Chapter 4

Jake

My feet tapped impatiently on the floor whilst Todd paced back and forth, making phone calls and waking up every lawyer and judge in London. I was not an impatient man or easily rattled. But knowing my wife had been wrongly accused and brought specifically to a jail that was owned by Carter Dickson had me on a cliff edge.

He was getting me back for losing his last case.

He had pulled every trick in the book to get the case thrown out because he knew, despite us both attending university together, he wasn't half the lawyer I was. Of course, all my level-headed thinking had evaporated the second the police came with a warrant for Stephanie's arrest and she was put in fucking handcuffs.

It had been hours since I had seen her.

What was she thinking back there?

No doubt scared out of her mind, but I swore tonight would be the only time Carter would put her in a cell, would take her from me.

It was 4 a.m., and something in my gut twisted. Things were taking too long. It was all moving too slowly. The policeman behind the desk was drinking a fucking cup of tea and had dunked his sixth biscuit like this was another slow Tuesday whilst my wife was behind bars for something she didn't fucking do.

Before I knew it, I was on my feet, my fingers sliding back my hair that kept falling in my face from how many times I had tugged on it. "Can I get an update, please? I would like to see my client," I gritted out painfully, forcing a smile in the process. The policeman slowly looked up at me, his biscuit halfway between the tea and his mouth, before he shrugged.

"You'll have to wait until morning like I informed you already. It's policy." He even fucking smirked at the end as something snapped and my fists slammed down on his desk, causing his tea to spill over the desk, mushy floating biscuit blending with his papers.

"That's not good enough!" I yelled as the man stood up, narrowing his eyes and glaring at me. He pointed at me before I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder and pull me away from the desk.

"Apologies... Ken, he is not a morning person," Todd apologized for me as I snarled at the man. Prick.

Todd dragged me away. He looked wired, alert, and kept bobbing on the balls of his feet.

"What is it?" I demanded. I needed answers, and I needed them yesterday.

"Jake—you need to get it together. You're no good to Stephanie behind bars. I told you we will get her out, but we can't just storm past the man and break her out of jail..." My head whipped to the door that we had gone through earlier. Finally, Todd was making some sense and had a few good ideas up in that brain of his.

His hand squeezed my shoulder as I turned back to look at him. "As I was saying," he cleared his throat, his face turning neutral like it would for a client, not his fucking boss. He was about to spell out my options, but the clock kept ticking in agonizing slowness that it felt as if it was going backwards.

"Get. To. The. Point. Todd." Seven hours ago, I had whisked Stephanie off our private jet. Our friends had been over to throw a surprise welcome home drinks. I couldn't have been happier. My beautiful, strong, talented wife. The love of my life was mine forever, to be by my side. Only to be ripped away from me like the fucking tide.

Twelve hours ago, she was in my arms—begging for more. For me. Now I couldn't do anything... just wait. I swore to protect her, and I hadn't even managed a month of us being married to look after her.

"I managed to wake up Judge Ambrose, who is reviewing the arrest warrant I just emailed over to him. If we can get him to rush through the habeas corpus, we can get her out. Hell, we can probably even do it sooner as they haven't even questioned Stephanie. They will need to release her unless they can convict her of those charges, and in which case I'll have the judge sign a bail motion." Todd tried to reassure me, but all I heard was that Stephanie was still behind bars and I wouldn't be able to get her out.

"Todd. My wife is not spending another night in jail. I don't give a fuck who you have to call, what favors we owe them, how much they bill us for waking them up. GET. HER. OUT." He nodded, picking up his phone from his pocket once again and dialing another number.

I checked my own phone, seeing several calls and messages from Stephanie's friends and my own asking for updates. As Stephanie's husband, I wasn't technically allowed to be her lawyer or handle her case. If I did, it could jeopardize everything, which is why I was sitting here in the waiting area like an idiot.

I had half a mind to get in my car and drive across the city to wake up Judge Ambrose and force him to sign the damn paperwork. Ambrose was not my favorite by any stretch, but he, as far as I know, wasn't in Carter's back pocket the way the head of the police was. Of course, the idea of leaving the police station whilst Stephanie was here felt like a betrayal. I promised I wouldn't leave until she did.

