Chapter Forty-Eight

Callie lost her appetite and wheeled out the half-eaten food for service to come and collect it. She had to get back to the one thing that would save her thinking about Jon, working. Besides, that’s what she was here for. As much as she didn’t want to see Doc, she needed to find out what the hell she was up against, and what the hell he’d been up to.

She dressed again, casually with jeans a tee and her suit jacket. She grabbed her files and slipped out into the hallway.

“Hey gorgeous!”

She smiled into deep brown eyes that often than not always had a sneaky smile accompanying them. “Hey Richie.”

“Where are you off to, I hope Jonny’s looking after you.” He propped his elbow against the wall as his lanky frame rested there.

“He’s fine.”

Richie chuckled, “code for don’t go there huh?”

She sighed and straightened up the folder packed with papers, “I guess. I’m not here for anything but to help him out Richie.” As long as she kept telling herself, she’d eventually believe it.

“Uh huh, and why did you come in the end?” He popped his knuckles and lifted his brows.

“To save his career, no one deserves this – not him, when he’s worked so hard for this. I can separate emotion from reason Richie, I do it every day.” She was surprised she almost sounded believable.

Richie snorted, “Yes you may be able to Callie. I can read people, and I read you.”

Her brow winged, “you do? And what exactly do I say?” That was dangerous, she wasn’t in the mood for reality checks.

He reached out and brushed his thumb down her arm, “you’re here because you care about Jonny, you want to care more because you’re in love with him but you’re scared to get your heart broken again.”

“Richie—“

“It hurt so much the first time, you’re not sure if you can manage it again, and you’re wondering now if he even cares for you the way you care about him. I can tell you, he does. Jonny doesn’t love easily, and when he does, he makes ridiculous mistakes but I can tell you one thing Callie…”

She wanted to get out of here now, this was too much…she couldn’t’ even refute the source, it was Richie for god’s sake. One of the most generous and kind people she knew. Her fingers gripped the folder, god it did still hurt, Callie didn’t love easily… hell she wasn’t even sure if before Jon she had loved, like this. “Richie, I have to go…” she didn’t even look back as she walked down the corridor to Doc’s room, but she heard it.

“When he loves, he loves for life.”

She closed her eyes as she stood outside the door, trembling and desperate to hold some form of composure. She heard another door open, and then silence. He was gone, but he’d left his words, she doubt she’d ever forget.

Take a deep breath and do this, do this and get the hell out of here.

She rapped her knuckles against the door and forced a smile on her face when Doc answered.

“Callie – what a surprise?”

Oh god, she remembered how much she couldn’t’ stand the man but that wasn’t what was important here, god, it wasn’t as if she was defending Hitler... “Hi Doc, I’m here to help.”

The surprise registered on his face, “you did? Wow, that’s very kind of you but we’ve got another lawyer looking after this.” He paused and held the door open. “Your loyalty to Jon impresses me though. He’s moved on from your little marriage.”

Once a rat, always a rat.

“Actually Doc, no I’m the lawyer now, since you have no money. Sherwood Manning is not interested in clearing your name for free unless there is a massive media circus with him as the star of the show. So I’m here, as I don’t want Jon’s career marred by his stupid manager thinking he can make a fast buck on the side from trafficking drugs.” She smiled smugly, “so do you want my help – so your career isn’t washed up and your sorry ass isn’t thrown in jail – or not?”

Take that ass. The man was a snake, Jon had this amazing loyalty to people sometimes she couldn’t’ understand, but then maybe that was one of the things that made her lov-respect him.

His eyes widened and he blew out his breath. “Wow, ok – of course I do. Come in.”

She settled her things down on the desk in the corner of the room, first thing she noticed is his room had a hell of a lot more “features” than Jon’s did, typical. She could do this, she could move the bubbling anger in her gut and do this for him – for Jon.

“So tell me, everything and don’t lie. I need to know what we’re dealing with here.” She clicked her pen and waited for him to sit in the chair.

