Page 89

Natalie’s attorney relaxed into his next question.

“How many times have you seen your sister with bruises?”

Cory stared straight at me. “Too many to count.”

“On the day she came to see you, did you see any injuries?”

Cory’s gaze drilled into his sister. Silence seemed to stretch for an eternity. Natalie fidgeted in her chair.

“Did I see bruises on her arms? The red handprint on her throat where Steele had pinned her against the wall while he threatened to kill her?”

Natalie bowed her head as tears slipped onto her cheek, and Cory continued.

“Did I listen to her beg me to protect Lili from her dad?” His tone grew heavier. “Did I see her tremble in fear?”

Inside, I died. I was going to lose my baby girl.

Regina’s hand rested on my arm. We both knew I’d lost the appeal.

“No,” Cory said. The word landed like a bomb. “I didn’t.”

Natalie’s head snapped up.

“The night before last, my sister came to me. She trembled. She cried. She was afraid the court wouldn’t give her a permanent protective order. It’s her word against Steele’s because she doesn’t have any physical evidence. She begged me to corroborate her story. She wrote me a list of the things she needed me to say today. How did I do?” he asked Natalie.

The judge stopped him from talking to Natalie. “She asked you to falsify your testimony?”

“No. She claims it’s all true, that Steele had beat on her throughout their marriage.”

The judge took over the questioning. “You testified you saw bruises.”

“She’s my sister. She played sports in high school. She works out at the gym. She chases my niece. I’ve seen her with bruises. I’ve never seen her with a handprint, a black eye, or any other evidence of Steele roughing her up. If I had, Steele wouldn’t be sitting at that table. If he hit her once, it would’ve been the last time he hit her.”

“You never witnessed any abuse between the petitioner or the respondent?” The judge wanted him to confirm his testimony.

“I saw two people who never should’ve married. She’d want to fight, and he’d take off on his motorcycle. She’d yell, and he’d take off on his motorcycle. I’m not saying he wasn’t a piece of—” he stumbled over the rest, then rephrased his words. “Steele wasn’t a good husband, but since the separation, he’s tried to be a good dad.”

I leaned into the table and listened intently. My heart pounded like I was riding into a fight with my MC brothers. The fear of losing Lili was chased by the rush of seeing Natalie’s lies exposed to the court.

“I was pissed when Natalie told me what happened. Steele was working for me, and I’d believed him when he said he’d gotten his life together. But they had history. The divorce has been ugly. When she said he lost it on her, I chose to believe my sister.” His shoulders slumped. “I believed her until she showed up at my house with accusations she’d never made before, not even when they separated.”

The judge asked Natalie’s attorney if he wanted to continue to question his witness. He shook his head. My attorney stood to cross examine.

“To your knowledge, has the petitioner ever accused Mr. Steele of domestic violence or ever reported to the appropriate authorities a claim of domestic violence?”

“No.”

“Why did you believe her accusations?”

Cory turned to the judge. “Before the separation, Steele wasn’t around much. He had some substance abuse issues, rode with guys I wouldn’t let wash my car, and didn’t seem to put much value on his wife and daughter. Natalie put up with a lot in the marriage. She doesn’t trust him.” His shoulders sagged. “But my sister was never afraid of her husband.”

Cory was excused. He kept his eyes straight ahead as he passed between the tables and was escorted from the courtroom.

It was my turn to testify. My knees felt weak as I walked to the stand. Sweat slicked my skin. Fucking hell. I’d never been this nervous before or had this much to lose.

“I have evidence to enter into the record.” My attorney submitted my text history with Natalie and with Lili. Jaymi had provided an affidavit outlining my requests from the school. Then Regina turned her questions to me. “Did you threaten your wife?”

Regina and I had talked about her opening question.