“Your honor, may I approach the bench?” Sherri asks as everyone sits down. I watch her and the prosecution walk up to the bench before I’m glancing around the courtroom again, then down to my watch, knowing that in a few moments Tatum will be late, and that’s not like her. Something has to be wrong.
Sherri and the prosecution walk back towards the table and both of the attorneys look at me but divert their eyes. Almost as if neither of them knows what it is exactly I’m going to do. Which isn’t fucking good for anyone. Looking over at my family sitting in the crowd and, just like the attorneys, none of them will meet my eyes.
“Where is she?” I ask Sherri as she sits back down, but she doesn’t look at me.
“She’s running a couple of minutes behind.” Is all she says, but she won’t look at me still.
I hear the large doors open and instantly turning around. The gasp spreads throughout the courtroom and I’m already up, moving towards to the doors. I’ve already seen enough.
“What the fuck?” I gasp as the bailiff holds me back.
“Your honor, because of the circumstances…” Sherri trails from behind me.
“You have 2 minutes.” The judge says as the bailiff lets go of me, hopping over the wooden gate, and moving over to her.
Her sunglasses are still sitting on her face as I move towards her. Approaching her, I reach for her glasses, lifting them off of their resting place to reveal the bruising around her eyes.
“I’m gonna fucking kill him.” I whisper to her, making her laugh.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to say that while you’re actually on trial for murder.” She whispers back to me, but I’m not listening to her. I just pull her closer, kissing her forehead, and I look down at her, shaking my head. “Zane, I’m fine.”
“This was your plan, wasn’t it?”
“I knew it was a possibility.” We continue to whisper to one another.
“You’re so goddamn stupid.” I tell her, keeping my lips still on her forehead, neither one of us believing what I’m saying, but understanding why I’m saying it.
“I know.” She laughs again.
Pulling away, I look down at her, searching her face and trying to calm my rage from the looks of it, but when her eyes soften as she looks up at me, I can’t help it. Pulling her into me again, holding her to my chest, my heart swells because I know she knew saying all of those things yesterday would piss him off. She didn’t go back to the safe house on purpose. The words tug at the back of my throat because I want her to know. No, I need her to know.
Feeling her pushing back away from me, I look down at her. Her eyes widen, and I watch a smile tug on her lips. “Don’t.” She whispers, almost like she can hear my thoughts. “Not yet. Tell me when this is all over.”
“I really want to kiss you right now.” I whisper to her.
“I’m pretty sure that’s against the rules we’re already breaking.” She responds as the judge calls for order and I nod my head at her.
The judge clears his throat behind us and she looks past me.
“I think he wants me up there.”
Nodding my head, I turn around, lacing my fingers with hers and walking with her up towards the stand. Opening the gate for her, she smirks at me. There’s a murmur through the crowd and I’m sure if I was paying attention, I could hear a couple of women swooning over the display we just had. As we reach the table for me to sit at, Tatum separates our hands.
“I got it from here.” She whispers and I nod my head, letting her walk away and watching her, even as I move around Sherri and sit down.
Leaning over, I cover my hand over my mouth as I whisper, “You knew she was going to do that, didn’t you?”
“I had a feeling, and I knew I couldn’t stop her.” I glare at Sherri. “She would do anything to help you, and honestly, she really didn’t have to try hard.”
“And you couldn’t tell me. Or you couldn’t fucking tell me what happened.”
“No.” Is all Sherri says as I hear Tatum being sworn in for the day.
“No.”
I glare at her.
“We needed your sincere reaction. The jury and everyone here saw your genuine reaction when the ones you care about, no, when she’s injured.”