“Well, it’s true – I was trafficking drugs. I’ve been doing it for a few months now,” he scratched the back of his head as Callie imagined a man like Doc didn’t admit his mistakes that easily. “At first it was meant to be a one-off, I got paid to take some drugs from one place to another, as we were travelling with the band. I got paid generously for it, and didn’t think anything of it until the recipient offered me more work and more money – and it just kind of spiralled from there.”

She scribbled away as he talked about times and dates, as they could map them to what shows the guys were doing at the time. “And what did you do with the money?” It was irrelevant but she sure as shit couldn’t imagine he’d be generous with it.

“We were broke, god you know how broke we’ve been doing this. I used it to get by – buy the band a few things here and there.”

“Can you prove that? Receipts etc?”

He shrugged, “yea, I’ve kept them but I’m not sure how that’s relevant to this.”

Callie made a few quick notes, “if we can prove what state your finances were in and what you were using with this money, it will show a little of your character, even though you’re doing something highly illegal—you’re not using the money to guy and buy issues of playboy and piss it all away on drugs etc.” She met his eyes, “well all of it.”

He nodded, “right – ok. Well I can probably find some things for you.”

“You’re in control of all the finances for Bon Jovi?”

He nodded again. “I was, Jon wants some changes with that after this. But for the time in question, yes.”

Smart man, she thought as she compiled the sorry ass story down. She finished the details of the drugs and dealers. Her mind was quickly spinning, and calculating. If he had no criminal records before this, and no evidence pointed to that – it helped. She could try and plead guilt and play Doc a little dumb. It was worth a shot, he might get limited jail time or even community service. The jury could take compassion on him, and he could get a smack on the hand, but she doubted that as it wasn’t as if he was doing it to feed his starving family or something.

“Ok, so no criminal convictions I need to worry about?”

He shook his head, “nope this is it. What do you think? Honestly?”

“I think you’re first of all a stupid man for thinking you’d ever get away with this. Secondly, you’re stupid for doing this and risking these boys’ careers, especially when they’ve just made it. You jeopardised everything they’ve worked for – their dreams…” She paused as she let the guilt wash over his face and seep slowly into him. “But that all being said and done, I think I can do something here. I can try, and I will. For Jon’s sake.”

“Really? What am I looking at worse case scenario?”

She pushed her papers back into the folder, “Five years inside—if anymore damning evidence comes to light, and you’ve got anything else you haven’t told me about…however, the way I want to spin this, I think there is a good chance you’ll get away with a hefty fine and community service time. Just …maybe.” What was the harm in making him squirm just a little? Serves him damn right.

“Wow, I – “he clasped his hands together. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You can thank me by not screwing with Jon’s career in future, and this does come with one condition.”

“Oh?”

“After this is all over, if Jon for whatever reason decides to keep you on – god forbid. I’m drawing up a new contract that gives him all final rights over the band. He can decide the financials of it all, but it puts him in charge, to hire and fire.”

“I must admit, I under estimated you Callie. Wow…” He nodded, “I’ll agree to that.”

“Good, then there will be no fee for my service if you can give me your word on this. And if you play me Doc, I can make your life hell, you have to know that.”

“I do, shit…ok…I’ll take it.” They shook on it like a business deal.

Not bad for a days’ work she thought as she left him for the night, they could continue tomorrow, they had one more concert tomorrow night and then they were moving on. She’d arrange to have this tried back in Jersey if she could manage it.

She had him right where she wanted, god knows she had a lot of work to do for this to play out right. But she knew this game like the back of her hand, and knew what buttons to push when it came to the court of law.

He deserved what he got, she knew that. But as long as his name was connected with Jon, she had to do what was best for Jon, and the band. She slipped back into her room, she glanced longingly at her bed. She was beat, but she had a paper to finish for her study. She picked the phone up and ordered a pot of a large pot of coffee, and sank into her books.

It was going to be a long night.