Love, Lies & The D.A.

by Rohman, Rebecca

  We get home and I hold her close in the elevator. She has not said a word, or looked directly into my eyes.

  I take her to her bathroom and run her a hot bath. One of her cheeks is swollen and red. On the opposite side, there’s nasty bruising around her eye. Blood is dried around her busted lip, and dried tear tracks run down her face.

  I help her out of my bloodied shirt, then the rest of her clothing, and toss them into a garbage bag. The FBI needs it as evidence. She’s a little weak and possibly hurt and aching. She holds my hand to brace herself as she sinks into the tub. With a rag, I gently clean the small cut on her temple, then the side of her head, then on her lip.

  She still hasn’t looked at me. She is filled with so much sadness. Tears flow from her glassy eyes. She starts shivering again.

  I climb whole suit into the tub with her, and circle her in my arms. She clutches onto me tightly and weeps. Slowly, the sobs turn to tears, then after some comfort, they subside.

  I wash her hair, gently rinsing the caked blood at the side and back of her head. Every so often, she winces, and I realize she is in some physical pain.

  It becomes more apparent when I dry her nude body and slip a clean sweatshirt over her. She was obviously beaten. The black and blue bruises range from her hands and arms all the way to her torso and her thighs. I don’t think she was raped. God, I hope she wasn’t raped. The thought crosses my mind. I am not an expert, but the marks that I see are not completely consistent with those I’ve seen in pictures in the past. That being said, it doesn’t explain why her shorts were ripped.

  I’ve never seen her so lifeless. She lies in bed, her body propped up. Val puts her on an IV because she’s severely dehydrated. I’m afraid to leave her, even for a few minutes, despite there being security placed at every entry and exit of this building. She’s not asleep. She appears to stare into space, and every now and then, tears fall down her cheeks.

  The last twenty-four hours for me have been the most difficult I ever lived, but I am immensely thankful that in large part, it’s over, at least where Jada’s physical health is concerned.

  I feed her some chicken soup, and after, she lies down. Slowly, I watch as her eyes blink, and she finally falls asleep. The bedroom door is slightly ajar. Val comes in to check on her. Bobby follows closely behind.

  None of us have said much since her rescue. I guess we’re all trying to cope with this the best we can. My siblings and Mom have been calling, but right now, Jada is my priority. After a short conversation with Mom, I ask her to spread the news to the rest. Eventually, we say goodnight, and for the first time in exactly twenty-four hours, with a loaded gun under my pillow, I close my eyes and drift to sleep.

  I wake. Something doesn’t feel right. I look over. The dim night light shines on her face. Her eyes are wide open. I lean over, enveloping her in my arms. I don’t know if there is anything I can say that will make this better.

  It’s only been a couple of hours since she drifted to sleep. Maybe a nightmare woke her.

  “Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”

  “No thanks,” she mutters.

  We sit in a long silence.

  “Did Micky and Maggie survive?” she suddenly asks.

  That was the last thing I expected to hear from her. I hesitate, not wanting to upset her further, but I guess her returning to a normal life means her dealing with the truth.

  “No, Babe, they didn’t.”

  “I’m so sorry. They attacked the men when they broke in. They were trying to protect me.”

  For the first time, I allow myself to grieve over them. They’d been a part of my life for the last twelve years, and they died trying to help the woman I love.

  “I know…” I eventually whisper.

  “I’m really sorry,” she repeats. I feel her tears trickle down my bare chest.

  “It will be okay,” I whisper. “It’s not your fault.”

  I can only imagine what she’s been through in the last twenty-four hours. Anger fills me as I see the evidence of her trauma before me—the emotional scars, the physical scars, and the heartbreak I hear in the few words she whispers.

  With each mark that captures my eye, that fucker’s face comes to mind. His face is embedded in my memory. For the second time in days, I have crazy thoughts of killing another human being. I feel like I want to use him as my punching bag. I want to beat him to a pulp. I want him to pay for what he did to her.

  A gentle knock on the door grabs my attention.

  “I hope I didn’t wake you. I came to check on her,” Val whispers.

  “She was awake. She just drifted to sleep again.”

  “Okay.” She quickly checks the IV bag and needles taped to her wrist. After giving me the thumbs up sign, she waves goodbye and exits the room.

  I wake the following morning to the sound of my phone vibrating. Jada is fast asleep beside me. I answer the phone and quietly slip out of the room.

  “Phillip.”

  “Hey, sorry to wake you, but it’s urgent. I need your help on this case. We need to talk to Jada urgently.”

  “She’s trying to recover from this. She needs her rest. What is it?”

  “Can I come over?”

  “Sure, but I don’t want you upsetting her, and I’m not going to wake her. She’s been through enough.”

  “I’ll be there soon.”

  I’m mentally and emotionally drained, and this is the last thing I want to deal with. I’m due in court at eleven this morning, but I will have to get this case adjourned. I know it’s early, but I have to handle this. I call Cooper to let him know what’s happened and ask him to handle things at the office for the day.

  I shower, and I’m ready in time for Phillip’s arrival. I’m glad to see Jada is still fast asleep.

