Thicker Than Blood

🧿 Chapter 26: Dirty System

Xan's Pov

Seeing Ryder show up at the courthouse, I was surprised. Not because he was safe, I knew the man would be okay but, he was one of the biggest criminals in town and now he was standing in a place surrounded by people who would love to lock him up. The man had balls.

When he entered the room to see Olexei, I used that as a chance to step away. Ryder being here after just being kidnapped couldn't be good. After getting all the information about the woman that took him, I knew there was no way she'd let him just escape.

"Make sure you guys check the perimeter. Be on the lookout for the woman I showed you and any other suspicious activity" I said over my cell.

I had a team of people I trusted watching the courthouse. There was a lot of press outside due to the popularity of this case. Anything could happen depending on the verdict.

I was still battling with the whole ordeal. I was a cop and part of my job was to put away criminals but, here I was trying to help one stay free. Maybe it was because I knew how corrupted the system was. Though a part of it had to deal with it being Olexei and the fact I cared about him.

Yes, he was attached to my traumatic past. He killed my father, the only person I had left. The man may have been abusive as hell but, he was the only family I had.  It hurt but, it wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to me, and in some sort of way twisted it and set me free. Besides, I knew he wasn't a total monster. There was a part of him that was still my best friend.

"What are you thinking of?" Han asked appearing in front of me and drawing me from my inner thoughts.

"Nothing" I mumbled looking away from him.

"Xander-" he began using my full name but, I cut him off before he could finish.

"Don't. Is the judge ready?" I asked regaining my composure. I was here to work, not entertain the past.

"Yes. They're escorting Olexei now" he responded.

I nodded before going to follow but, was stopped by him grabbing my wrist and pulling me over to a small hallway. Quickly, I ripped myself from his hold and glared at him.

"I'm sorry. You've just been avoiding me since what happened in my office" he whispered.

"Cause I have nothing to talk to you about if it doesn't have to do with the case. What happened only happened so I can get your help. It doesn't change anything. There are as a reason I haven't contacted you these past years" I spat.

"I'm sorry Xander" Han hummed.

" I don't care" I cursed.

"I've missed you" he stated.

"Han stop. I'm not that damaged boy you met before. You can't deceive me anymore" I sighed.

"I never wanted to deceive you" he spoke coming closer until I was backed up against the wall. I wasn't in danger. He would never hurt me physically but, that still didn't mean I wanted to be here.

"I'm at work. I can't deal with this right now and preferably at all. The only reason I slept with you was to get your help, not to venture into the past" I mumbled.

"We both know you didn't need to sleep with me to get my help. You did it cause you wanted to. Cause you miss me as much as I miss you" Han whispered staring at me intently.

"How could I ever miss a person like you? Someone who hurts people to get what they want. Somebody who preys on the weak to build themselves up. A person who is incapable of loving someone and can lie to my face without any remorse. Who would miss that?" I said before shoving him to the side and making my way to the courtroom.

The proceedings went fast. It felt like I was trapped in a whirlpool as I watched the prosecutor go for the throat. Everything that was in that file, they used it. The look of terror and disgust was apparent on the juror's faces every time a picture of a dismembered body was shown.

I kept an eye on Olexei and he seemed unfazed and uninterested like his freedom wasn't on the line. They were damn near trying to put him under the jail but, neither he, Ryder or Han seemed as stressed as I was. After a while, the judge called for a quick recess and I decided to use it to figure out why this whole thing felt off.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked Han once we stepped out of the courtroom. He looked around before grabbing my arm and pulling me over away from the crowd of people and press also leaving.

"You can stop touching me" I hissed once we were out of earshot.

"Sorry" he muttered.

"Why don't you seem worried about the amount of evidence they have? I mean just those pictures alone... that's not something that is just gonna receive a slap on the wrist. They're going to lock him up...most likely for life" I said.

"They're not" he replied.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, annoyed at how confident he sounded saying that.

"He isn't going to jail...we made sure of it," Han said not giving me any more details. Though he didn't need to. I was a cop in a city where the mafia was very profound. It didn't take a genius to know that they most likely paid someone off.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me" I laughed, not because I found it funny. It was more like laughing to keep my anger from rising. It didn't work though. I found myself livid at the fact that they could just buy their freedom.

"Xan-" he started but, was cut off by the bell calling us back to the courtroom.

Not sparing him a glance I headed back.  The rest of the proceedings went on but, I barely paid attention. The prosecutor continued with their arguments and as they were doing their closing arguments, they showed the jury one last picture. My breath caught in my throat when my eyes saw my father's dead body on that screen. The man had caused me much pain and seemed to have gotten it back in his last moments. Unable to stomach it, I left.

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