Sinning In The City

Chapter 25 - Who Are You?

The ride took a little longer than expected but Roxbury arrived at Layla's appartment a little under a half hour later, which gave him ample time to cool down and decide how to approach the matter. He entered the building just as an old lady was coming out so he didn't even have to ring the bell. He climbed the stairs in a hurry and got to the girls' floor a little out of breath.

The door opened just as he was about to knock on it. Natasha was all business as she let him in. Layla was sitting at the kitchen table, holding on to a cup of coffee. She looked up when Roxbury walked in but barely gave him a guilty smile, her make-up had run a little on her cheeks, suggesting she was not in the most jovial of moods. Roxbury approached the table very slowly and sat down opposite his client.

"You ok?" He asked, wanting her to understand his first, and maybe only concern, was her well-being.

Layla shrugged her shoulders and gave him a hesitant smile, as if telling him she really didn't know. Maybe he was more qualified to answer his own question right now.

"Am I?" She finally asked him.

Roxbury glanced over Layla's shoulder towards Natasha who was leaning against the kitchen sink, openly listening to their conversation. Layla noticed and nodded, vouching for her friend.

"They looked into your past, Layla." Roxbury started with a low tone. "And something is making them nervous." Layla kept her eyes locked into his, not backing down from her past, not ashamed of it a bit either. "Can we talk about it?"

"What would you like to know?" She asked.

"Well... Have you ever been arrested?"

"Twice, yes." Layla admitted instantly.

'Oh great!' Roxbury thought. 'As if once wasn't enough'. He looked at her, inviting her to open up under her own conditions.

"The first time was the regular case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time." She started. "I grew up in a very small town, Alamo Georgia. If you'd ever been there, you'd understand why I left as fast as I could."

Roxbury didn't smile or take her side, he just needed the facts for now.

"What happened?" He asked.

Layla took a deep breath and travelled back home in her mind.

"We were hanging out among friends, we were known to be the wild ones in that city, but really we never did much wrong. The sheriff was the kind of cop who would bust a few kids days before re-election just so he could have something to gloat about. And he was out for us. We were laying in the grass by the water tower, listening to music. Some of us had smoked a bit, nothing much, and when the sheriff drove by, he saw an opportunity and arrested us."

"Did he search you?"

Layla looked surprised.

"I would have broken his arm if he had tried." She said with a menacing tone. 'Something to remember'. Roxbury thought.

"The report says you had cocaine on you." Roxbury told her, reaching for the folded piece of paper in his pocket.

"The report is a lie!" Layla snapped, not the least interested to read it. Roxbury put the paper down in front of him. He looked at his prodigy and had no doubt she was telling the truth. But the document existed, and not everybody was going to take the time to ask for her side of the story. But Roxbury was Layla's agent now, and if he had to challenge the sheriff of a small Georgia town to protect her, then he would do just that.

"And the second time?" He asked a little hesitantely, almost scared to hear about it.

Layla smiled before answering.