“I’m serious, Mena. Do not do anything to find that laptop. I can handle it, as long as you’re safe. Octavia is the best attorney I could have. Let me focus on beating these charges first. Then I’ll figure out if Dumay is lying or telling the truth about the laptop,” Julian said.
“I won’t sit by while you do this on your own—”
Julian laughed, cupping her face with his hands. “I love your fierceness, but baby, this is one battle that you have no skills to help fight. Dumay has proven over and over again how dangerous and ruthless she is. She’s kidnapped you more times than I want to count. Promise me you’ll stay out of this. I’d rather not spend our last moments together talking about Dumay, anyway.”
“Our last moments?” Mena asked.
An adorable frown creased her face. She was so fucking beautiful. How had he ever gotten so lucky to have this woman fall in love with him? She trusted him and believed in him completely, and he’d let her down by letting Dumay dupe him.
Julian reached into the pocket of his pants, his fingers gripping the tiny charm. “The earliest Octavia can get a bail hearing is Monday.”
“I can’t believe you have to spend the weekend in jail. That’s not fair,” Mena insisted.
Julian took her hand in his and placed the charm in her palm.
“You’re not supposed to give me another charm until next January,”
“I know, but I need you to have that now.”
Mena stared at the rose gold charm in the shape of a small key. “The key to your heart.”
“That’s right. And it will always be yours, no matter what.”
Chapter Fourteen
Judge Diana Carter conferred with the bailiff and Stella Young, the court reporter.
The waiting was torture.
Mena sat rigid, legs numb from the uncomfortable worn wooden benches in the courtroom. She hadn’t even allowed herself to consider that Julian wouldn’t be coming home with her tonight. The hearing had been short and concise. Liam Bishop had argued, almost half-heartedly, against granting Julian bail. Octavia had shined in her delivery of why Julian wasn’t a flight risk, laying out the terms of her bail proposal. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until now.
Julian sat still, less than an arm’s length in front of her. If she stretched her arm, she could stroke his hair. Caress the soft skin of his neck. Comfort him as the minutes ticked by. But she didn’t dare break formality of courtroom decorum, no matter how she ached to slip her arms around him and pretend like this nightmare wasn’t happening.
Sitting in the courtroom alone had been her choice, but now she regretted insisting that she didn’t need Regina or Omar by her side. They’d reluctantly agreed to stay away, and she was without her fierce support system when she needed them the most. She’d give anything for a hug from Regina or an encouraging word from Omar. Instead, she was surrounded by strangers, legal assistants and clerks on Octavia Constant’s team assisting with Julian’s case.
Behind her, curious locals packed the rest of the benches, watching like vultures as if Julian’s problems were prime time entertainment. Last year, Julian had been the golden boy, the island hero. Now the newspapers depicted him as the fallen hero, attacking Priscilla Dumay to exact vigilante justice and revenge.
And then there was Quentin Tufa. Priscilla’s adopted brother sat behind the prosecutor table, glaring at Julian with unrestrained hatred. He played the part of distraught brother, scared for his sister’s life. Mena wasn’t buying his act. Priscilla wouldn’t kill herself to get revenge on Julian. More likely, Prissy would emerge from the coma in time to spout more lies about Julian attacking her.
Slipping her finger underneath the rose gold links of her charm bracelet, she twisted the jewelry around her wrist until the key rested against her palm. The key to Julian’s heart. Mena would give anything to get Julian out of this situation, but this was a new battle unlike any they’d ever had to fight before. He could take out any rebel group threatening to hurt them, but how could they fight a methodical and manipulative attack by a psychopath.
Judge Diana Carter stacked the papers into a neat pile on the podium, then cleared her throat. “I have reviewed the arguments presented by both the defense and the commonwealth attorneys. While Julian Montgomery has obtained status as a permanent resident of the Palmchat Islands and has freely agreed to surrender his U.S. Passport as a sign of good faith of his intent to remain in St. Basil until his trial, there are other concerning facts about his situation.”
Mena clasped her hands tightly in her lap. The room spun. She struggled to breathe.
“First, the financial records presented to the court indicate that he is a man of considerable wealth and means to fund an escape from the islands. Mr. Montgomery’s training as a Navy SEAL indicates an extraordinary skill set to evade capture.”
Mena leaned forward, sliding her hand along Julian’s arm. He didn’t turn around, but his strong hand cover hers. Intertwining their fingers, Julian rested the back of her hand against his heart. She felt the slow, steady beats in contrast to the pounding of hers.
“Finally, Mr. Montgomery has no roots in this community or reason to stay in St. Basil, other than a girlfriend, who is also not native to the Palmchat Islands. For these reasons, I am denying bail and remanding Mr. Montgomery to Tiverton Prison to await his trial.”
The bang of the gavel exploded within the room.
Chapter Fifteen
The photograph on thePalmchat Gazette’swebsite only caught a partial view, but Michael knew it was her. His wife. Mena. Sitting behind Julian Montgomery in the courtroom as the judge denied him bail for attacking Priscilla Dumay.
Michael clicked on the photo, zooming into Mena’s face. Reaching a hand toward the computer screen, he traced a finger around her jawline. She was hiding it well, as she always did, but Michael knew that testifying against Dumay and that bastard’s arrest was taking its toll on her.
