Stopping at the row of chairs where Mena sat, Julian allowed the tension to ease from his muscles. The urge to punch a wall had dissipated with one glance from the woman he loved. Mena looked strong and determined, but her hands fidgeted with her charm bracelet, spinning it around and around her wrist. She was trying hard to be brave, trying to reassure him that he hadn’t fucked up on the stand. But they both knew the truth. Now she had to go up there with extra pressure to make things right, and that was his fault. He hated putting her in this position.
Slumping down into the chair next to hers, Julian leaned against her.
“You okay?” Mena asked.
Before he could answer or even give her a word of support, Liam Bishop announced, “The Commonwealth calls Mena Nix, your Honor.”
“Don’t worry, you’re going to be great,” Julian whispered in Mena’s ear. He draped an arm across her body, forcing her to stop and look at him. He saw the trepidation in her eyes.
Mena bit her bottom lip as she gripped his hands.
“I love you,” Julian said, summoning as much strength as he could to give to Mena before she headed up to the witness stand.
“I love you,” Mena said, then stood.
Liam made quick work of her testimony, wrapping his questions after only about twenty minutes. He seemed to be pleased with how it had gone and gave a sly smirk toward Dumay’s attorney before returning to his seat. The looks on the faces of the jury members said it all. They were horrified by what Mena had been through. Many of them wouldn’t even look at Dumay, who had been conferring with her attorneys frequently during Mena’s testimony.
“Ms. Reichland,” Judge Carter said, giving the defense a chance to cross-examine Mena.
Camille Reichland approached Mena. “I’m very sorry that Zak Webber attacked and kidnapped you, that must have been a horrible experience. Unfortunately, I need to take you back to that day to ask a few more questions.”
Mena grew ashen, her eyes darting away from the attorney to find Julian’s. Julian felt his stomach drop as he tried to figure out where Dumay’s attorney was going with this question.
“Ms. Nix, After Zak grabbed you, what did he do next?”
Mena said, “He kidnapped me.”
Reichland’s voice grew low and comforting, dripping with fake concern. “Are you aware that there was a surveillance camera in the elevator, Ms. Nix?”
“I didn’t know it at the time, but yes, I found out later.”
“The video of what happened to you in that elevator is quite disturbing and heartbreaking. Can you please tell the court exactly what Zak Webber did to you after he pushed you into the elevator and before he injected you with the syringe?”
Mena’s head dropped as she gazed into her lap.
The muscles in Julian’s neck grew tight, pinching with pain as he maneuvered to the edge of his seat. Why did she stop looking at him? What the hell had happened after Zak took her? Why hadn’t he ever asked her to talk about that night? And if he had, would she have? Julian knew the answer, and he didn’t like it.
“He pinned me against the back of the elevator.”
Reichland’s voice was louder when she asked, “Did Zak Webber sexually assault you?”
Mena rubbed a finger against her temple. “He tried to, but I fought him and he stopped.”
“What did he do to you?”
Mena exhaled a shaky breath. “He ripped my shirt and grabbed one of my breasts with his hand. He licked and sucked on my neck as he shoved his other hand into my pants and … groped me. He tried to kiss me, but I pushed him away. I clenched my hands into fists and just kept hitting him until he finally stopped.”
Seething blind rage roared through Julian. That motherfucker Zak Webber had put his disgusting hands on Mena. He’d tried to rape her. Mena had never told him what she’d gone through the night Zak Webber kidnapped her.
“But that wasn’t enough to help you get away, was it? What did he do after that?” Reichland asked.
“He got really angry. He cursed and grabbed me and forced me down to the floor. When the elevator door opened, I tried to get up and run, but he was too strong. That’s when I saw the syringe in his hand.” Mena stared into the distance as if seeing her memories playing out in front of her.
Julian squeezed the edge of his chair. If Zak Webber wasn’t in Tiverton, he would hunt the bastard down and make him regret ever laying a hand on Mena. Was that why she never told him what happened? Was she afraid that he would take matters into his own hands and kill Zak for hurting her? He should have made sure Zak Webber died the night he realized he’d kidnapped Mena. The bastard didn’t deserve to live.
“And what did he do with the syringe?”
“He stuck it in the back of my neck,” Mena said, then reached a hand behind her head. “Here, near the base.”
