Page 57 of Lucifer's Revenge
“Bandit said that if I’m going to press charges for the vandalism, then the DA might want to see the actual carnage in real time.”
“Ah, if he can see it as it is now, then make sure they have enough pictures for when it goes to court.”
“Exactly. However, once he gives the okay to clean it up, I’m going to rent a dumpster and take everything out and throw it away. Then I’m going to go in and clean everything, and get the steam cleaners in to deep clean everything.” She shook her head and sighed heavily.
“What?”
“I’m probably going to have to rip up the carpets and replace them.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“I’m not saying I won’t clean up the mess, I will. I have to, but I don’t know if I want to live in that house again. I know it’s just a house, but it was mine, and I feel violated because of thedamage. I don’t know what to do beyond cleaning up the mess and fixing any structural damages, maybe slapping on some new paint, but I don’t want to live there again.”
“Are you saying that you would sell it?”
“Yes, but I don’t know where I’ll go. I don’t know if I’ll find an apartment to rent, or purchase a new home.”
They were both silent for several minutes before Lucius leaned forward and took her hands in his. “Or, you could take the insurance money from your possessions, sell your home, combine that money and invest it. We’ve been together for weeks now, and I have absolutely no problem with you continuing to live here with me.” When it looked like she was going to speak, he shook his head, and laid one finger gently over her lips. “Don’t answer now, think about it. We still have time. But know this.”
“What?”
“When you get the clearance to clean out the house, it will be a club project. With all of us working together, you can get it cleaned out in one day, then you can sit back and decide if you need to rip up the carpets, change out any tile or hardwood, and paint. You will not be alone in this, Lilith.”
“Thank you,” Lilith breathed a sigh of relief knowing she wouldn’t have to face the daunting task of cleaning out the house on her own.
Lucius stood and started gathering the breakfast dishes. “Go shower, I’ll clean up here, if you don’t mind, I want to catch a few hours of sleep. We’ve both been up for over twenty-four hours.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said as she rose, kissed the side of his mouth, and walked out of the room. As soon as she left, Lucius hurried over to the drawer with the kitchen towels, dug into the back, and sighed in relief when he found the small black velvet box he had put there weeks ago. He opened it and saw the engagement ring winking in the light at him.
“Soon,” he told the ring, and instead of returning it to the drawer, he put it in the empty coffee can in the cupboard above the refrigerator. The one Lilith couldn’t reach without dragging a chair over. With a smile on his face, he whistled as he finished cleaning up from the breakfast she had cooked for them.
Chapter 25
“Mr. King, please state your name and for the record,” the judge said as Lucius sat down after being sworn in to testify at the trial of Brenda Smith.
“Lucius King,” Luc said with clear precision. He was dressed in one of the suits he reserved for when he had important business meetings with the bank.
“I’m going to get right to the point,” the lawyer for Brenda said as he rose from his side of the courtroom. “Is it true that you cheated on my client to go out on a date with a,” he paused and went back to his notes and flipped through several pages. “Lilith Richards?”
“No.”
“Is it also true, wait, what did you say?”
“I said no. I did not cheat on Ms. Smith, because we were never an item. I met Ms. Smith three hours before my already scheduled date with Lilith.”
“So, you didn’t stand my client up on numerous occasions in order to be with Ms. Richards?”
“No. In case you didn’t hear me a few seconds ago, let me repeat myself so you will hear me.Ms. Smith and I were never an item.” Lucius looked over at Fred, the Assistant District Attorney and tried not to smirk when the other guy rolled his eyes. The two of them had grown up together, and to see them now, no one would have believed how their lives turned out.
Back in the day, Fred was the bad boy biker who never cared for school, was always in trouble, and headed down a path of no return. Lucius, on the other hand, had been a straight A student and never broke one rule. One night, their lives had crossed paths, and they ended up saving each other. Now, Fred was a lawyer, and though he had an MBA, and owned his ownbusiness, Lucius was the one who had the reputation for being the bad boy.
“Excuse me?” Lucius whipped his head around and looked at Brenda’s lawyer. “I didn’t quite catch that, could you repeat that?”
“Is it true that you refused to pay Ms. Smith’s bail because you wanted her out of the way so you could continue your affair with Ms. Richards.”
Lucius looked around wildly, then turned to the judge, but not before seeing disgust on the faces of the women in the jury.
“Your Honor, may I speak frankly and freely? I don’t want to be charged with contempt of court for what I have to say. This guy,” he said as he threw his hand out toward the lawyer asking the questions. “Can’t seem to hear correctly.”
