“With what?”
“I’m not sure. Whatever it was, though, was enough to scare him into dropping the charges.”
“Do you know who the guy is?”
Nodding, I say, “His name is Tyler McNamara.”
It looks like Bodhi’s seen a ghost. His face goes sheet white as his ice-blue eyes dart to mine, hand coming up to cover his mouth. “Oh, my God.”
“What? Do you know him?”
He shakes his head. “No, but I know his uncle.”
My stomach drops, knowing whatever comes next isn’t going to be good. “Who’s his uncle?”
“One of Charles’s old poker buddies,” he states. “He’s one of the guys Charles used me as repayment to for debt. The first one.”
My vision blurs. I see red—blood red… as in Charles’s blood if I ever get my hands on him. “So, you probably think it’s not a coincidence or inaccurate that this guy pressed charges?”
“Probably not. So, what now?”
“This is probably enough to obtain a search warrant to search through Charles’s things—his home, his car, his work, any storage units he may have. It’s not guaranteed that we’ll find anything, but given how reckless and hotheaded he seems to be, there’s a good chance they’ll be able to find something.”
This next part is what I’ve been dreading saying, but it’s probably the most important part. He must see the apprehension on my face. “There’s more, isn’t there?” he asks.
“Tyler agreed to come forward and testify again, but it’s already been a few years, plus he dropped the charges. The case would be stronger if they had another person testifying. Someone else who—”
“Was abused by Charles, too,” Bodhi finishes for me.
“Yeah…”
Neither of us says anything for a moment, the air in the room thick with tension. It’s asking a lot of him. Most sexual assault victims choose to not come forward simply because the judicial system so often fails those who do, especially men. And this is coming from someone who works in the judicial system. Victims of abuse and sexual assault don’t have the protection and the backing they deserve when it comes to convicting their abusers. It’s why so many cases go unreported.
Finally, he asks barely above a whisper, “Do you really think we have an actual shot at getting him?”
“I do,” I reply honestly. “I think if we’re able to get a search warrant, and my PI is able to keep digging into people who may have information, and if you both testify, I think we have a real shot at taking his ass down.”
Bodhi peers over at me, eyes so full of fear, but also maybe a little hope. “Okay… I think we should do it.”
I let out a deep breath, pulling him into me. He clings on to me like I’m the answer to all his prayers, and maybe I am… but he’s also the answer to all of mine. If anybody deserves justice, if anybody deserves to finally have a win… it’s Bodhi. He’s been through more in the last year than most people experience in their entire life.
He deserves a solid win. He deserves to breathe easily. He deserves to know with full certainty that something like what Charles did to him will never happen to him again.
And I plan to ensure all of that happens.
Chapter Forty-Four
Bodhi King
Two Months Later
The sun beats down on me, the air thick and warm, as I walk down the steps in front of the courthouse.
It’s done.
It’s finally fucking over.
The moment I never, ever thought I’d get to see. Today, August twenty-first, Charles Allen King III was arrested on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. He’s going away for a while, and fuck, does it feel good.