  “I was hoping you’d be able to help with this case,” Phillip says when he sees me.

  “How?”

  “It looks like those guys were hired to kidnap Jada. It doesn’t look like their employers know they have been busted.”

  “So?”

  “You might still be getting that call asking for ransom.”

  “And you want me to go along with it so you can bust this guy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know when all this is supposed to go down? There’s no way in hell I’m letting Jada be a part of this.”

  “Be a part of what?” Bobby asks, walking in.

  “Getting the assholes responsible for all this behind bars for good,” I reply.

  “There are more of them?” Bobby asks.

  “Yes,” Phillip replies. “The guys who had Jada were hired just to kidnap her. The brain child behind this grand scheme is the one that will call to collect the money.”

  “Didn’t he tell you who was responsible for this?” I ask.

  “He says he doesn’t know. We know this guy. His rap sheet is long. Apparently, crime is his business. He claims he got a phone call with a timetable and was paid half his money. He was supposed to get a call to tell him what to do next.”

  “So what exactly was the job?”

  “The first half was to kidnap her and hold her for two to three days. He’d be called with directions by the end of the third day. That’s tomorrow.”

  “You believe that story?” I ask.

  “No. But if it means using him to find the head honcho behind this, I’ll let him think I do.”

  “So who gave him directions to beat her and abuse her?”

  “I don’t know. I need to talk to her to find out what exactly happened.”

  “No fucking way… Not right now,” I reply, rising to my feet.

  “Jonathan, time is against us,” Phillip laments.

  “I don’t give a fuck. You’ll have to find some other way. Jada is going to talk about this and deal with it when she is ready and not one moment before.”

  “This is our opportunity to find out all the people behind this and get them behind bars,” Bobby says.

 
“That might be true, and I’ll help and cooperate with you all at the FBI all you want, but this will traumatize Jada all over again, and I’ll be damned if I let that happen.”

  “You have to let them talk to her,” Bobby says.

  “You wouldn’t say that if you saw what they did to her, or heard the sadness in her voice, or listened to her shed tears.”

  He disagrees with me… I can tell. However, this time, I’m going to protect her, even if it’s from her own-well-intentioned-brother.

  “The agents that rescued her think she was being tortured.”

  “And you expect me to let you all remind her of that? Sorry Phillip, but you’ll have to find some other way. Use another female agent to pretend to be her, use me… but not her.”

  “You’re making a mistake,” Bobby says sternly. “I’m not going to allow the assholes who did this to my sister to escape with this,” he says, raising his voice.

  “Bobby, you think that’s what I want?” I shout. “My first priority is Jada, and her health—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Everything else comes after.”

  “She’s my sister. I think I know what’s best for her,” he says, staring me in the face.

  “Really? Well, you’ll have to get through me first before I let them near her.”

  “Jonathan, I like you, but don’t force me to…”

  “Force me to do what?” I yell, glaring into his eyes.

  He stands up to face me. I am at least three inches taller. He stares at me. I will not move out of the way. He must be out of his mind if he thinks I will let him go wake Jada in that room.

  “Both of you, stop it.” Val appears, pulling Bobby away. “This has been stressful for all of us. For both of you… you both need to calm down for a second and relax. Jada wouldn’t want this, and right now, it’s the last thing she needs.”

  “I’m sorry about this,” says Phillip. “I thought this was urgent, that’s why I suggested it.”

  The room goes quiet, and the air is tense. Right now, I’m angry—with the world, with Phillip, with Bobby, with that asshole that put his hands on Jada, with everybody.

  Finally, I blurt out, “I love that woman to death. I’d take a bullet for her. I failed to protect her once before, I’m not going to do that again. Phillip, I’ll participate and undergo any sting operation you want, but Jada’s going to talk about this only when she is ready.”

  Everyone falls silent.

  “I’m going to check on her,” I continue. “When you’ve sorted it out with the rest of your team and you figure out how you need me involved, call me.”

  I leave them alone and enter the bedroom. Jada sleeps. My head is about to burst. It’s barely six in the morning, and I can’t believe all the shit that has gone down in the first few hours of the day. I’ve probably slept a total of six hours for the entire weekend, and this is the last thing I want to deal with this early in the morning. I throw some ibuprofen down my throat and climb into bed beside her.

  A few moments later, Val knocks on the door and enters. She smiles at me sympathetically, but says nothing. Soon after checking on Jada and replacing an IV bag, she leaves the room.

  I suppose Val’s right. It has been a rough weekend. I know both Bobby and I want what’s best for Jada. Right now, we just have a difference of opinion as to what that is.

  I lay my head back against the headboard and close my eyes.

  It’s noon and I bring Jada some soup for lunch. Since waking an hour ago, she still hasn’t said much, and she still hasn’t looked me in the eye. An eye, might I add, that looks even worse than it did last night. She hasn’t been to the bathroom, at least not in my presence. I’m not sure if she’s seen her bruised and battered face.

  Her hands and wrists are swollen, probably from where the cuffs were. There are rings around them.

  A part of me wants to know every detail that happened, and the other part of me is afraid of what I’ll do if I were to find out.