My feet tapped away as I stared at the clock, letting Todd do his thing. The minutes ticked by slowly. The morning rays slowly seeping in as I pinched my eyes shut tight. Come on, come on.

Also, this fucking paperwork. I should have seen it coming. I should have been more prepared to protect her. Fuck, was I too arrogant to think Carter wouldn't stoop this low?

I knew he was sneaky, but was he really this hell-bent on one-upping me? He lost a few cases to me and I was top of our class, none of which is a reason to take someone's wife. I knew he was shady and had his fingers in a lot of illegal pies—I'd been so fucking blind to his true nature.

I would have protected Stephanie better.

Finally, the clock reached 7 a.m., and Todd hung up the phone, turning to me with a nod and a tight smile. "Ambrose has sent the paperwork over. We can get her out." His words hit me like a brick, the weight of them settling on me, and I took my first real breath in a long time.

"Fuck." We both walked to the front desk where a different policeman was sitting. This was a scrawny-looking kid with spots over his chin and large nose. A shift change wasn't unusual, but for some reason it irked me. This kid looked like he was fresh out of nappies and wouldn't know his arse from his elbow. This was the kid that was going to get my wife and bring her to me?

Todd must have had much of the same thoughts I did before he tensed his jaw before he plastered on a fake smile. "Good morning... Angel." We both did a double take seeing the kid's ID badge. He gave us a sheepish smile, and what his mum thought was cute when he was first born was clearly now haunting him for the rest of his life.

Todd cleared his throat and carried on, trying not to make the kid feel too uncomfortable. "I have a habeas corpus and would like to get my client released under a false arrest." Todd handed him the phone with the documents so he could begin filling in the correct information. He stared at it blankly, reading it through. "The name is Stephanie Summers. Release her now," I ordered. Any politeness or etiquette had long gone out the window.

The kid blinked up at me, looking confused, but he typed the name into the computer system. He carried on typing some more and clicking buttons before he ended up pulling another face. He looked down at Todd's phone, pressing a few more mouse clicks before he handed the phone back and looked at the two of us.

"I'm sorry, we don't have a prisoner here by that name." He looked a little unsure as he responded, and that twist in my gut was kicking and thumping. "What did you just say?" My heart started to race, the noise of the station and traffic outside building as the kid turned back and started clicking buttons here and there.

Todd didn't glance at me. If he did, I would lose it. He checked again, clearly sensing something was wrong, before he got up off his swivel chair and walked around the back.

"Calm down, he is probably new," Todd whispered as my knuckles turned white gripping the counter. A burly policeman followed the kid back out before he eyed us up, looking pissed that someone was bothering him at 7:10 a.m. in the morning.

He looked at the screen, did some checking before he shook his head. "Listen, lads, you got the wrong station. There is no one here under that name." My fingers were about to snap this wood in half.

"Try Stephanie Bridges," I ordered as the kid looked at the file.

"That's not what it says on the habeas—"

"Just do it!" I was close to yelling now, and the burly policeman gave me a look as he folded his arms over his chest. The kid typed away as I glared at it.

"Sorry, still nothing." Fuck. Fuck. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

"We have been here all night. I followed your police car down here to speak with my wife. I even had her meet with her lawyer, and you're telling me she isn't here! Where the fuck is she?" I bellowed. The kid paled, and the older man unfolded his arms.

"There is no record of any Stephanie being arrested last night. Now I don't have time for anyone wasting policemen's time. Another peep out of either of you and I'll have you both booked for obstructing justice!" he explained as I gaped at him.

Was he fucking kidding me?

I was about to swing my fucking fist in his face when Todd snatched his phone back and dragged me out of the station.

The cold morning air hit me as I tried to get back inside.

"Todd, let me fucking go. Where is my wife!" I roared, pointing and yelling at the man behind the desk. A few passersby stopped to stare before giving us a wide berth.

"I don't know, but we will figure it out. Just give me some time." It was a reasonable request, but I was anything but reasonable. I had already broken my promise to my wife. She was God knows where in this city, and I had no leads or way of finding her. She could have been taken out of the fucking country for all I knew.

"Get me everything on Carter Dickson by 12 p.m. sharp, Todd, or so help me your legal career will be over before you even blink," I warned before storming off to head back to my penthouse.