Guarded: Sequal to Broken

Nineteen

Double update! Cuz SavSOS_ begged! Read 18 first.

Calum's POV

"Are you ready for this?" I ask quietly, rubbing an encouraging hand over Maddie's tense back.

"Not even a little." She swallows hard, stepping out of the elevator as it opens.

"Me either. But we got each other so we will figure it out. Right?" I sigh, lacing my fingers through hers as we head for the office we were told Howard and Andrea would be in.

"I hope we are enough." Maddie nods, her hold on my hand tightening as I lift my other fist to knock against the door.

"Ah, right on time. Come on in guys." Howard's smile doesn't reach his eyes, I notice it instantly, something is different today, and not in a good way.

"Calum, Madison, this is my associate Andrea, she has been helping me from her location here in Seattle with our case. Andrea, these are our clients, Calum Hood and Madison Taylor. The third member of the case, Samuel Madsen is still in high school and thus unable to attend today's meeting."

"Well it is nice to finally meet you both, but I wish it were on better terms." Andrea smiles, her soft golden eyes looking at us with pity, My stomach is really starting to knot tightly.

"We all wish we weren't in this situation. Just brief us, so we can know what we are walking into tomorrow." Maddie shakes her head.

"Today isn't just a briefing." Howard frowns, "We have a lot to discuss and a lot to decide together."

"What do you mean?" I frown as I feel Maddie's hand start to shake against my own.

"We mean there is a good chance Chris may walk as early as tomorrow." Andrea sighs, dropping the bomb and clearly taking Maddie's heart with it, her face paling in an instant.

"How? What about our case? And this other one?" I ask defensively.

"The state has reviewed all of his records from prison over the last nine years, all of his therapy and AA sessions. They see a change. They, by way of the law, are at a point that they don't have a solid argument against his release into a halfway house where he would live until he can get housing and then he'd report to a sponsor and parole board for how ever long until he is deemed safe in society."

"He was found guilty of first degree murder. How is this possible?" Maddie's whole body is trembling.

"It's a flaw in the law, we agree. But the state has nothing to fight with. They are being forced by his manipulative nature to say he is ready for this. He is a perfect candidate for the addict recovery movement the Washington state judicial branch is trying to push, so they want to use him as a model for it. Unless our case and the third case can put him behind bars for something else we are sitting with his release being tomorrow evening. I wish we had better news. But that's what it is." Andrea explains.

"So how do we stop this? How do we stop his release?"  I sit forward to give my full attention to the lawyers, my fight or flight mode having kicked in, heavy on the fight.

"First, and you're not going to like this, we can't. Honestly, bringing two new cases against him is the best we can do, and we are going to keep pursuing this. But we can't prevent the case already being fought from being closed. He will be out for a time, it's almost inevitable at this point. But, depending on what we bring to the table tomorrow, we may be able to get him placed on house arrest, or ankle monitor, or something more significant than a halfway house." Howard states calmly.

"How do we make sure we stay safe then? Until we can get him back behind bars." I'm shocked by how steady Maddie's voice is as she asks.

"That's the other problem," Howard nods, "We had or analysts looking over the letters we were forwarded, and they all agree the threat is to all of you if Chris walks. Calum is in just as much if not more physical danger than you, Madison."