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When Liam’s eyes widened, D’Arcy said, “Yeah. Go figure. I’m sure he had no idea he’d signed his own death warrant by arranging to get the guns into the courthouse. But he was a target, same as Cate. When the FBI’s investigation led straight to him and they questioned him, he caved. Guess he was terrified the Bratva would come after him again once he was out of the hospital, once the protection on him was lifted. He spilled everything he knew...but not until he’d negotiated a plea deal with his former colleagues in the US Attorney’s Office.”
He smiled, but his eyes didn’t. “And he knew a lot more than just the attempt on Cate. A hell of a lot more, including how they got to the other witness. The Bratva needed to silence him, too, and not just to make sure the hit on Cate was never traced back to Vishenko. I can’t tell you the details, but he’ll be the key witness at some new trials, both here and in Zakhar. After which, he’ll spend a couple of years in prison, in protective custody. Then he’ll go into the Witness Security Program.”
He grimaced. “We don’t always get to choose who rots in prison and who gets a second chance at a new life under a new name—sometimes we have to choose between the lesser of two evils. I don’t like it any more now than I did when I was in the US Marshals Service—I just have to live with it. The good news, Cate, is that with Vishenko dead, I don’t think you’ll need to go into the Witness Security Program after all. But we’ll see.”
“What about the trial I was supposed to testify at?” Cate asked abruptly. “If one of the prosecutors was working for Vishenko...how does that affect the case?”
“No impact,” D’Arcy explained. “The original trial never started. A jury was never seated. Vishenko’s dead, but the trial for the rest of the conspirators will go ahead with the new prosecutors the US Attorney’s Office has already assigned to the case.”
Cate didn’t respond, and Liam glanced at her to see how she was taking the news the human trafficking conspiracy trial was still on. Which meant she still needed to testify. Which meant the defense teams would still do everything they could to discredit her testimony. Which meant the whole world would know...everything.
“I understand,” she said finally. Determination pulled her face into resolute lines. “‘I am one,’” she whispered under her breath. She glanced down at the scars on her wrists for a moment, and an ache speared through Liam as he realized he couldn’t shield her from the mental and emotional trauma of the upcoming trial—much as he wanted to—any more than he could shield her from the abuse she’d suffered in the past.
Then she looked him full in the face, dauntless courage shining from her silvery-blue eyes. The courage that had ensnared his heart almost from the beginning. “I can do this,” she said softly. “I can.” She turned to D’Arcy. “I will.”
Epilogue
Cate walked into the Washington, DC, federal courthouse, Liam at her side, her right hand clasped firmly in his left one. Four US Marshals surrounded them. Even though Vishenko was dead, even though two of the conspirators in the human trafficking case had accepted plea bargains three days before the trial, the prosecution of the other men was going forward as scheduled. Cate’s eyewitness testimony was still key to the prosecution, and the various federal agencies involved—the FBI, the US Marshals Service, the US Attorney’s Office and the agency—were taking no chances with her safety.
Nor was Liam. He was still on medical leave from his job with the DSS, but he’d scarcely left her side since he’d been discharged from the hospital. Just as he’d scarcely left her side from the moment he’d met her—keeping her safe as only he could do.
Cate glanced down at the diamond on her left hand. She’d told Liam she didn’t need an engagement ring. That she didn’t need things to know he loved her. And besides, they weren’t engaged, they were married. But he’d insisted. And now that it was on her finger, she loved it. Not just because it was beautiful—the most gorgeous ring she’d ever seen—but as its symbol. Along with her wedding ring, it was a reminder that Liam had chosen to love her, as he put it...and always would. A reminder, too, that she was worthy of being loved. Whenever she slipped back into her old mind-set, all she had to do was look at the ring to know the truth. It was her talisman.
They paused at the doorway to the witness room and she turned to Liam. She had to leave him here. He would be in the courtroom for the entire trial, but she wouldn’t. As was often the case with witnesses, only when she was on the witness stand would she be allowed inside the courtroom. On the witness stand...and when the verdicts were read. She took a deep breath and forced a smile.
