Chapter Twenty-Nine

Meg had tried to explain but she was no liar, now she had to face the consequences of her stupidity. She fought and lost the battle not to cry. Officer Clarke put a hand on her shoulder. “A first offence of pandering is a misdemeanor, not a life sentence.”

Meg sniffed and blew her nose on her tatty tissue. Officer Clarke’s female sidekick, Delaney, passed her the box and she took a fresh one.

“Will I be staying in jail?”

Clarke shook his head. “Not if you can raise bail. The charges might have been much worse. The Sergeant had the option to make more of the whole escapade but you and the old lady are first time offenders and he felt sorry for Monaghan.”

Meg had twenty bucks in her purse and some loose change, her bank account wasn’t exactly flush either. “How much is bail?”

Delaney picked up the charge sheet. “A hundred bucks for you.”

“What about for Aunt Maud?”

“Same for her and for Mr. Twinkie.”

Despite her situation, Meg couldn’t help but smile at the nickname the cops had given Michael.

Officer Delaney tossed the sheet back on the table. “So, can you make bail?”

Meg shook her head. “No. Not unless you take plastic.”

“Cash only. Do you have someone you can call who can put up the money?”

“Like a bail bondsman?”

Clarke chuckled. “They won’t be interested in a small potato like you. She means a relative or friend. Your Aunt Maud refused to cooperate once we charged her with soliciting and told her she would be freed once bail was paid. She says she’s going on a hunger strike until she gets the punishment she deserves. Someone needs to get the old lady out of here before we get her sectioned and sent to a psychiatric ward. She is as mad as a coot and won’t behave for five minutes. Officer Cranston wants to charge her with multiple offences.”

“What offences?”

“Assaulting a police officer. She’s grabbed three butts already but Cranston seems to be a favorite. Can’t they put something in her tea to cool her jets?”

With a sigh, Meg did a mental check of who she could call. Top of the list was Laura. She made the mess, only fair she fix things. If she wasn’t answering, she was short on options. Her mother would have a fit. In fact, she hoped the whole thing would pass her mother by and she would never find out. Her dad wouldn’t make it out of the house without a cross examination and he couldn’t lie with any sense of conviction. Sam was her only remaining option. The one man she really didn’t want to talk to. Fingers crossed, Laura would save all three of them before it came to that.

*

Classes for the day over, Sam was showered, dressed, and contemplating how exactly to tackle the situation with Meg. He needed to sort out in his own mind how he felt about her and their relationship before he could win back her trust. Knowing he would get nowhere stuck at the gym, he left the men’s change room only to bump into Claudia.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed herself suggestively against him. “You want coffee or, something?”

He tugged her arms free. “I want nothing, Claudia. I don’t know what you think is going on here but I’m not interested.”

She stared at his ring finger. “Why not? You’re not spoken for, and I’m offering my fantastic body.”

Mentally, Sam completed the sentence—and a psychotic mind. He needed a way to get rid of her for good before she did more than accost him in public. Meg wouldn’t appreciate coming home to find her naked in his bed awaiting his arrival. The thought made him sigh. The way things stood between them, Meg might not care either way. How had he screwed things up so badly? She said sex would ruin their friendship and it had. Although, now he thought about it, he realized he didn’t want to be Meg’s friend. He wanted to be much more, if only she would let him.

A vibration in his pocket brought his attention back to the moment. Still holding Claudia at bay with one hand, he rescued his phone.

“Hello.”

“Sam, it’s me, Meg. I need to ask you a favor.”

His heart leapt at the sound of her voice and the opportunity she’d dropped in his lap.

“Anything, whatever you need, I’ve got it.”

“You might change your mind when you hear what I want you to do.”

He couldn’t imagine anything she might ask for he wouldn’t instantly agree to. Whatever she wanted, he would do it to get back in her good books. “Try me.”

She met his comment with silence and then she sobbed. “I’m in jail; I need someone to bail me out.”

The sounds of her heartbroken whimpers made his chest ache. He had no idea what she could have done to get herself arrested. Maybe she had been so distraught at the way he treated her last night she went shoplifting, although Laura hadn’t made his need to sort things out sound that desperate. No matter what, she could explain everything once she was free. “Meg, shush, baby. Tell me where you are and how much money you need, and I’m on my way.”

“I’m being held at the Central precinct and my bail’s a hundred dollars.”

“One hundred dollars, I think I have that much on me. I’ll grab a cab.” He took off at full stride toward the gym entrance without a word of explanation to Claudia.

Meg whispered, “Sam?”

Her tone brought him to a halt. She was about to tell him something he really wouldn’t like. Her tone was the one she used when she told him she’d accidentally shrunk his best shirt in the wash and the time she apologized for tossing out his favorite porn movie.

“Is there something else I need to know?”

“I need three hundred dollars to bail out three of us.”

“Three?” No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t even begin to imagine what she could have done with two other people that got them all arrested. He had a feeling whatever it was, he would probably be better off not knowing.

“I’ll explain when you get here, and thank you.” She sniffled again and his heart over ruled his head. She could have been naked on Main Street for all he cared. He needed to rescue his girl.

*

Meg handed the phone back to Officer Delaney. Laura’s phone had gone straight through to voicemail. As much as she hadn’t wanted to ask Sam for help, she was grateful he agreed without demanding a full explanation, although things might change when he saw who else he was bailing out.

“Is someone coming to rescue you?”

“He’s on his way.”

“And the other two?”

“He’ll pay for them as well. Do you think I can explain what we were arrested for?”

Delaney took her elbow and led her back to the holding cell. “As long as you promise to take grabbing grandma with you, I don’t see why not.”

Time seemed to stand still. Meg paced the floor, wondering how best to explain the situation to Sam. Her mind swung between telling him the truth and letting him deal with it, and trying to down play the whole situation in the hopes he wouldn’t get pissed off, again.

She chided herself. He hadn’t even arrived and she was planning how best to win him back. Her libido had taken over again. Not that being pinned beneath a well endowed, very erect, naked Michael Monaghan had helped much. The boy had been extremely happy to see her until Officer Clarke intervened. Aunt Maud had no idea how wrong she was about his faulty ding dong.

By the time the door swung open, Meg had worked herself into a state of near hysteria. She should have called her mother. She should have called anyone. She was so not ready to speak to Sam.

Delaney stuck her head around the door. “Come on, let’s go. There’s a real cutie out here asking for you.”

Meg sat on the edge of the cot, her head spinning. “I can’t. I need a moment.”

Crossing the room, Delaney sat next to her. “You okay? You look kinda pale.”

“I just feel a bit weak and sick to my stomach. He’s going to hate me forever. I can’t tell him.” Meg stared at Delaney. “Would you tell him for me?”

“You want me to explain why you were arrested?”

Meg nodded. “And about Michael Monaghan and Aunt Maud. I don’t want to be there when he decides he has better things to do with his money than save my sorry arse.”

Delaney put an arm around Meg’s shoulders. “I think you might be selling the man short. He’s beside himself out there. If we don’t produce you soon, I think we may have to arrest him for kicking the door in and coming to get you himself.”

“He’ll change his mind when he finds out. Please.”

With a sigh, Delaney got to her feet. “Sure. I can tell him.”

Meg watched her leave then leaned back against the wall and fought back tears.