Tender Hearts

Interlude

Amelia worked furiously to find the money. She wasn't about to let Evie make a mistake that would haunt her for the rest of her life, she just hoped that, when all was said and done, she hadn't given too little too late. Her first call was to Cory and Nick, nearly in tears as she begged what she could of the money from them. Tom's bail had been set at $50,000 and the three of them felt it was nearly an impossible obstacle, but they pledged to do what they could. Their combined efforts netted only $20,000 the first day and time was not on their side.

As the evening on Day One wound down, they congregated at a bar closest to the guys' apartment to drown their worries. While she'd initially told them she needed the money to bail Evie out, Amelia decided to come clean. After the first round of drinks, she admitted, "I really need to get the money for Tom," she sighed, hoping they would understand.

"Evie's booty call?" Nick chuckled. "Why's he in jail?"

She spared him the long-winded explanation, boiling it down to one word: "Chasshole." There really wasn't much else that could be said, they all understood, now, what kind of person Evie's ex had proved to be. In the six months since she'd left him, Chas had become even more of an insufferable asshole. While he professed to wanting her back, he paraded himself around the club scene, flaunting his cash, picking up any woman who was impressed enough with his sizable wallet to leave with him. The owners of the South Beach clubs that he frequented had a love/hate relationship with him. They loved that he flashed his money and backed it up, buying round after round of drinks, hated that he preyed on their regulars, but were loathe to rid themselves of his cash. There were also rumors of what happened to the women later, everything from drinks drugged to date rape to forced abortions, though nothing was ever confirmed. He was rich enough to afford the lifestyle and its repercussions. Amazingly, once one of these issues surfaced, it was efficiently swept under the rug by a team of spitfire lawyers and PR execs hired for their acumen in all measures of damage control. Chas, it seemed, was untouchable. 

While Evie had heard some of the stories, her rejection of her privileged life was enough to buffer her from the more gruesome details. None of her friends felt she needed to know, if only because she'd already formed her own opinion about what kind of man Chas really was, so it was a shock to both Nick and Cory when Amelia finally revealed the plans for the wedding. "It's tomorrow night," she said. "We can't let it happen."

Nick agreed. "I think if she goes through with it, we'll see her in a casket in less than a year." He was more solemn than any of them had seen him before. 

"How do you plan on stopping it?" Cory asked. His usually jovial angel face was drawn in a series of concerned creases. "If we try anything, I'm sure Marianne will have us forcefully ejected."

"I know," Amelia groaned. "But Evie couldn't see any other way to help him out of it. Chas was able to wrestle control of her own finances away from her."

They both gave her a confused look. "How?" Nick asked.

Amelia shrugged. "I'm guessing it all boils down to his lawyers. His father has them in droves and doesn't hesitate to protect his family with them. My bet is that he got them to say she abandoned the townhouse and wasn't fit mentally to make decisions on her own." 

The men nodded. Not one of them doubted that it was a tactic Chas would have exploited, especially considering Evie's mental state in the aftermath of discovering his affair. She'd been totally withdrawn, depressed, unable to sufficiently care for herself. The abyss she'd fallen into was deeper than anyone could imagine and, now, Chas was making it into a prison.

The third round of drinks came and the trio sat in silence, nursing their drinks and searching in the bottom of their glasses for anything that would help. There was no brainstorming, nothing any of them could think of to remedy the sordid situation of their closest friend until Nick looked up and announced, "Carla's."

Amelia and Cory immediately turned their attention to him and, in tandem, replied, "What?"

Nick smiled, his excitement at his own suggestion evident in the twinkle of his eyes. "Tom's got friends at Carla's, right?" he asked. Once they nodded, he continued. "I'm sure we could get some of them to pitch in."

Cory smirked, his face scrunching in an almost painful pinch. "Nicky, I love you, but people who work at strip clubs don't generally do so because they have money to spare."

Nick's face fell. "I just thought..." he sighed, his voice trailing off as he resumed his drink.

"It's actually not a bad idea," Amelia added with a shrug. "I mean, maybe the owner could help. Evie said she's good people." She pulled her cell phone out and looked up the phone number, writing it on a napkin with a open she fished from her purse before calling. 

Vanessa answered after the second ring. Amelia could hear the music in the background and nearly had to shout so Vanessa could hear her. She explained the situation, the same abbreviated version she'd told the guys. Her fingers and toes were crossed in the hope that even this small beacon of hope would pay off and let out a visible sigh of relief when Vanessa said, "Absolutely, I will help." 

They met Vanessa after hours at Carla's and she was joined by Frank and a couple of the other men that Amelia recognized, but had never actually met. "Thank you so much," she gushed as she approached the group. 

"No problem," Vanessa answered. "Tom is a well-loved, albeit newer, member of our family and we all hate that he's been put into this position." The men around her nodded in agreement, their voices rumbling with affirmation. 

Their money was pooled and together they managed to get the entire amount that was needed to bail Tom out, plus some extra, just in case. Amelia figured it might be helpful in case there happened to be any processing fees and Vanessa agreed, though neither of them were experienced in bailing anyone out of jail.

The next morning, Amelia, Nick and Cory woke up early, Amelia having spent the night in their guest room. They made their way to DCJ and were standing in front of the bail bond office when it opened, their hands shaking in nervous anticipation. The clerk who passed them looked at the three of them with a combination of disdain and pity, her own apathy affected by the nature of her job. It seemed like she took as long as she possibly could to unlock the gate and enter her secured enclosure before giving them a flat, "Can I help you?"

Amelia stepped up, Nick and Cory flanking her on either side. "I need to post bail for Tom Hiddleston," she said, her voice muffled by the security glass.

The clerk typed in a few things and stared at her computer monitor in disgust. "Is that his full name?" she asked.

"Ummm," Amelia hesitated, "I don't know his middle name. Maybe Thomas Hiddleston?"

There was a moment of tenseness, the only sounds being the clicking of the computer keyboard as the clerk checked for him again. "He's already been released," she finally announced. "Yesterday, in fact."

"Who posted his bail?" Nick asked as Amelia's jaw dropped. 

"It says here the charges were dismissed and he's been released," she repeated, her voice full of irritation. "That's all I can tell you."

Amelia was reeling. "Does it say where he went?"

"I have his last known address, but I can't give it to you unless you're family or legal representation," the clerk snipped.