Chapter 31
Rachel glanced at the caller ID and frowned. "This is Rachel Williams. I don't have a brother. You must have the wrong number."
The female officer on the other end replied, "No, he said he's your brother, James Smith."
Hearing that name, Rachel's irritation spiked. "Sorry, I don't know him." She hung up, her frustration clear in her tone.
John, curious, asked, "Brother? Did Robert call you?"
"No, wrong number," she replied curtly.
Rachel and John left the office, chatting about grabbing sushi and their plans for Skyline Corporation. Just as they stepped into the elevator, her phone rang again.
Rachel answered, trying to keep her cool. This time, it wasn't the female officer but James.
"Rachel, can you come to the police station and get me out?" James asked.
"I divorced your brother," Rachel reminded him, almost as if reminding herself. "Call him and have him come get you."
James shouted, "Can't you just come to the police station?"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Let your brother handle it."
James suddenly went silent on the other end. Rachel noticed the quick change in his manner and frowned.
Just as she was about to hang up, James beat her to it and hung up first.
"Was that Michael's brother?" John asked, piecing things together from snippets of the conversation. "I heard Michael booked a table at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, inviting Mandy's family to dine with his parents to discuss re-engagement. Shouldn't his brother be with him at the hotel? Why is he at the police station?"
"Looks like he got himself into a mess," Rachel said, keeping her voice flat. "He wants me to bail him out."
John rolled his eyes. "Still thinks he can boss you around? Just like his mom."
As they reached the garage and were about to get into the car, Rachel paused. "How long can they detain someone for getting into trouble at the police station?"
"Depends," John shrugged. "If it's just a fight and no one's hurt too badly, maybe up to fifteen days if no one bails them out."
"He doesn't dare call Michael, which means it must be serious," Rachel said, getting in the car. "I'll go check it out."
John bent down and knocked on the car window, complaining, "You're choosing your ex-husband's brother over me?"
Rachel ignored him and drove out of the underground garage. On the way to the police station, she replayed her conversation with John in the garage, hating herself for that moment of weakness. She had promised to move on, but when Michael's brother was in trouble, she still wanted to help.
Arriving at the police station, she gave James's name and was led inside by a female officer. She was soon faced with a row of boys in school uniforms, each dirtied and bruised. "James," the officer called out, "your family is here to get you."
James's eyes lit up momentarily before he lashed out, "Damn woman, I knew you'd come."
Rachel's gaze was calm and piercing. "What did you call me?"
She was wearing a black coat with her hair in a low ponytail, looking all gentle and dignified, but her calm gaze made James feel uneasy.
James's bravado crumbled under her stare. "Rachel," he mumbled, clearly gritting his teeth.
Rachel nodded. She didn't rush to sign the bail papers but asked, "Why did you get into a fight?"
James stayed silent. One of the boys leaning against the wall shouted, "James, I heard your sister-in-law and your brother are divorced. How can you have the nerve to ask her to bail you out? You're just like your mom, bossing people around with no shame."
The boys' taunts made James's eyes burn with anger, and he looked ready to punch them.
Rachel quickly grabbed his uniform. "You want to fight in the police station? Do you want me to call your brother over?"
Afraid she might actually call Michael, James scowled and yanked his arm away, not letting Rachel touch his uniform.
After signing the bail papers, Rachel turned to the officer. "Kids fighting isn't worth troubling their parents over. I'll bail them out too."
The officer, seeing they were from the same school, agreed, thinking it would streamline the process.
James was livid. "Are you crazy? Bailing them out?"
Rachel didn't miss a beat. "Did you win the fight earlier?"
James looked at the boys and grumbled, "I could have won if it was just three of them, but then two more showed up."
"So you didn't win," Rachel mocked. "I thought you were more capable."
As they left the station, Rachel followed the boys leisurely, confusing James. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
Rachel suddenly swung her bag, hitting one of the boys on the back. The group turned, ready to pounce, but Rachel shouted, "James! Back me up. Didn't you say three were a piece of cake?"
James, initially stunned, rolled up his sleeves and joined the fracas. With Rachel handling two boys and James the other three, they soon had the upper hand. Emerging victorious but worse for wear, James nursed a bruised face.
Rachel straightened, addressing the boys on the ground. "I let him fight you for his dignity. If I had stepped in, you'd be in juvenile detention for three months. I don't mince words."
The boys apologized to James, visibly shaken. Once Rachel signaled, they fled.
James looked at Rachel with a complicated expression. He had always blamed her for breaking up Michael and Mandy, always giving Rachel a hard time in the Smith Family.
But after the bar incident, and now this, he saw a different Rachel from the one in the Smith Family.
Rachel turned to James. "I heard Michael and Mandy are at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Here's some money for a cab. Go wherever you want."
Just as she reached the driver's seat, James climbed into the passenger side. "I'm sleeping in your car," he declared, wincing at the pain in his cheek.
Frowning, Rachel said, "Get out. Your brother and I are divorced."
James pouted but held firm. "An ex-sister-in-law is still family."
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