Jennie was at her wit’s end, trying to fathom the information dumped on her head. Matters were getting very serious if what Tristan was telling her was true about Jarin and Sydney. Lies, adultery, unspeakable horrors. She feared for the people first and her business right after. Rumors like these caused rot to the very foundation it stood on. “I am so sorry for all of this. I had no idea any of this was going on between these two. Let’s just all hope this was a huge misunderstanding.” She could feel her own hair turn translucent at this rate.
She gently lowered herself into her chair and stared at the monitor of her computer. Where did she even begin… She pulled out her address book where she kept all the numbers she’d need, including her legal team. She needed to play this smart and get expert advice. This could break RidgeRunner if she didn’t play it right. She paused and looked back to Tristan in the small room, “Tristan, if this is what we fear…just know that we will do everything in our power to make things right again.” Though she wasn’t convinced how that could even happen, seeing the state Jarin was in. How would it ever be right for him? Oh god, she almost kicked him out of the stable. She was dialing up her legal team already.
Tristan gave a shake of his head a slight smile “Don’t worry, I’ve no intention of going anywhere at this point in time. Trust me when I say it is what you fear. Sorry to say it Jennie, but you’re gonna end up with one hell of a court case there.” He sighed with a shrug. “Not from my end, or at least I would try my best to avoid Ridgerunner getting caught up with it. But people like Sydney do need to be pulled up.” He said pointedly, with a sigh.
“Hey, Tristan…If you and your fiancé hadn't fought, were you two going to get married?” Jarin looked up to him with sad eyes.
Tristan glanced up at his name, arching an eyebrow as Jarin paused for a moment, wondering what could be causing such confusion for him. And then his expression dropped a little. Hurt.
He gave a soft sigh after a few moments and gave a noncommittal shrug, moving to sit down on the bed next to Jarin, he looked down to his knees solemnly. “Maybe we would have done, there weren’t any plans in action… but when I proposed. Well, I sure thought so…” He let out a breath and looked to Jarin, tears in his eyes which he blinked away. Before he looked back to his knees, suddenly vulnerable.
He gave a shake of his head, and glanced away toward the door. “But it was not meant to be, Jarin. And I cut it off. It was me who said no. And I know you, and I'm betting you’re trying to find a way to blame yourself. But don't Jarin. Sydney? To marry someone, to have a kid on the way? If what Justin says is true. That is his fault, Jarin. Not yours. You didn't even know, and I'm betting he sure as hell didn't say anything.” He said firmly, “He is the worst kind of person Jarin. Selfish and uncaring that he would even think of doing that, and then to hurt you and warp you? You are not even slightly to blame.”
Tristan shook his head and gave a slight smile “Jarin, you aren’t selfish. No fucking way.” He leant forward, and this time, recaptured Jarin’s lips with his own. He was hurting, he felt like his chest had been ripped, just talking about everything that came crumbling apart… it hurt.
And that thought, that made him angry, which translated to passion, as he pushed his lips up against Jarin’s, pushing him back down against the bed and straddling over his hips. “You are not selfish, Jarin,” he growled. “No matter whatever the hell Sydney told you. He’s a jackass. What he said to you, Jarin, it doesn’t matter, he was lying to you. Just as he did with regards to his wife. That’s what people like him do. You are not to blame.” He breathed hotly against Jarin’s lips, before pushing back against them with his own.
Jarin, half listening, was largely distracted by how pretty Tristan was. He never noticed how inviting his eyes were. How his jaw curved perfectly and how his hair framed his features so nicely. Him, not selfish? Tristan didn't have a clue what was going through his head. There were certainly some thoughts going on in that head that needed to remain there. Jarin drew back just a tad and smiled sweetly, “You wouldn't lie to me, would you, Tristan? I never could. I never would.”
“No, I wouldn't, not about this Jarin.” He told him gently, drawing back for just a moment to look at him, before he ran his hands down Jarin’s sides, leaning and nipping at his lower lip for a moment, before he kissed him hard, pushy.
“I’m, of course, more than happy to talk to the attorney,” Tristan offered to Jennie. “I’ll have my phone on me all day so if I’m needed you’re more than welcome to ring me…” His expression soured just a little at the thought of Sydney however. “Do you have any ideas on what you’re planning on doing with regards to Sydney? Whether he’s keeping his job or not?” He asked her, folding his arms.
Jennie shook her head, raising her brows, “Well, I suppose it all depends on what Jarin has to say really. He’s honestly the deciding factor in all of this if he wants to press charges or not. It’s a mess, really.” Jennie smiled weakly, “I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop. Sorry for all of this again. In all my years of owning businesses, this has never come up. Leave it to a peaceful horse stable to have a little drama.”
Tristan gave a slight nod and then a chuckle at Jennie’s response “Stables are pinpoints for drama, horse people love it, ask anyone.” He grinned, giving a shake of his head in amusement, thinking back to when his ex was shot at one of the shows by an old rival of his. Good times.
“We’ll see with Jarin,” he continued “I think he’s still pretty hung up over Sydney, I’m not sure he completely understands the gravity of what actually happened to him.” He explained with a sigh, “He’ll get it eventually, I’m sure.”
