Gravity

Chapter 21

*April 7th 2017*

*Friday 3.00pm*

*Central Virginia Regional Jail, Orange VA*

Lauren's POV:

It was eerie being sitting here on the other side of the table. I shift uncomfortable, suspiciously, as I eye up the guards surrounding the visitation room. I was never placed here but these kind of rooms all look the same regardless.

Cold, hollow and lifeless.

I try to remind myself that I'm a free human. I can get up and leave whenever the hell I want and nobody would be able to stop me. The painful nip of handcuffs catching the skin of my wrists is something that I will hopefully never have to experience again.

I jump slightly when I hear the familiar clanging of cell doors banging in the background. The door opens slowly and soon a line of prisoners make their way into the room. Some have wide smiles on their faces as they greet their families, others look nervous, some just look completely indifferent.

I see Zach swagger in last, he looks a little different from the last time I seen him all those years ago in the back of a cop car.

He looks rougher. He looks thinner.

He looks weaker.

I smirk.

"I figured it wouldn't be long before you paid me a visit, kid." He pulls out his chair, I ignore the familiar scrape against the concrete floor. "Come to gloat?"

I shrug. "Gloat, brag, show off my new found freedom. However you want to put it." He tries to stay casual but I see the wave of anger flash in his eyes.

"I haven't been sentenced yet." he reminds me coldly, a hint of warning in his voice and I smirk.

"What does that matter? You can't get out of this one, Zach. You were caught red handed. You don't even have my Dad's financial backing anymore to get you a half decent attorney."

"I have friends in high places."

"You mean in Miami Police Department?" I question him amused and he stares at me long and hard silently. "Oh? You haven't heard?" I chuckle. "After you got arrested the cops ceased all of your belongings. They raided everything you own. They found the officers who were on your payroll and they've been stripped of their badges. You have no one left on your side. You're all alone."

His jaw clenches. "You're a smug son a bitch, you know that? I think you're forgetting that it wasn't that long ago that you were sat here in my shoes."

"Right, because of you." I snap at him angrily. Years of built up rage and fury is starting to catch up with me. "You set me up! The first mistake I ever made in my life was trusting you. I'm your fucking niece and you ruined my life all because of a girl?"

"You did that all by yourself. I gave you a chance but you chose that whore over your own family! After everything I did for you!" he hisses at me coldly and I take a deep breath to stop myself from punching his smarmy face for referring to Camila as anything other than perfect. "I couldn't trust you! I don't know what secrets you would tell her – shit that would get me and your own father locked up! She's a Cabello!"

"It's just a freaking surname!" my voice rises and I see a guard in the corner of my eye send me a warning look. I try to calm myself down. "It means nothing! I may have believed it did once upon a time, but guess what? I grew the hell up!" I lean forward in my chair. "You threatened her, Zach! I loved her and you threatened her life!"

"What was I supposed to do?" He snarls. "You turned yourself in! I was happy for you to stay on the run - I even tried to help you get out of town! But oh no, you couldn't leave her behind, could you? If you had just stayed away none of this would have happened!"