Mine to Protect

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “I did not.”

  I had to laugh. The frustration of the prosecutor was hilarious. He threw his pen across the room.

  “So yes, you committed the murders.”

  “Yes.”

  “And yes, Roberto Calvertino was the mastermind who paid you to complete the murders.”

  “No.”

  “Judge can you please advice Mr. Veneto to answer the questions.”

  “Mr. Veneto, please answer the questions truthfully.” The judge said to the witness.

  “I am. Yes, I committed the murders but no Roberto did not pay me to do them. I committed them because he was family and asked me to.”

  “Roberto Calvertino is your family?” The prosecutor asked.

  “Figuratively speaking. He was like my brother.”

  “So he asked you to commit the crimes but did not pay you.”

  “Yes.”

  Finally, the prosecutor had what he was looking for.

  “The prosecution rests.”

  Ryan took a deep breath and then stood to cross-examine Marco.

  “Mr. Veneto. Did the state make promises to you in exchange for coming here to testify against my client today?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did they promise you?”

  “They promised me the minimum sentence.”

  “So basically they bribed you to come here?”

  “I guess. But it wasn’t any different than the bribe you gave me.”

  Again, the courtroom was filled with the chatter of everyone. The judge banged his gavel, but no one calmed down. Had we all just heard what we thought? Did Marco Veneto just say that Ryan had tried to bribe him?

  “Both attorneys in my chambers now.” The judge yelled as he stood up and made his way toward the door that led to his chambers.

  The courtroom continued to talk and I just sat there stunned. What the hell was going on? Ryan wouldn’t bribe anyone. I knew him well enough to know this. Or at least I thought I knew him well enough.

  Roberto sat still and without any reaction.

  “What are they talking about Roberto? What did Ryan do?”

  Roberto just ignored me.

  “Roberto! He can go to jail for bribing a witness. Tell me what the hell is going on.”

  “It’s not for bribing him recently. A few years after Ryan’s partner was murdered, I gave Marco money and said it was from Ryan to keep his silence about the murder.”

  “Marco murdered Ryan’s partner? Did Ryan know about this?”

  “No, Ryan didn’t know. Ryan wouldn’t have agreed to it. Only years later did I tell him. And before you ask. No, Ryan did not actually bribe him.”

  My mind swirled as I tried to make sense of everything that is going on. Surely if Ryan didn’t really know about it, he couldn’t get into trouble. But then again, at some point he did know about it. Oh God, I had no idea what was going on.

  After a few minutes, Ryan and the prosecutor returned to the courtroom. The judge took his spot and the trial continued.

  “We have nothing further,” Ryan said as he sat down.

  I expected that the prosecution would want to re-examine the witness, but he didn’t say anything. I looked at Ryan in hopes that I would get a clue to what was going on, but he just sat there and looked forward.

  “Jury, you are instructed to disregard the testimony of Marco Veneto.”

  Oh my gosh. That was great. I looked at the prosecutor again to see if he was angry or agitated. But he also just looked straight forward. The judge continued with his instructions to the jury and then dismissed them.

  It was over. Just like that the hearing was over and we were left to wait for the verdict. The bailiff came to take Roberto back into custody and I saw a bit of a panic on his face.

  “It’s alright. Just standard while we wait for the verdict,” Ryan said as Roberto was taken away.

  As soon as Roberto was gone, Ryan grabbed me and brought me into the conference room off to the side.

  “Stick with me Jennifer. Please, I know it looks bad.”

  His body pressed against mine and all I could do was shake my head yes. I was going to stick this day out. I was going to see what the ending to this story was, even if it turned our Ryan was taken away to jail after it all.

  “Ryan, you can go to prison you know. If you knew about that murder.”

  Ryan grabbed my face and pulled me toward him. Our mouths landed on each other and I forgot about everything else in the world.

  “Jennifer, it’s going to be alright. Please trust me.”

  I desperately wanted everything to be alright, but I couldn’t see how that was possible at all. Ryan had probably very clearly known about all of his father’s murders, but having him implemented in his partner’s murder was going to look really bad for him.

  “What did the judge say to you guys when you went back there?”

  “Nothing to worry about. Everything is going exactly as planned.”

  “What! Exactly as planned? How is that even possible Ryan? Everything is a mess. Marco just said you bribed him, you pretty much admitted you knew your father was killing people. I have no idea how any of this is alright. Your father might like you right now, but you are in so much trouble.”

  Ryan shook his head in affirmation as I talked, but he didn’t speak. We sat there in silence as we waited for the jury to come back with their verdict. It was already four o’clock in the afternoon so it was entirely possible they wouldn’t be able to come up with an answer in such a short time.

  I let my head lay on the table and Ryan stroked my hair with his hand. We sat in silence as we waited for the final verdict to come in. There were so many emotions. I didn’t want Roberto to be let free, but I really thought if they convicted him then that would give them a clear battle to come after Ryan. It was heart wrenching.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Come in,” Ryan said.

  It was a bailiff with Roberto. I sat up.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Roberto said as he looked at the two of us.

