Approaching the Bench

by Chantal Fernando

  “We’ll find out who they are, even if the cops don’t stop the van,” I promise her.

  She never should have ignored those letters. Those threats were real, and maybe we could have stopped this before it happened.

  I’m in this now. I don’t know how everything changed in an instant, but it has. I’m not going to be able to rest until whoever did this today is back in prison, clearly where they belong. Trinity deserves to be safe, to be able to leave fucking work without worrying about her safety. I want to pull her into a hug, but I don’t know if she’d be okay with that. Maybe she needs one though. She’s still a judge—my boss—not a friend, and I don’t want to anger her after what she’s been through.

  I decide to make it seem like I’m the one who needs the support. “Not going to lie, I could kind of use a hug right now. That was a close call, and some very fucked-up shit.”

  She nods once and opens her arms, resting her cheek on my chest. She squeezes tightly, and I don’t know if she’s giving or receiving the reassurance, but whatever it is, it feels good. I run my hand in circles over her upper back, offering comfort.

  “I can’t believe how calm you’re being,” I mutter to myself.

  “I’m not on the inside, trust me,” she admits, her voice smaller than I’ve ever heard it.

  And there it is.

  She’s not emotionless; she’s just gotten so good at hiding it she doesn’t show anything, even in a life-or-death situation. I don’t think that’s a normal reaction, but who am I to judge the judge? She’s handling it in her way, and I need to do so in mine.

  The cops return, two of them approaching us.

  “How are you guys holding up?” one officer asks. Her eyes go to Trinity, full of concern. “You’re one lucky woman, Judge Williams.”

  “I don’t feel very lucky,” Trinity replies, then lifts her chin and takes a deep breath. “Did you catch them?”

  “We lost the van,” the officer admits, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. They will be caught though. You can be sure of that.”

  Trinity and I share a look.

  What will happen now?

  “Did either of the men say anything? Were there any identifying features? Anything you remember?” Officer Daniels, as his badge states, asks as he pulls out a pen and pad.

  “He told me to put her in the van or else he’d kill me—” I start to say before Trinity interrupts me.

  “I said his name.” She puts her hand over her mouth in horror. “I called his name out. Have I just put him in danger? Callum shouldn’t be involved in this; he’s just my law clerk.”

  I forgot about that. She did say my name, my first name anyway, but I doubt that matters much.

  “We’ll take care of it,” the cop says, forcing a smile and walking away to join his partner.

  Yeah, that doesn’t sound promising.

  All we have now is a license plate number, some DNA, and video surveillance to find out who wants to hurt Trinity. It was clear she alone was the target. I don’t want to think what would have happened if I wasn’t here with her.

  “Someone in one of the offices behind your building saw what was going on and called us,” the female officer explains, telling us that we were lucky they were close by.

  Whoever made the call, I for one am thankful.

  If the cops had never come, I’d more than likely be dead, and who knows where Trinity would be right now. I don’t even want to think about it. The ambulance comes and gives her a check-over, and the skin-cell DNA is extracted from her nails. We’re then taken to the police station for questioning.

  “What will we do until the DNA comes back?” I ask the officer. “It’s not exactly safe for her to be alone. What if they decide to show up at her house?”

  I should stay with her until this is all sorted out.

  “It’s not safe for you to be alone either,” Officer Daniels replies, placing his folder on the table, then sitting down opposite us. “You’re a target now too, Callum. They know what you look like, your name, and you managed to attack one of them. Don’t think you’re not in danger as well.”

  I open my mouth, then shut it. He’s right, I guess. “Okay, so what’s the plan? I’m not worried about me, I just want Judge Williams to be safe.”

  I’m no superhero, but I’d do whatever I could to make sure she wasn’t hurt by anyone if I was with her. And I’d be so worried sitting at home, wondering what was going on.

  Speaking of home, with everything that happened, I forgot to message Justin. He’s probably wondering where the hell I am. I pull out my phone and see three messages and two missed calls.

  Yeah, definitely worried.

  “Shit, give me a minute. I need to call my brother,” I tell the two of them, standing up and walking to the corner of the room like it will give me some privacy. I hit CALL and tell him I’m fine and not to worry.

  I’m worrying enough for everyone right now.

  chapter 6

  TRINITY

  CALLUM IS TALKING TO his little brother on the phone, and I feel like absolute shit. What have I dragged him into? I cover my face with my hands and take a deep breath. I just want today to be over. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life; my body was trembling and I honestly thought I was going to die. I got away, and that’s all that matters. If Callum hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d probably be dead, or worse.

  “A list is being put together as we speak of all the people you’ve sentenced who have recently been released. I want to exhaust all options, we don’t know what their motives are for sure, but I think we’re all guessing the same thing here,” the officer says to me, sympathy flashing in his brown eyes.

  “It’s the most likely situation,” I agree, looking down at my clasped hands. “They definitely weren’t just trying to kidnap anyone, they wanted me, and I can’t think of any other idea why. I’ve sentenced murderers and rapists before, the worst of the worst. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised at least one of them has decided to blame me for their life decisions.”

  “You were very lucky today,” he says quietly, something else I wholeheartedly agree with.