  I place the tray on her lap. She says a soft thank you and picks up the spoon, but her hands tremble terribly. I take the spoon away from her and feed her. Not once during the five minutes of feeding her does she look my way.

  I take her hands in mine. I feel her rapid pulse.

  “Sweetheart, I want you to know I’m here for you. You just tell me what you need.”

  She nods but doesn’t look at me. Her tears fall over my wrists.

  “Is there anything else I can get you? Or do for you?”

  She shakes her head. I miss looking into her hazel beauties. I want to tilt her head up so she looks at me, but I don’t want to push her because of my own selfish reasons.

  I can see she’s going through this ordeal, and I want to take her pain away, but I don’t know how. I feel helpless…

  “You don’t have to go through this alone. I’m here for you if you want to talk. So are Bobby and Val.”

  “I know,” she answers quietly.

  “Do you want to be alone?”

  “Can you get me Val, please?” she asks.

  “Sure. Is that all?”

  She nods in reply.

  Val goes into the room after I call her. Bobby is nowhere to be found. I leave the two women alone and walk out to the verandah to take in the view. The gloomy weather from the day before continues, but I am grateful today that Jada is home and safe.

  My phone vibrates.

  “Phillip.”

  “Hey. We’ve set up a plan. We’re in the condo below. You think you can come down?”

  “Sure. I’ll be there in a while. Can you send an agent up?”

  “Sure.”

  “See you in a minute.”

  After I end the call, Val walks out.

  “You okay?” she asks.

  “Sure… where’s Bobby?”

  “He went downstairs to the gym.”

  “How’s Jada?”

  “She’s coping. She has a bad headache; she’s lying down now. I gave her something for the pain.”

  “Phillip needs me downstairs. He’s sending an agent up. Are you going to be okay alone for a while?”

  “Sure.”

  “Can you stay with Jada, please?”

  “I will.”

  “If you need me, I’m in the condo right below. I have my ce—”

  “I know. Go. We’ll be okay.”

  I walk into the room. There are possibly twenty or thirty agents present. I realize then how much bigger this situation is than us. Phillip pulls me into a makeshift office and tells me about the plan that they’ve concocted. It seems Jada’s kidnapper has agreed to assist the FBI in their operations.

  “So what deal did you all promise this asshole that would make him choose to cooperate?”

  “It looks like his brother was killed in Jada’s presence. He said they were fighting, and his gun accidentally went off. We’ve taken a first degree murder charge off if Jada corroborates what he says.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll do what you ask with regard to the case, but keep him away from me… and keep him away from Jada.”

  “We wouldn’t be stupid enough to hold him here.”

  “What other charges do you have him on right now?”

  “Kidnapping—”

  “Make that aggravated kidnapping.”

  “Right. Manslaughter, felony with a firearm, aiding and abetting.”

  “You can add aggravated battery to the list.”

  “Did she tell you?”

  “No. The evidence is all over her body. She’s black and blue all over. From head to toe.”

  “Johnny, I’m sorry about what happened earlier, but you realize we may be able to get him on other charges if you let us talk to her.”

  “I understand that entirely. She’s traumatized enough. She will do it only when she’s ready. I’m not going to force her. Right now, we have enough with just this to get him life in prison.”

  “That might be true, but that will b
e incredibly hard if we can’t talk to the key witness in the case.”

  “Phillip, you’re going to have to be patient. Trust me, I know that’s hard, but I won’t push her. You think it’s been easy for me to watch her go through this and not know what she went through?”

  “I don’t presume to know what any of you are going through. I want all the people involved in this behind bars as quickly as possible… and I want it done before they cause anymore hurt and pain.”

  “Sure Phillip. I have to get back upstairs. I’m sure you’ll be listening once that call comes in.”

  “You bet. Thanks.”

  When I return upstairs, Bobby sits with Jada in her room. She’s still silent, but I leave them alone, giving them some time with each other. Bobby may have pissed me off, but I am well aware of how close he and Jada are. Right now, she can use all the support she can get.

  I sit with my laptop in Jada’s library. I don’t want to leave her alone. It’s a busy time at the firm, but over the next few days, I need to be here for her and keep the appearance that she is still in captivity to all involved.

  The last few months, and worse, the last few days are beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. I pray that it will soon be over. When it is, I hope to whisk Jada away to Chile for that well-deserved vacation.

  My ringing phone bellows through my thoughts. I glance at the screen but don’t recognize the number. I think this is it.

  “Jonathan speaking.”

  “Ahhh… just the person I wanted to talk to. It’s been a rough few days, hasn’t it?” says the man.

  He sounds like he might have some sort of accent, but he’s masking it.

  “Just tell me how much you want for her safe return.”

  “Well, there’s a balance due of nine million dollars.”

  “Fine, but I need to speak to her, then you tell me when and where, and I’ll get you your fucking money.”

  “Oh, Johnny. Did I piss you off? Have the cash ready by noon tomorrow. I’ll call you with instructions then.”

  “How do I know for sure she’s safe and alive?”

  “Don’t you worry. I’ll have her call you in a second.” With that, the call ends, and within minutes, my phone rings again; it’s the so-called Jada. Just like that. The sting operation has begun.