  The bailiff didn’t leave the room this time and stood over near the door. I wanted to leave so bad. My anxiety was through the roof and I couldn’t just sit there another moment. The only good thing for the moment was that Ryan and Roberto seemed to have made up.

  I hated the man; Roberto was the scum of the earth. But if it meant that he wouldn’t come after Ryan then I was happy they had made up.

  Roberto and Ryan hugged and I watched as they talked to one another. They talked so quietly that I couldn’t tell what was being said, but it seemed like they were saying their goodbyes.

  Another fifteen minutes went by and the court officer opened the door in a hurry.

  “There is a verdict,” he said firmly.

  Roberto and Ryan looked at each other and hugged one last time. I stayed behind them as we walked back into the courtroom.

  I could feel my pulse as it thrust into my ears. I was so nervous. I could hardly remember to breathe as I sat down in the chair between Roberto and Ryan.

  As much as I disliked Roberto, I did hope they would overturn his conviction and we could just be done with everything. But deep down I knew, even if Roberto was free, he would never let Ryan go.

  “Honorable Judge Henry presiding,” the bailiff said as the judge took his seat.

  The jury was brought in and I saw it in their face. They were going to convict Roberto. None of them looked at him, they just looked straight ahead.

  I had to wonder if they feared for their own lives at all? I know I would if I was them. Roberto was a scary man.

  The judge was handed a piece of paper and read it before having the bailiff hand it back to the head of the jury.

  “Jury have you reached a verdict?” The judge asked.

  “Yes, your honor we have.”

  “Please read your verdict.”

  “We the jury find the defendant guilty on all twenty-seven counts as previously convicted.” />
  As the courtroom became noisy, I reached over to Ryan and grabbed his hand.

  “I’m sorry.”

  I also looked at Roberto and said the same thing.

  Roberto didn’t seem as angry as I thought he would be. He seemed at peace with the verdict. I had really expected that he would yell or scream or at least threaten to kill someone. It was nice to see him just sitting there.

  “Thank you for your service,” the judge said to the jury before they were removed from the courtroom.

  “Mr. Calvertino, do have anything you would like to say?”

  Roberto stood up and addressed the judge.

  “I am deeply sorry for the actions I have taken over the years. I admit to my part in the murders and want to say that my son Ryan had no knowledge of anything I ever did with regard to such wrong doing.”

  “Mr. Calvertino, you are remanded back to the state penitentiary to complete your original sentence. We are adjourned.”

  The judge slammed his gavel down again.

  Ryan and Roberto hugged and Roberto was taken out of the courtroom.

  That was it. It was over, now we just had to wait and see if Roberto would freak out on Ryan and try to kill him; or have him killed.

  “Mr. King I need you in my chambers, sir,” the judge said to Ryan as the courtroom emptied.

  Oh no. This was it. They were going to charge him. I couldn’t stand it another second. As Ryan went to the judge’s chambers, I made my way out of the courthouse as fast as I could.

  My body was filled with adrenaline and I just needed to run.

  I ran down the front steps and started to run down the street, I needed some relief from the horrible feeling of dread that had built up inside of me.

  Chapter 33

  Jennifer

  As I rounded the corner I saw a black SUV, but there did not appear to be anyone around. I slowed down out of caution and then BAM!

  Someone had their arms around me and pulled me toward the SUV.

  I screamed out, but then he put his gloved hand over my mouth to prevent my screams from being heard.

  Fear filled my body and I kicked and screamed to try and get away.

  “Jennifer, it’s just me Jackson. Stop screaming.”

  He set me down near the car door and I just stood there and looked at him. Why was Ryan’s driver trying to kidnap me?

  “What are you doing?”

  “I need you to come with me.”

  “Well then calling me would be a better way than trying to kidnap me.”

  “I’m sorry I saw you running and I just grabbed for you. I wasn’t thinking.” Jackson said as he opened the back door to the SUV. “Get in.”

  I just looked at him and didn’t move. My mind raced as I tried to play all the possible scenarios in my head.

  Why would Jackson be several blocks away from the courthouse? Why would he be waiting for me? Something strange was going on.

  “Um I think I should just head back to my place and wait for Ryan. He’s going to want to talk to me when he’s done talking to the judge.”

  “Yes, Ryan called me. He wanted me to pick you up and bring you to meet him when he was done.”

  “Oh you talked to him? How was his meeting with the judge?”

  “He was just going in there, said to get you and meet him when he was done.”

  My warning radar was going off like crazy as I looked at Jackson. Something was going on. That was for sure. I wasn’t going to get into his SUV at all. I needed to get away from Jackson and just get home.

  “I need to grab something at home first. Why don’t you just come pick me up from there when you get Ryan?

  I started to walk away and Jackson grabbed me again. This time he was firmer with me and he didn’t set me down outside of the SUV. He used one hand and opened the back door and then pressed me into the vehicle.

  “Jackson, I don’t know what’s going on but I need to get home.”

  “You can’t go home. I have been instructed to bring you somewhere else.”

  I heard the lock of the doors as we sped off down the street.

  Quickly I tried each of the back doors but they wouldn’t open.

