Another month flies by and things with the club ended up going to court. Some of the people that Lance had ended their memberships at the club, seemed to give the detectives something that made them feel like they had a case. Which was crazy in all of our minds. Lance hired a damn good lawyer and everything they thought they would need, was brought with them to court. Receipts, witnesses, videos, and club members in good standing, which included me and Sarina.
Some of the ex members had forged documents stating that they were indeed paid up, but were quickly proven to be false when the receipt book with the copies was shown to the judge. So several of their witnesses were taken out of the court room. There were a few like Sarina's ex Marc who showed up, stating he was kicked out because another member didn't want him there. That he knew things about that person and since that person was friends with the owner, they made up an excuse to have him kicked out.
Lance and I exchanged glances, knowing this story to be absolute bullshit. Lance contested his story, showing the evidence of taking a first timer into the rooms with no one else. Then of her leaving, looking visibly upset and disheveled. He showed the second video of a different girl doing the same thing and several witness testimonies of being able to hear sexual sounds and protests coming from that room while they were in it. Then the girl leaving looking worse than the first girl.
We had been able to contact both of the women, to ask them to testify in court, but only one of them showed up. She admitted to being coerced into sex and that is why she left looking the way she did. Marcus was escorted from the court room after standing and shouting she was a liar, that we must have paid her off. Before he left the courtroom he made a show of shouting that I was a cheating, manipulating bastard.
The judge was growing irritated with that side of the courtroom, asking the detectives for their evidence that drugs were being used in the club. Seeing as their witnesses had pretty much been escorted out of the courtroom and every bit of evidence was ultimately dismissed, the judge called the lawyers and the officers to his chambers while we waited.
When he came back out and they all had returned to their seats, the judge addressed us all. He dismissed the charges, but advised Lance to find a better way at protecting the first time ladies so those situations do not happen again. Lance assured the judge that he was already working on it and was at the time, no longer accepting new applicants until a better system was devised.
The judge seemed to accept that and we were dismissed to go, except for those of us involved with the fight and attempted drugging of Dass. He had to use the outcome of the accusation of drugs being used at the club before he could proceed with the intentional drugging of Dass. He scheduled the next court date for that incident and dismissed us.
Lance and I stepped out of the courtroom and headed to our cars, when Lance pulls my arm and points for me to look. Marcus has Sarina by the arm as she tries to pull away from him.
Fury burns through me as I make my way over there, not bothering to warn the asshole, as I roll up my shirt sleeves.
"MARC! I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T CARE WHAT THE FUCK YOU HAVE TO SAY!" Sarina shouts, trying to yank her arm from his hold. Her eyes widen when she sees me and she raises a hand, "NO! BRIAN!"
My fist has already connected with his face making him drop to the ground, clutching his face. "She said to leave her alone! Do not put your hands on her again!" I tell him, feeling the desire to keep laying into him but holding myself back.
Marcus groans, muttering, "You cheating fucking dick."
Sarina, startled, stands there silently for a moment, before she tells me, "Brian, please don't do anything more. Please. We talked about this already." She turns pleading eyes to me.
"He wasn't letting you go, Sarina. I told you I wouldn't go look for him, but if he tried anything in front of me that was a different story." I remind her.
Marcus gets up from the ground and spits out some blood, "So you sucker punch me?! What kind of a man sucker punches another? I forgot, you're not a man." He spits another mouthful of blood at my shoe.
Lance is suddenly in between me and him, holding me back along with two officers who've shown up. "BRIAN, CALM DOWN NOW!" Lance shouts into my face and it takes all my willpower to stop struggling as that little bitch starts laughing.
The officer starts asking what's going on when Marcus starts off, "I was trying to talk the lady here, when this jealous ass sucker punched me."
Sarina scoffs, "No, you were not. HE kept trying to get me to go somewhere to talk to him, by grabbing my arm and trying to drag me somewhere. I shouted at him to leave me alone but he wouldn't let go. That's when he came over and made him let me go."
The officer turns to me, "And you are who to this woman?"
"I'm her boyfriend, sir. This is not the first instance of him putting his hands on her when she has told him not to." I inform the officer.
"What the fuck ever, you're just mad she still likes my touch." Marcus pops off.
"YOU'RE FUCKING SICK IN THE HEAD IF THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK!" Sarina shouts raising her hand and slaps him across the jaw that I had just hit.
The other officer grabs Sarina and pulls her back, "Hey now, you can't be doing that!"
The officer I'm speaking with turns to Marcus, "If you can't keep your mouth shut, I'll put you in cuffs."
"Do you know who my father is?!" Marcus shouts, outraged that the officer threatened him as he clutches his jaw.
