Chapter Text
Adrian had been caught dead to rights with 4 kilos of cocaine. The penalty for a drug trafficking offense, astronomical. Deran bailed him out and hired the best, most expensive lawyer in southern California. Deran and Adrian had argued about this, but Deran would not be deterred. With persistence and persuasion, Adrian turned over his contact’s information to the DA. His only hesitation was the potential danger to the Cody family.
Pretty quickly deals were made and major players arrested. The small, but efficient drug ring was essentially disbanded. The lawyer was able to argue that without Adrian’s help the organization would never have been dissolved. By some miracle, Adrian was sentenced to a little over a year of jail time and a few years of probation for the felony charges.
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Deran had put up all the money for the lawyer, fines, fees and protection of Adrian while he was locked up. He sold a couple of the more lucrative properties, and pulled jobs regularly with the family. It was Smurf’s connections and reputation that kept Adrian safe while he was locked away. It seemed Deran would forever be connected to her legacy. With insistence, near begging, Lucy’s crew agreed to step in with what remained of the peripheral crew and assure Adrian would be considered untouchable in/out of jail. Deran had run jobs for them too; obligated to pay their debts. He didn’t care. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to ensure Adrian’s safety and freedom.
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All Deran wants is to hold Adrian again, feel his skin, hear his breath, and know they’ll figure the rest out later. He is steadfast in this...