come to court that day, but it wasn’t necessary. The Prices had gone on the stand but told complete lies from Kole’s point of view.

“The court finds Drake Price guilty of eight counts of rape of a minor, twenty-three counts of rape, eighteen counts of coercion of a minor and eleven counts of aggravated assault. He is sentenced to fifty-two years to be served consecutively,” the judge announced. He turned to Drake. “You are a horrible man, and it’s my great pleasure to ensure you will not be released for the foreseeable future. Take him away.”

Kole watched Drake as the guards came up to him. His face was pale, but he hadn’t lost the smirk that had always been present whenever they had been in each other’s company. Unfortunately, he also turned to look at Beck, and that smirk turned into a grin. “See you in your dreams, Beck,” he called, winking before the guards dragged him off.

“Asshole,” Ethan muttered from beside him.

Kole focused on Beck. “Are you okay?”

Beck faced him and smiled, surprising him. “I’m great. Because, do you know what?” Kole didn’t need to reply. Beck cupped his jaw and brushed his thumb over his cheek. “He’s wrong. It’s not him I’ll see in my dreams. It’s you.” Beck kissed him chastely before pulling back.

Kole chuckled. “See? You’re a charmer. Always have been.”

He wasn’t delusional. He knew it wouldn’t be as easy as Beck said, that he would need help to get through what would continue to be a difficult time for him, but he also knew Beck wouldn’t give up.

As they exited the court, Ryker waited for them. “We’re happy to escort anyone who would like the extra support. Just let me know so I can divide us up.”

“Thanks, Ryker,” said Joey. “Let me ask.”

Joey disappeared, leaving them with the biker. Although Kole’s initial reaction had been stereotypical—a reaction he was going to try to stop happening—he could see the concern and affection the man had for the crew. How that came about, he wasn’t privy to at that moment, but he was certain they would tell him, eventually.

“I haven’t experienced what you went through, Beck, but if you need anything at all, any of you, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Okay?”

Beck held out his hand. “Thank you, Ryker. I will.”

The man disappeared into the crowd—an amazing feat for someone who towered above others—and Beck exhaled. Kole slid his arm around his waist.

“What do you want to do now?”

“Sleep for a week.” Beck smiled down at him, the exhaustion evident.

“Come on, then. I’m told I’m a good tucker-in-er.” Kole grinned, ignoring the goosebumps rising on the back of his neck again.

Beck chuckled. “I can believe it.”

“If you need anything at all…” Ethan said.

If Kole could’ve offered to drive them home, he would have, but he didn’t know how to ride a bike. Beck got them home safely, and when they entered his house, he stopped in the centre of the room. Kole stepped carefully around him until he faced him. The blank expression didn’t fool him. He slid his hand into Beck’s and tugged him towards the stairs without saying a word.

It went to show exactly how exhausted Beck was that he didn’t argue with anything Kole did. He undressed him to his boxers and encouraged him to lie down, pulling the covers over him before crouching beside him.

“I’ll be here if you need anything.”

Beck nodded slowly, his eyelids already closing. His eyes snapped open again. “I didn’t say bye to Donovan.”

Kole shushed him gently. “He’ll understand. You can call him later.”

Kole remained there until Beck’s even breathing showed he was asleep, and then he headed for the kitchen, needing a drink. A hot one, not an alcoholic one. As the kettle boiled, he scrubbed his hands over his face and hair, with the feeling of needing to stretch from being confined for a long period. Maybe it had something to do with how long it had taken for them to get to that point. He couldn’t imagine what people went through if they’d had to wait months or even years before they got a result. He’d be eternally grateful to the police officers for expediting the court case. He didn’t want to envisage how emotionally unstable they would’ve been if they had to wait much longer.

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