Wanted

“Should I wear heels?”

“Probably not.”

“What about this? Does this look alright?”

“Eliza, babe, you’ve changed three different times. If it’s not alright, we’re going to get arrested for not being there.”

“They can’t arrest us, you asshole,” Eliza snapped, glancing in the mirror at Brian on the bed. “Put that damn shirt on.”

Brian stood up and slipped his arms in the button-up shirt and walked to stand behind Eliza as she straightened out the lapels of her jacket. Reaching around to stay her hands, he pulled her close to him. Eliza sighed and closed her eyes.

“Everything is going to be fine. You look fine, you have a great lawyer, and maybe by the end of the day, you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Smiling slightly, Eliza whirled around in Brian’s arms and stretched up to peck him on the lips.

“Thank you for being here.”



Eliza’s legs were crossed and she struggled not to bring her nail up to bite it as she listened to the defensive lawyer. Opposite her in the court, both Jocelyn and Alex sat in prison robes, leaning against the table. Behind her, she could literally feel the presence of not only Brian and Katie, but Matt, Johnny, Zacky, Val, her band, and the Berry twins who looked like they’d actually attempted to clean up. Both of them were wearing dress pants and long-sleeved shirts, hiding their tattoos; they’d cleaned up very well.

The trial hadn’t been very long, considering the witnesses against Jocelyn and Alex who’d remarkably stepped forward to testify on Eliza’s behalf. Among the witnesses called to the stand, an audible gasp had come from every single person behind her except Katie as Amber walked forward, told the judge and jury exactly what she’d heard the night of the fight outside of Jocelyn’s house, about the Temazepam, Alex getting the key to her apartment and raping her twice, and trying to deny all of it.

She explained how Jocelyn wanted to defend her and she had no knowledge of it, how Eliza truly was the victim, and not making eye contact, she told the court how her sister-in-law and ex-boyfriend belonged in jail.

Not only did they call every witness possible, including Katie, but they showed different pictures that were taken from the crime scenes, brought up Eliza’s stint in the hospital, her small bout of amnesia, and everything in between. She tried to block it all out, but no matter how hard she squeezed her eyes shut, she couldn’t.

Just when Eliza thought that everything was over, the thing she was dreading the most came.

“We call Eliza Grey to the stand.”

Closing her eyes and breathing, she pushed away from the table and stood up, walking to the witness stand. Raising her right hand and placing her left hand on the Bible, she took the oath and sat down. The defensive attorney stood up first to question her.

Slightly confused by some of the questions, she answered them all to the best of her ability, but deep down she knew they were grasping at straws, saying she’d seduced Alex and led him on.

“So, if not for sexual reasons, why was he brought into the band?”

Eliza was shocked by the question at first.

“I was engaged at the time of the auditions for the band. One of my best friends, James Sullivan, was the best drummer I knew. He was there at the time of the audition. When Alex started his audition, it was clear he had as much talent as James. James smiled the entire time, and I knew Alex was the right drummer for me.”

“And where is this James now?”

Frowning, Eliza looked the defense attorney in the eye before speaking. “He’s dead.”

“So, now that he’s dead, he can’t verify your story, can he?”

“Objection!” her lawyer hollered, standing up.

Eliza felt tears well up in her eyes as she listened to the lawyers and the judge argue. She was able to tell them that he was not in fact the only person in the audition, that there were two other people to witness, and it was dropped. Finally, the defensive attorney sat down, looking very unhappy, and Ms. Agnifilio, Eliza’s attorney stood up. Thankfully, her questions weren’t as bad, and Eliza was allowed to sit back down. Just as she turned to sit in her seat, she caught sight of Brian, whose leg was shaking furiously on top of his other one. His fists were clenched and his eyes were on Alex and Jocelyn on the other side of the room.

When the judge banged the gavel, Eliza jumped and looked around.

“The jury is going to deliberate now,” her lawyer explained.

She nodded and stood up to face her friends. Brian reached her first, and across the gate, he kissed her chastely.

“You were great, baby.”

“I just want to go home.”

“We’re not completely out of the clear, yet,” Ms. Agnifilio said, coming to stand beside Eliza.

“What do you mean?” Matt asked.

“Unfortunately, we can’t get Alex for the first rape.”

“Why not?” Val asked, angrily.

“It was in California,” Eliza said, frowning.

“Right,” Ms. Agnifilio confirmed. “We can, and should, get them on the intent to do harm, the drug charge, the rape here, and the assault, but we can’t get him on the first one. Not unless you want to proceed with California, too.”

“Let’s just see how this goes,” Eliza said, holding on to Brian’s hand.

Not even an hour later, they were all free of the stuffy courtroom. The jury didn’t take as long as they thought to deliberate. Jocelyn and Alex were found guilty on all charges in the state of New York. They were going to jail for several years. Some of her friends grumbled it wasn’t long enough, but Eliza was just glad it was over and done with.

“Now it’s time to relax,” Brian said, grabbing hold of her hand.

“Absolutely,” she said, smiling.



Eliza leaned back into the warmth of the leather seats as she and Brian drove to Big Bear Lake. Her hand was wrapped in his across the center console, some song on the radio was playing in the background and the sun was warming her legs as they rested on the dashboard.

They’d successfully moved all of her things back into the house and had some of it put away before they decided to head up to the lake for Brian’s birthday. The rest of the band and friends would follow the day of his birthday, but he wanted some quiet time for just them until then.

Making a quick stop at the super market, they grabbed a couple cases of beer and some food. Reaching the cabin, they unpacked their things, changed clothes, and headed down to the lake. They spent the rest of the afternoon fishing, swimming and enjoying the sun.

When they got back to the cabin, Eliza headed inside to prepare the food while Brian started the grill. She grabbed a couple of beers and walked outside, popping the top and handing one to him, taking the time to admire his shirtless upper body and laugh at the fact it was almost ninety degrees and he was wearing a beanie. She leaned against the railing on the deck and looked at the lake. Feeling Brian’s arms wrap around her, she leaned back into his embrace. For some reason, though, she found herself frowning. For the past couple of days, all she could think about was the one thing she’d been missing.

“Brian, I need to tell you something.”

“Holy shit, you killed someone, didn’t you?”

“No, ass, but I have a feeling you’re going to be pissed at me when I tell you this.”

Frowning, Brian looked down at her as she turned around to face him. His mind was racing at the different scenarios forming, wondering what she could have possibly done to piss him off.

“Tell me,” he said, seriously.

“I lost my engagement ring.”

Closing his eyes, Brian laughed.

“Brian, it’s not funny at all!”

“Baby, if you only knew the thoughts running through my mind when you said that, you’d laugh, too.”

Still, she frowned at him.

“It’s okay, I promise,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. “If and when we’re ready, we’ll get you a new one.”

“I don’t want a new one,” she pouted. “I want that one.”

“I know, Eliza, but if it’s lost, it’s lost. Wanna grab the burgers?”

She eyed him curiously, but agreed and walked into the cabin. Peering at him through the window, she wondered why he was taking it with such ease.