  “I know,” I murmur, glancing at Callum, who is just ending a call on his cell phone. “Trust me, I know.”

  What an unlikely hero.

  My overly chatty, smart-ass law clerk.

  The man in question returns to sit next to me, glancing over at me as if checking to make sure I’m okay. “So what happens now? My younger brother lives with me; I’m his guardian, so I kind of need to know how this is going to impact him.”

  His younger brother lives with him? Where are his parents? I want to ask, but now is not the time, nor is it my business. Callum seems so carefree, I had no idea he was responsible for his brother, which must be added pressure on him.

  “Is there someone your brother can stay with?” Officer Daniels asks Callum. “Because until these men are caught, I don’t think it’s going to be safe for you to go home and get back to your normal routine.”

  Callum nods but doesn’t look too happy about it, his jaw tightening. “Yeah, he can stay with my best friend, Eddie. He’ll be safe though, right?”

  The officer assures us they are going to take all measures to ensure that everyone stays safe.

  “We’ll take you both home to pack a bag, and then we’ll put you up somewhere for the night,” he explains. “We need to find out what we’re dealing with, and then we can come up with a plan to catch whoever did this, along with making sure they don’t find you again, Judge Williams.”

  There’s nothing I can do except nod. This is all my fault. When I received those threats, I never took them seriously, nor did I think they would affect anyone other than me. But now it’s like a ripple effect, and the few people I care about are potentially going to be in danger.

  What a mess.

  Looks like Alyssa is going to have to feed Florence, because I won’t be going home until these men are caught.
I could use a hug, a meal, and a warm bath, but I don’t ask for any of them.

  I just sit here, wondering how the hell today took this turn.

  Callum reaches out and touches my arm, so I try to force a smile.

  And fail.

  I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes.

  WE GO TO ALYSSA’S house first, accompanied by a policeman, to explain the situation and ask her to feed Florence. She reacts like anyone would when they hear their friend almost got abducted—she freaks right out and goes into panic mode, asking a million questions. The poor police officer got drilled. Now she’s speaking to Callum.

  “Will you keep her safe?” she asks him, holding on to Dina tightly. “She’s stubborn and doesn’t accept help, but we love her and if something happened to her . . .” She starts to cry. “Oh great, now I’m crying in front of a really hot guy.”

  I sigh and walk over to her, giving her an awkward hug from behind. “I’ll be fine, Alyssa, don’t cry.”

  “Of course I’ll keep her safe,” Callum assures her, voice gentle. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  He ignores the fact that she called him hot, and I appreciate that. When Alyssa calms down, we say good-bye and head next door to my place. The cops have promised that patrols will check in on her every night, and will drive by during the day to make sure everything is okay.

  “How do you pack your life into one bag?” I ask Callum. “We don’t even know how long we will be gone for.”

  “Just some clothes and shoes,” Callum says, glancing around my bedroom. “We can always buy whatever we will need.”

  I grab some jeans, tops, pajamas, socks, and some toiletries and basic makeup. My house has a good security system, so I’m not too worried about anyone breaking in, plus Alyssa will call the cops if she sees anything suspicious.

  “Can I help?” Callum asks, watching me.

  “Can you put some cat food and water into Florence’s bowls?” I ask, as she purrs and wraps herself around my leg as if sensing I’m about to leave her for an undisclosed amount of time.

  “Sure,” he replies, heading to the kitchen.

  “Thanks,” I call out, opening my panty drawer and pulling some out once he finally leaves my bedroom. I make sure my safe, which contains some of my parents’ jewelry and other belongings, is properly locked, then join Callum in the kitchen, Florence following close behind.

  “Are you ready?” he asks, standing next to the now-full bowls. I nod and do a slow turn around my house, a feeling of sadness coming over me. Callum picks up my bag, and I smile at him in silent thanks.

  I say good-bye to Florence, and lock up the house and close the security gate.

  My life is spiraling out of control, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

  The drive to Callum’s house is about fifteen minutes, but during that time my mind replays everything that has happened today. They always say you should never take things for granted, but I think it takes something like this for that saying to really hit home. I have such a good life; I’m so blessed in where I am today, and now I can’t even go home. My life is at risk, and so is Callum’s, just because he was next to me. Worse—he’d come to help me carry all the files in my hand; he was just being a good person.

  When we arrive at Callum’s house, I ask him, “Do you want me to come in with you?”

  “If you want to,” he says, opening the car door and waiting for me. “I hope Justin doesn’t freak out.”

  He most likely will. Anyone would in this situation. At least I can try to be there and help him with a situation that he’s in because of me.

  He lives in a modest brick house, and as soon as I step inside I get that homely feeling. The place is clean and looks like a bachelor pad, with big black leather couches and the biggest television screen I’ve ever seen in real life.

  “Callum?” his brother calls out, walking toward us, brow furrowed in concern. Other than his eyes, he doesn’t look exactly like Callum, but their coloring is similar. Justin is also tall, although not as tall as Callum. I feel like a Smurf next to the two of them. They hug, patting each other on the back in a manly way.

  “I’m okay,” Callum assures his brother, hands resting on his shoulders. He then turns and introduces me. “This is Judge Williams.”