“Morning sunshine,” Tristan loomed over Jarin’s corpse-like body after waking him from a nap. “Jennie’s got an attorney who's wanting to talk to you about what it was that Sydney did to you. He’ll be asking you if you want to press charges against him and so on. I would suggest that your answer to that be ‘yes’ because if not, then Sydney gets away with nothing for cheating on his wife and hurting you without reason,” Tristan explained, giving him a gentle smile.
It took Jarin the whole ride over to the stables to gather what Tristan had said to him. The thought of seeing some scary lawyer made Jarin uncomfortable but he’d have Tristan there. To Jarin’s absolute horror, he was in the room alone with Mr. Walker, the attorney. Jarin sat stiffly in the chair across from him, shaking a little from intimidation.
Walker came off as friendly but assertive – an odd combo for Jarin to wrap his head around. Walker opened up with, “Jarin, could you tell me exactly what happened here with Sydney, regarding how you got your injuries?”
Jarin looked over himself like he was looking for the script. By this point, the bruises were just about gone and he had trimmed his nails from their mangled state. “Uhm…” Do what Tristan said. “...yes?”
Walker smiled and waited for the story. When a moment of silence went by with Jarin staring back blankly, he reformed his question, “Did Sydney cause those injuries?”
Jarin nodded, “Yes.”
Walker tapped away on the small keyboard, “Was there any sexual contact between you and Sydney when all of this happened?”
Jarin blushed a little, looking away, “Y-Yes…” he barely managed to squeak a whisper.
“And were you a willing participant in such activities?”
He cleared his throat, “Yes.” Jarin blushed a lot. How many more questions until he could run away!?
Walker looked up from his tablet. He raised a brow, “So there was nothing being done against your will?”
“Yep.”
Walker furrowed his brow. This wasn’t lining up with what Tristan had told him prior. This was a safe place. There wasn’t any reason to lie. “Are you sure nothing was being forced upon you, Jarin?”
“Yes, o-of course.”
Walker was a bit hesitant on his next question. If he was a willing participant, then what case did they really have if they just got into a brawl? It didn’t sound like RidgeRunner would be in any real danger other than housing a rough and tumble crew. Although… “Were you aware that Sydney was a married man when you had intercourse with him?”
Jarin lowered his gaze, “Mhm.” No, of course he didn’t! Why did he have to ‘yes’? He wasn’t so good at lying! It made him more nervous. Tristan wouldn’t lie. He said so. Jarin decided that he’d feel a whole lot better if he just told the truth instead. “Sydney…I don’t really want to…” Tristan said he should say ‘yes’ to pressing charges against him but… Tristan had also said that Sydney wasn’t worth his time. This was certainly giving Sydney the attention he wanted like the bully he was. He didn’t owe it to him! He was done with these negative feelings! Jarin resigned a bit and sat up straight, “I don’t want to press charges against Sydney for anything he did. I don’t think he deserves it.”
Walker shut the flap over his tablet, looking stunned. It didn’t seem like this case was going anywhere after all. He leaned back in his chair, “From a legal standpoint, if you’re saying all of this was willing and fine with you, then there’s not a lot more I can do for you. If you are absolutely sure…” But Jarin didn’t change his stance. Walker nodded, “I might recommend cutting a relationship with Sydney off. While, there’s nothing illegal with being in a relationship with a married man, the consequences could affect you if Sydney should ever file for divorce and if there is a dispute over child custody. But I’m not a marriage counselor and I don’t see any reason to take up any more of your time here. If there’s nothing else you’d like to add...” One last chance...
Jarin shook his head. He about sprinted out of the office and headed straight for Abe’s stall where he could groom to his heart’s content. It would make him feel so much better too, being around the horses. He could feel his nerves tremble from that exchange but it was what Tristan wanted. Jarin smiled a little. It would be kind of funny if Sydney found out. He’d think there’d be all of this attention waiting for him. Jarin chuckled. Boy, did he play a joke on Sydney! Who’d get the last laugh now!?
Tristan tracked him down as soon as he knew he was out of the office. “You’re out early? I presume it went well?” He questioned him. “I’m assuming you did press charges against Sydney? Did the attorney say anything about what the next steps were going to be?” Naturally, he had been a bit nervous that Jarin would do something stupid. But hey, how bad could it go? Surely. Surely Jarin hadn’t been too much of an idiot. Surely.
Jarin smiled and nodded, “Yep! I did what you said and it’s all taken care of!” Jarin was in the middle of re-braiding Abe’s mane. Maybe he’d do up all of his horses! And he could find some flower decorations usually used for jumps but a flower is a flower! And then he could take all the pictures he could want with them! That would make him feel even more better! Yes! ALL OF THE HORSES!
Jarin looked proud, “You’ll be happy to know I’ll be getting the last laugh on Sydney! His reign of terror is no more! Thanks for all the advice Tristan! I was nervous at first but I think he’ll get what he deserves.”
Jarin hadn’t felt this good in a while! It was like a weight being lifted off his shoulders – a Sydney-sized weight at that! “I’m feeling pretty good, Tristan. I think everything’s going to be okay.”
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