  “Jackson, you let me out of this vehicle right now. I don’t know who paid you or what they want with me but I am not going to just let you kidnap me like this.”

  “I don’t think you really have a say in any of this do you?” Jackson laughed from the front seat.

  His laugh didn’t seem evil though. I didn’t really know what was going on, but he seemed to be laughing at me much nicer than I would have expected for someone who had just kidnapped me off the street.

  Ryan

  “Mr. King, I’m glad we could work together like this,” Judge Henry said.

  “Thank you Judge. I’m happy to have helped. Do you think my father had any idea what was going on?”

  “No, you did a great job. We never could have gotten a confession from him without your help.”

  “Thank you sir,” I said as I shook the judge’s hand.

  “You try to stay out of trouble for a little while, would you?”

  “Of course Judge.”

  I made my way to the door and out of the judge’s chambers. Unfortunately I had expected that Jennifer would have taken off by then. Even though I had asked her to promise to stay, I knew she couldn’t have imagined what had happened that day.

  “Mr. King, are you sure you want to decline witness protection services?” Judge Henry said as he came out of his chambers.

  “Yes, sir. I’m well aware of how to keep myself hidden.”

  I turned and left the court room and made my way to my vehicle. I only had about twenty minutes to get to the airport. There was no time to waste.

  I drove fast. The kind of fast a person drives when they have just helped convict the most notorious murderer in their state. Yes he was my father, but that didn’t matter. I saw the holes in his case and there was only a matter of time before he was able to get released because of lack of evidence.

  But now, he would never see the light of day again. I had done that. Yet he thought the whole time he had control over me. My father actually thought he could control me like he had done all my childhood. Well I showed him.

  I proved that blood is not always thicker than water. Now I just had to make up with Jennifer. Right now she probably thought I was the scum of the earth. She probably thought so many things about me. Maybe she even thought I was going to be arrested and sent to prison.

  As I pulled into the airport I saw Jackson standing in front of my jet. He had a grin that stretched from one side of his face to the other.

  “What is this all about?” I asked him.

  “That girl of yours, she sure is a firecracker.”

  I had to laugh. I could only imagine how hard it was for Jackson to get Jennifer onto the airplane. She likely did not come willingly.

  “She is on there, right?”

  “Oh yeah. She is on there. But she is not happy.”

  “Alright, thanks Jackson. I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate you.”

  “Sure thing boss. When do you think you’ll be back?” Jackson asked as he walked back toward the SUV.

  “Not sure. I’ll let you know though. Take some time to relax.”

  “Ok boss. Stay safe.”

  I walked up the steps to the jet and looked around the corner to see what Jennifer was doing.

  I had to laugh as I saw her talking to herself and pacing angrily.

  “I’m sorry,” I said as I put my hands up and walked into the airplane.

  I walked as if there were a gun being pointed at me and I was ready to surrender. But that was exactly what I was ready to do. I was ready to surrender to Jennifer.

  “What the hell is going on here? Why did Jackson bring me here? Why did the judge set you free? I can’t take this all Ryan. I have no idea what is going on.”

  Jennifer literally looked like she might explode she was so
angry.

  “How about we sit down and talk for a minute? Let me just ell the pilot where we are going.”

  I turned around and poked my head in to the cockpit to tell the pilot where I wanted him to take us. I knew it would take a minute or two for him to get the flight approved for takeoff.

  As I walked back into the plane, the stewardess closed the door and prepared the things she needed to do. I made eye contact with Jennifer and couldn’t help but smile at how angry she was with me.

  “You know I can’t just take off without telling people. They will freak out. Where are we going? When will we be back?”

  I dialed my phone.

  “Hi Rose. It’s Mr. King from school. Just wanted you to know I have Jennifer with me and we are going away for a hot sex filled vacation. You don’t have to worry about her.” I smiled as Jennifer gasped at what I said. “Oh yes I will.”

  I hung up the phone just as Jennifer was about to get it away from me.

  “What are you doing? I can’t go away with you I have class.” She continued to protest.

  So I dialed my phone again.

  “Hello Dean. Yes that is exciting about our win. Yes. Of course. Oh yes, and I’m having a bit of an affair with my student Jennifer. Oh yes sir I understand. I won’t …. Thank you sir. See you when we get back from our celebratory trip.”

  “Ryan!” Jennifer yelled at me as she jumped onto my lap.

  Her legs straddled me as she tried to get my phone again.

  “You didn’t really call him. Did you?”

  I just smiled.

  “Would it matter? The plan is already taking off.” I grabbed her ass and pulled her close to me.

  With one quick motion I grabbed the seat belt and clicked it around the both of us; locking her right there on my lap.

  “Ryan, what is going on?”

  “How about I promise to explain it all to you during our twelve hour flight?”

  “What? I can’t go that far away. Where are we going? Not Russia I hope. Please not Russia.”

  Again I laughed.

  “No need for Russia. No one is in trouble here. I was thinking Bali would be a better place to celebrate.”

  Jennifer relaxed a lot after hearing that I wasn’t in trouble. I felt her body mold in against mine.