"Do you think I actually give a fuck?" The officer says right back, "IN FACT, Grant, help me detain this man for assault on the lady. As I'm seeing it, this gentleman just stepped in to keep you from further assaulting the lady."
The other officer comes over and Marcus starts to shout, "Hey what the fuck! I was the one assaulted!" They bunch up on him, handcuffing him before pulling him back up off the ground.
"You not only assaulted a woman, but you also threatened an officer in uniform and resisted arrest. You folks try to enjoy the rest of your evening. We'll handle this guy, I suggest you file a restraining order, ma'am. To help prevent future situations from occurring." The other officer grits out as Marcus continues resisting, pissing the officers off as they drag him into the building.
I turn to Lance who is shaking his head at the spectacle that's being put on display, "I'll talk to you later." He nods and I turn to Sarina.
She's still breathing heavy and looking pissed. "I could've handled it." She huffs before heading to the car.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, following her to the car, "I know you could have, but I couldn't just stand there either." I tell her as we climb into the car. I start the car as she sits there brooding in silence as I take us home.
Is she mad because I defended her? Seriously? Why is she acting like this right now?
As soon as we get through the door, I have to ask, "Are you really mad at me for defending you from that creep?"
She turns and stops, raising a brow at me in question. "What was he talking about when he said he was kicked out because he knew things about you?"
Not this shit again.
I shrug and roll my eyes, "I have no idea, because there's nothing for him to know."
Her lips thin, "I saw you and Lance exchange a look."
A look? What the heck? She's asking me this shit because of something Marcus said? Not believing me because of a damn look?
"Yeah, cause we both knew he was full of shit." I scoff, running my hand through my hair in frustration. "Seriously, though, are you really going to believe anything he has to say over me?"
Her lips part and her eyes widen, "I can ask the question?! Can't I?!" Her hands turn to fists at her side as she growls at me. "You're doing a piss poor job of reassuring me that you have done nothing wrong..."
Is she really acting like this right now? What the hell?
"Come on Sarina! I shouldn't have to always reassure you! You should trust me enough by now to at least give me the benefit of a doubt! Especially when it comes to anything HE has to say!" I throw my hands up in the air, utterly frustrated that we are at this situation again. "You told me not to do what he wants me to do prior, but here you are doing exactly the same thing! You see this is what he wanted right? To cause a rift between us, knowing his words would get under your skin?!"
She crosses her arms across her chest, "That's not the only thing that's been bugging me lately."
"What then? What else is there because this is the first I'm hearing about it?" I take a seat on the couch and try to cool down.
She stays standing but walks closer, "My laptop was doing updates and I couldn't use it, so I tried to use yours in the office, but I was locked out of it. What's up with that?"
I groan, "I have patient files on my computer Sarina. I have to do that. It's the law."
"It never was before!"
"It has been since I moved in! You just now noticed it is all!" I grip my forehead with one hand and start rubbing my temple. "I can't let you see patient records that I have on there, because it's against the law and I could lose my license. My filing cabinets are locked now too."
I grit my teeth, "Is there anything else that's been bugging you?"
"What is up with this paper?" She reaches into her purse and pulls out a rumpled piece of paper. I take it from her and flatten it out, looking at it. I see my handwriting with my patients names written down and dates next to their names.
It's from me trying to figure out dates to take her on a trip, who I would need to call and reschedule their appointments or set them up temporarily with another therapist. I had written 'Sensitive flip' next to the ones I needed to send to the other therapist and 'can handle it' next to the ones I could reschedule.
I look up at her, confused, "Did you go through my trash can?"
"NO! It fell out when I went to take the trash out around the house for pickup!" She stomps her foot, "All I saw was a female's name and 'Can handle it', " She does the air quotations, "what was I supposed to think? Knowing how..." She points to my whole body, "virile you are!"
Virile? Virile!? So she thinks I'm cheating on her?
"So you think I'm cheating on you?" I stand back up, not wanting to believe my own thoughts on the matter. "That I'm not satisfied with just you?! This is ridiculous! We're all over each other every chance we get?! How in the world could I not be satisfied?!"
Of course I'm satisfied with her! I love her! I want to spend the rest of my life with her! I want to continue to be happy with her! How am I supposed to be happy though, if she thinks I'm cheating on her?
She takes a step back, away from me, "Then what did you mean by that?" She juts out her chin her bottom lip trembling again.
"It doesn't matter why I wrote that, but it was for rescheduling purposes. Now answer me." I take another step towards her, terrified of the answer I might receive.
"Do you really think I'm cheating on you? That I don't love you and respect you?" I try to hold back the heart break in my voice, the pain that's coming through regardless, "Tell me now, Sarina? Do you think so little of me that I would cheat on you?"