The Twenty Year Triangle

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"No way. This is not happening." Oliver folds the letter back up, shoves it into the envelope, and hands it to Brandi.

As if that settles it.

"They can't do this," he continues as he slowly shakes his head no. "They'd have to hear from the victims first and -"

"They did," Brandi says. "Well, me he was only charged with the crime against me, remember? And Hell, yes, I spoke out."

"And they're still letting him out!?" Oliver's eyes are filling with anger. "How!?"

"Oh, come on Oliver, you know why," she says tiredly. "In their eyes, he made a mistake, he feels remorse, so they are more than happy to release that fucker back into society. I always knew he wouldn't serve his whole sentence. I'm surprised they kept him in this long."

"I know and I am too but it still sucks," Oliver grits out. "There has to be some way to appeal this."

"This ain't right," I agree.

"I know it ain't right and no there ain't a damn thing I can do," Brandi says. "Believe me they heard from me when I got this letter. I got some song and dance about how he'll be required to stay away from me and whatever."

"Like that'll stop him!" Oliver spits out irritably. "Don't you remember what he said in court? He said he'd get you back for this someday."

Wait what?

"He didn't say anything like that," I say with a confused look. "He sat there all quiet, wiping his eyes pretending like he was crying over the testimony."

"Kinz... that was the day you were there," Brandi says as she fills some lowball glasses with ice and then tops them off with whiskey. "I had to go back and testify a second time." She slides a glass toward me and one toward Oliver and then she comes and joins us, sitting on the stool between us.

"You did, why?"

"The lawyers called me the next day," Brandi explains, pausing to take a sip from her drink. "There wasn't any proof for the other girls and Wade's attorney was making a strong case for him. They needed me to give a lot more than I did on day one. They wanted to hear everything about our relationship. From when it started with me being underage to him attacking me when it ended. My story of that night was the only way they'd secure a conviction. So they needed to know it all."

She pauses to take a small sip of the glass closing her eyes for a moment as if to ground herself. "Every detail."

I can't imagine living with memories like Brandi's. It breaks my heart.

"Fuck," I mutter. "You had to go in and tell them everything in front of him?"

Why didn't she tell me that? I would have been there for her!

"Yes, it was so hard," Brandi eyes get misty as she looks at Oliver. "I couldn't look at him, I kept finding Olly out there and it kept me strong enough to get through. But once I got to talking, I just went off in there, that along with the pictures you took, is what landed his conviction."

"She was something else," Oliver agrees and there is so much awe in his eyes as he recalls this, they even water a bit. 

She slams back the rest of her shot and pours one more for herself and Oliver. When did he drink his?

I'm stunned, shocked actually...I knew she went back to court for a second day. I didn't know she had to testify again.

"You didn't tell me," I say with a slow shake of my head. "I would have gone with."