Hamilton gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room of the guest house, trying to organize his thoughts while staring into the night. His mind was all over the place. How could he have lost control like that? Acting like a damn animal, and for what? Wesley wasn’t worth losing everything for. Punching the man in public had to be the stupidest thing Hamilton had ever done. And to lose control in front of his guys made the situation that much worse.
Damn. I messed up.
He placed his hands on the window frame and lowered his head as a maddening growl bubbled inside of him. His thoughts continued to crash into each other.
Wesley.
Atlanta’s finest.
The party.
Dakota.
Pushing away from the window, he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his pants and blew out a frustrated breath. He had to tell her everything. Dakota meant too much to him to stay silent any longer. It was ironic how he’d tried keeping his distance from her when they first met; now he couldn’t imagine his life without her.
She belonged to him, and he belonged to her.
He had to fix this.
Two quick raps against the door caused him to turn just as it opened and Kenton strolled in, leaving Dakota standing just beyond the threshold.
“Need anything else?” Kenton asked.
Hamilton stared at Dakota as she eased further into the living room. “No. Thanks for everything, man.”
“You got it.”
After Kenton closed the door, officially leaving the two of them to talk, Hamilton wasn’t sure where to start.
Their gazes locked for the longest moment, but Dakota stayed rooted in place. She said nothing, and the space between them filled with a heavy tension, only made Hamilton more anxious. She always had something to say. Normally. Then again, this situation wasn’t normal.
He ambled toward her and a new anguish seared his heart witnessing the pain in her eyes. Had Wesley told her? Did she believe her father’s nonsense? Tears swam in her honey-brown orbs and Hamilton blamed himself. He should have never allowed Wesley to make him angry enough to lash out.
“I’m sorry,” Hamilton said, his voice catching. “Baby, I am so sorry for everything. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or ruin your evening. I also had no intention of hitting your father. I never want to do anything to hurt you.”
She shook her head. “You did what anyone would’ve done under the circumstances. He deserved to be knocked on his ass. I’m sorry I asked you to come with me tonight, knowing there could’ve been a chance he’d show up. I don’t know what he did to you, but…” she said on a sob and Hamilton pulled her into his arms before she could finish.
Apparently, Wesley hadn’t told her.
“I know what my father is capable of and I’m sorry if he hurt you in any way,” she mumbled against his chest.
Heart swelling at her words, Hamilton placed a kiss on top of her head and held her tighter. She had no idea how much it meant to hear she trusted him. Believed in him. After Jackie’s betrayal, he hadn’t trusted another woman with his heart.
Until now.
Until Dakota.
“Come on, let’s talk.”
After leading Dakota to the upholstered sofa, he handed her a few tissues from the Kleenex box sitting on the end table.
“Thanks.”
Hamilton leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he decided where to start. “Ten years ago, when I was still a cop, me and my partner responded to a disturbance at your father’s penthouse.”
“Let me guess—an industry party.”
Hamilton nodded.
“I hate his parties. Wealthy, grown people who act as if they don’t have good sense,” she said.
“Exactly. The anonymous caller, the person who called about the disturbance, mentioned there was underaged drinking, prostitution, and people doing drugs. We wanted to get the crowd under control, as well as question everyone. There were just so many people, we had to call for backup. Some of his guests were questioned on the spot, while those who were uncooperative had to be taken to the station.”
Dakota shook her head, still not seeming surprised by any of what he was telling her.
“As we slowly cleared the apartment, I went back through and double-checked the bedrooms in the back of the unit.”
“Were you looking for more people?”
Hamilton nodded. “As well as drugs. I didn’t have a search warrant, but if I saw any contraband—drugs or anything like that in plain sight—we could collect it as evidence.”
“Did you find anything?”
“I did, but I had a bigger problem.” Hamilton released an unsteady breath. Telling this story was like reliving that night all over again. Embarrassment and anger warred within him even after so many years.
“When I reached the bedroom, a woman, Avery Day, was standing in the middle of the floor with a drink in her hand.”
“Whoa. Wait. You met Avery Day? The actress who OD’d a few years ago?”
Hamilton nodded and sighed. “Yeah, she was in her early twenties and wasn’t as well-known back then. Anyway, I was told the rooms had been cleared, and I didn’t know where she came from. When I started questioning her, it was apparent she was drunk and high on something. One minute, she was acting normal and the next, she was like a different person. Erratic, yelling, and then back to normal.
“What happened?” Dakota prompted, placing a reassuring hand on his arm.
“She started coming on to me, making indecent suggestions and…I should’ve walked out of there at that moment or got another cop in there with me. But I figured I could deal with her. Young, cocky, and stupid, I stayed, putting myself in a compromising position before realizing it.”
Hamilton rung his hands as his stomach churned and his pulse inched up. He had always considered himself a smart man but recapping what happened that night felt like he was discussing someone else. Someone who didn’t have the intuition that he prided himself on now.
“Before I could leave the room, Avery dropped her robe and was completely naked. Then she started freaking out and screaming.”
“Oh, Hamilton.”
“I hurried out of the room, but it wasn’t quick enough. Your father was one of the ones who’d been handcuffed, with the intention of taking him to the station for not cooperating. When I stepped into the hallway, one of the cops was there with Wesley.”