  Justin’s eyebrows rise. “Your boss?”

  Callum nods.

  Justin whistles and crosses his arms over his chest, studying me. “You forgot to mention that your boss is a babe.”

  Callum slaps him on the side of his head. “Show some respect.”

  Wide-eyed, Justin turns to me and says, “I’m sorry. It’s just that you’re a total fucking babe, Your Honor.”

  Callum sighs and offers me a look of apology. “He wasn’t raised in a barn, I promise.”

  “Call me Trinity,” I tell Justin, flashing him a wink. “Save ‘Your Honor’ for the courtroom.”

  “Will do,” he says, smiling at me warmly, then turns to his brother. “Nope, not raised in a barn, but I was mostly raised by you.” Justin smirks before his expression turns serious. “Now are you going to tell me what the hell happened today?”

  Callum shares a look with me before he starts to explain. “Someone tried to kidnap Trinity today, and I was there too. The cops want us to kind of go into hiding until these men are caught. I spoke to Eddie, and you’re going to stay with him until all of this is over.”

  Justin glances between us. “Holy shit.”

  “Pretty much sums it up,” I mutter, puffing out a breath. Standing here in front of Justin, knowing I’ve impacted his life now, has me feeling all kinds of guilt. “I’m sorry, Justin. If Callum hadn’t tried to help me, he wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”

  “And you’d probably be dead,” Callum fires back, throwing a scowl in my direction. “This isn’t your fault, Trinity. We’re going to be fine. We just need to let the police do their job and catch these bastards.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Justin announces, being impressively strong. “I’ll be fine with Eddie. And if there’s a problem, I’ll just call your dad. He always said to call if I needed anything. It’s the two of you who are in trouble.”

  Callum pulls him into another hug and tells his brother something quietly. Feeling like I’m intruding on their moment, I walk back to the front door and stand next to the officer.

  “I can’t believe this is my life,” I tell him.

  He turns to me and nods in sympathy. “It could always be worse. We’ll keep you safe, Judge Williams. You don’t have to worry.”

  I’m pretty sure that if there was any time to worry, now would be it.

  “I suppose you’re right,” I whisper, looking into the night sky. “It’s a full moon. That can’t be a good sign.”

  Isn’t that when all the crazies come out?

  I’m not a superstitious person, but maybe there’s some truth in this one.

  “So I’ve been thinking, and I might have an idea of who might be behind all this. I need you to look into someone for me . . .” I begin to give the officer a rundown of my thoughts. It’s a long shot, but it’s something that’s been playing in my mind since the attack occurred.

  Callum comes up behind me, bag in his hand. “I’m ready. Is everything okay?” he asks.

  I nod. “Yeah, everything is fine.”

  “Eddie is on his way here to pick up Justin, so I’m good to go.”

  “All right,” the officer says, walking to his vehicle.

  I turn to Callum and watch as he locks up the front door. He’s changed out of his work attire, into jeans and a comfortable-looking hoodie. “Are you sure Justin is going to be okay? We should wait until Eddie gets here at least.”

  I don’t even know Eddie, but he sounds like the guy saving what could have been an even shittier situation. Imagine if Justin had no one to stay with. He would have had to come with us on the fucking run, or maybe he could have stayed with Alyssa and Dina. I don’t know.<
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  “Eddie lives around the corner, so he should pull up any minute,” Callum says, nodding toward the cop car. “And Justin is packing his stuff. I’ll put my bag in the car.”

  How long are we going to be gone? What about paying bills and shit like that? Does Justin have his own money to pay for everything he needs? What about any appointments he has to get to? How will he be able to concentrate in school knowing his brother may be in trouble? So many questions, and I feel so badly that this is all my fault to begin with.

  Callum is right, not a minute later Eddie pulls up in a flashy blue car that seems to have every extra imaginable. I don’t know much about cars, but I can tell he’s put a lot of time, effort, and modifications into it. He gets out of the car, and I take in his leather jacket, black jeans and boots, slicked-back hair and dark features, and wonder where he’s originally from. He has a Middle Eastern look to him. The way he embraces Callum screams family, and when his eyes hit me, I see confusion in them.

  “Who’s that?” he asks Callum, not in a rude way, merely curious. “And what’s with the cop? What did you do now?”

  “He’s on the other side of the law, remember,” I can’t help but quip, walking toward Eddie and offering him my hand. “Trinity. Callum’s new partner in crime, apparently.”

  “Eddie,” he murmurs, bringing my hand to his lips and placing a kiss there.

  “Okay, that’s enough,” Callum replies in a dry tone. He gives Eddie a quick rundown of the situation, I can tell the officer is losing his patience with us but too bad—our lives are hanging in the balance.

  “We’d better get going,” I say, wrapping my arms around myself as the night chill starts to set in. Callum notices me shiver and pulls off his black hoodie and hands it to me without saying anything.

  “Don’t worry about Justin,” Eddie tells Callum, pulling him in for another brotherly embrace. “I’ll take good care of him.”

  He hands something to Callum, who slides it into his jeans pocket and says something back to Eddie that I can’t hear.