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“And Chuckie said that it must have been a gift.” I throw my head back and laugh.
“Poor Blade was like, we’re fucked. Nobody gives us a truckload of coke as a gift.” We both start laughing as the memories of all our years start pouring out.
We don’t talk about the future. We just sit and drink, letting ourselves escape back into the past. One story after another, until the bottle is gone and I’m grabbing another. I break the seal and hand it to him as I tell him the truth.
“I love you, man.” I nod at him. “Thanks for always being there for me.”
“Fuck you. Don’t start that I love you shit.” Axel looks at me, then up at the ceiling. “Goddamn it, Ryder.” His gravelly voice sounds all choked up. He takes the bottle from me.
“I love you, too, brother.”
JULIANNA
Present
Disciples’ clubhouse
Los Angeles, CA
“You look beautiful.” Ryder squeezes my hand.
Smiling, I look over at him. “No, you do.” And he does look beyond hot in the dark charcoal Brioni suit I picked out for him today. The starched white of the dress shirt makes his tan skin and eyes just pop.
“Yes. You both look magnificent.” Jett Powers looks up from his phone and out at the crowded streets surrounding the courthouse.
We’re on day five of the trial, and today is the day that might change everything. I look down at my pale pink Chanel dress and cross my legs. Otherwise, I’ll start bouncing one up and down, and that would imply I’m nervous.
I am.
But no one, including Ryder, needs to know that. He squeezes my hand again as I bite my lower lip, ready for this day to be over.
The prosecution is putting their star witness on the stand today. Their only real witness. All the others have been forensic and gun experts. I take a deep breath and slowly exhale. As usual, my stomach is terrible nonstop. But the stress of worrying about Ryder going to jail is definitely not helping.
“Okay. Now this witness is going to play the victim. It’s why they’ve kept her off for so long. They want to make it dramatic.” Jett focuses his dark blue eyes on both of us. “Is Granger coming again today?” He looks around because we are literally stopped with all the news trucks and cops directing traffic.
“I don’t know.” My voice sounds raspy, probably because I broke down and sobbed about all my worries last night. Then Ryder took over. He tied me up and fucked me hard while demanding I give him all my control. It helped until now.
“I want you to continue your connection with juror four. She is definitely on our side, along with number five.” He leans forward and pushes the window down to yell at a cop.
“Clear a path and get a handle on all this shit,” he demands. The cop looks completely overwhelmed, but motions for us to drive through.
“I may put you on the stand today. It depends on her testimony, how she holds up, but I might try to diffuse any damage she’s done before the court adjourns for tomorrow.” He says all this as we finally pull up, and he automatically swings the door open.
It’s like we’re celebrities. For some horrific reason, the press has completely made this the trial of the decade to watch. I know it’s because of the way Ryder looks. He’s so beautiful that it’s made everyone fall in love with him.
He’s the bad boy every mother warns you about. Throw in the fact that Blade and David look like Greek gods and Axel is, well, Axel. Not to mention Rhys Granger just happening to be best friends with the Disciples.
It’s a tabloid’s dream. But now we’re so popular that it’s becoming freaking mayhem. The judge allowed the cameras in, and it’s basically taken over daytime TV on most channels.
“Let’s go.” He holds his hand out to me as the cameras roll and yelling starts.
“Julianna, are you divorced yet?”
“Julianna, can you confirm your relationship to the defendant?”
Ryder takes my hand and walks us past them like he’s the coolest man in the world.
Jett walks next to us, wearing the same expression as Ryder. Someone holds the glass doors of the courthouse open, allowing us to enter.
“Can you please get rid of the cameras?” I snap at Powers as he holds up his arms so they can wand him. Thankfully they are taking the security seriously.
“Why would I do that?” He frowns at me. “You just sit and look gorgeous. The paparazzi is obsessed with you.” I glare at him, but it’s my turn to go through security, so I stay quiet.
“Alright. Let’s do this.” Jett looks at me, then Ryder, who has stayed silent this whole morning.
“Give me a second.” He holds up his finger and pulls me to a corner, the sun almost blinding us as it spills in through the windows.