“God…I can just imagine what happened next.”
“Long story short, Wesley asked Avery what happened, and on the spot, she concocted the sexual assault story. Between Avery’s acting abilities—even while high—and your father’s insistence that I was a rapist, they made a bad situation worse. Within twenty-four hours the story hit the media and my world spun out of control. It became my word against hers. Wesley led the lynch mob, spewing lies whenever there were cameras and microphones in his face. I was crucified before evidence could be gathered.”
Spasms of anxiousness erupted inside of Hamilton as memories of the day he told Jackie the same story came to mind. She hadn’t believed him. Hadn’t stuck by him.
Hamilton stood, unable to stay seated any longer as an anxious energy clawed through him. That time in his life felt like the end, like he would never recover from the humiliation.
“Much of the population loathed cops, even today. So, people were quick to believe the worst about me. A lowly cop taking advantage of an up-and-coming actress. Even if it hadn’t been determined that she’d had sex with several partners that night, it was still my word against hers until the tests proved otherwise.”
Silence filled the room and Hamilton didn’t know what Dakota was thinking as she stared down at the crumpled tissue in her hand.
“When we ran into Jackie earlier, is this the incident that you were talking about that destroyed your relationship?”
“Yes. So concerned about what others said and thought, Jackie made herself sick with worry, choosing to believe everyone but me. Which wasn’t good since she was six months pregnant with Dominic and it was a high-risk pregnancy. When all of this came out, her blood pressure was off the charts and she’d already been suffering from anxiety.”
Dakota shook her head. “This whole situation had to be awful for you both.”
“One of the worst times in my life, and Jackie would probably agree. She went into labor three months prematurely, and I don’t think I’ve ever prayed that hard in my life.”
The day his son was born had been the happiest and the scariest day Hamilton had ever experienced. His precious gift had to fight to live.
“Thankfully, Dom was a fighter.”
Hamilton told Dakota about his suspension during the investigation and the months that followed. After sharing with her, it felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Maybe this time he would finally be able to lay the past to rest.
“How were you cleared?”
“Laz.” Hamilton chuckled. “That man has saved my life a few times. He has more connections than anyone I know. He had gotten the word out to some of his informants that he was looking for anything on Avery. Weeks later, one of his CIs was at a bar and contacted Laz when he saw her in a back room shooting up coke with some guys. They caught her. The detectives had already been trying to gather evidence against her claims regarding me, assuming she might have a history of doing the same to others. Before the drug bust, they didn’t have anything on her.”
“Did she confess to lying about you?”
“Not right away. Eventually, she recanted her story, saying that she’d been high and had screamed rape to get Wesley’s attention since he’d been ignoring her most of the night. I guess they’d been sleeping together.”
Dakota’s brows scrunched. “You gotta be kidding me. She almost ruined your life to get my father’s attention? That’s crazy… but I think I do remember something about this. I was in California at the time. Did they throw her in jail?”
“She was arrested for making a false accusation and was sentenced to five years, but barely did one. For the drug charge, she got a few years of probation and had to agree to drug treatment. But it was your father who kept the shit going. He said Avery had been coerced into admitting fault and that I had indeed forced myself on her. He still believes I assaulted the woman.”
Leaning against the wall near the fireplace, Hamilton watched as Dakota walked over to him.
“My father has done some awful things, which is partly why we’ve always had a rocky relationship,” she said, embracing Hamilton. “But this…I’m so sorry for what you went through. Thank you for telling me.”
“I wish I would’ve told you sooner. Then maybe things wouldn’t have gotten out of hand tonight.” Hamilton didn’t know that for sure, but at least Dakota wouldn’t have been blindsided by Wesley’s accusation.
“What happened once your name was cleared?”
“I resigned. My reputation was shot, and I was mentally and emotionally spent.”
“I can imagine.”
“Jackie and I had split by this time, but I was responsible for a baby. That’s when I got hired on at the club, but I still needed closure. The only way I could get some type of justice was to file a civil lawsuit. I sued Avery and your father for defamation and won.”
“That’s good, but considering how large my dad is living, you probably didn’t sue him for enough money.”
Hamilton couldn’t help but smile, grateful she believed him. Financially, he made out okay with the lawsuit. He received enough to set aside for Dominic’s education, and he had invested the rest.
“I just thought of something. I tried to get my father to tell me what you had on him, and he wouldn’t say.”
“As per the settlement agreement, neither of them could continue accusing me or discussing the accusations of that night again.”
“Or?”
“Or I could drag them back to court.”
That was the last thing Hamilton wanted. As long as nothing came of the night, such as anything ending up in the paper or online, he didn’t want to take Wesley back to court. He wanted to forget the incident ever happened.
Hamilton cradled Dakota against him. “Tired?” he asked.
“Very, it’s been an emotionally exhausting night.” She lifted her head and looked at him. “I just want to get out of these clothes and snuggle up with you…and then maybe sleep for a week.”
Hamilton leaned down and kissed her sweet lips. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s go home.”
She smiled up at him. “I like the way that sounds.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Hamilton called Angelo to make sure everything was handled and that he could leave. According to him, Wesley had already left, not wanting any cops involved, and he hadn’t wanted to be questioned by anyone about the incident.
That made two of them.