Her grandmother tapped her leg lightly. “I wish I knew what to say to make it easier for you, Maddie, to help with your decision, but life is not easy and sometimes, when you gain one thing, you lose another. Just make sure that whatever you lose is something you are comfortable being without.”
Madison kissed her lightly on the head. “Thanks, Grans.”
Madison stood up and walked to the kitchen to start dinner, wondering what she was willing to lose. Her job. Andrew. Her grans. Madison was deep in thought when her phone rang, catching her off guard. She shook her head slightly and dug her phone out of her pocket, frowning at the caller id.
“What do you want?” Madison answered with a huff.
“That’s not a very nice way to answer the phone, Madison,” Kurtis said with a laugh.
She rolled her eyes. “Kurtis, I’m busy,” she said with bite.
“I just wanted to see how you were and...”
“I’m fine, Kurtis. What’s the real reason you called?”
“Alright, alright. Look we had a meeting this afternoon and your name came up.”
Now Madison was interested. “Why would my name come up?”
“Madison, you are one of three candidates being considered for the executive manager position for the downtown office. When are you coming back? You need to lobby for this. I’m doing what I can but it’s not the same,” he said enthusiastically.
Madison closed her eyes, absorbing what she just heard. Her friend Monique had said Madison was on the short list but Madison didn’t believe it. It would mean a serious increase in pay along with a lot more responsibilities. This complicated her decision.
“Madison,” Kurtis said softly, bringing Madison out of her thoughts, “Look, I know that you never wanted anyone in the office to know about us but if I get offered the position at the uptown office, which I’m confident I’ll get, and you get this one then we could stop this once in a while bullshit and date publicly like a normal couple would,” he said eagerly.
Madison pinched her eyes shut even further and shook her head. She knew this would happen. It happened every time they were together. She and Kurtis had hooked up the night before she found out about her grans and he had found her crying in the living room. In a moment of weakness, she had found solace in his arms, albeit temporarily. When he left that morning, she knew it would be problem, so when he tried to hook up with her again before she left for California, Madison had avoided him. She was aware that he liked her a lot more than she liked him but she had no desire to take their relationship to another level. She thought she had made that clear to him but obviously she hadn’t been forceful enough. Kurtis was her occasional ’friend with benefits’, not someone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She had felt more for Andrew after knowing him for five minutes than she did for Kurtis after knowing him for nearly three years. She needed to nip this and quickly.
“Madison, you still there?” Kurtis asked concerned.
“Look, Kurtis, thanks for the heads up but...” Madison paused and took a deep breath, she hated this part. “In spite of what you may think, we don’t have a relationship,” Madison murmured as she walked down the hall towards her bedroom and out of earshot of her grandmother.
“Madison, we’ve been sleeping together for years. Don’t you think it’s time to quit this little game you’re playing with me?” he asked, clearly annoyed with the way things were turning out.
“It’s not a game, Kurtis. I really have no desire to be the other half of your little power couple idea,” Madison said with nonchalance. “I thought we had an understanding.”
Kurtis was quiet on the other end and then laughed. “Alright, whatever you say, Madison. So when are you coming home? Aren’t you tired of being in that shit hole?” Kurtis asked with disdain.
“I have to go, Kurtis,” Madison stated angrily, trying to reign in her temper. “I’m cooking for my grandmother, who is improving, by the way, so thanks for asking...”
“Madison, I’m sorry, I know I’m being an ass. It’s real sweet what you’re doing but you have a life out here. Can’t you hire a nurse or something?”
“Goodbye, Kurtis,” Madison said as she hung up, hearing him call her name as she did.
Madison closed her eyes as she leaned against her dresser. She lightly tapped her phone against her lips as she thought about what Kurtis had said and how that would impact her decision. She slipped her phone into her pocket and headed back to the kitchen to finish cooking, deciding that she would talk to Andrew about it after the issues of court were settled.
~*~
“Mr. Bennett, Senator Bowers is waiting to see you,” Mallory said as Elias grabbed his messages.
“I don’t doubt that,” Elias replied with a sigh.
Elias walked in to his office and Senator Bowers was standing near his desk, holding up the 5x7 picture that Elias had there. Elias strolled over and snatched it out of his hand, setting it where it was supposed to go. He motioned for the senator to sit down as he walked around his desk and sat down as well.
“How can I help you, Senator?”
“We had an arrangement,” the Senator said crossing his legs.
“Your son was supposed to formally apologize to Madison for the way he acted at the bookstore in lieu of her pressing charges, he didn’t hold up his end of that arrangement which makes it null and void. He made himself fair game,” Elias said with a smirk on his face. “Besides, he doesn’t get a free pass because he’s your son. He’s had enough of those, don’t you think?” Elias asked, crossing his arms in defiance.
The senator was quiet as he contemplated what his plan was. He never liked Mr. Bennett. He didn’t care for his lifestyle, for lack of a better word, but his dislike for him did not stem from who he bedded every night but because of who he was as an individual. Mr. Bennett was a loose cannon and therefore difficult to control and most certainly difficult to predict. He had aired his son’s dirty laundry out for the world and, in doing so, had tarnished the family name. The senator couldn’t allow that. Something had to be done.
“Regardless, you need to resolve this,” the senator said slowly.
“I plan on it,” Elias replied with a chuckle.
“Let me clarify. You need to resolve this without disparaging my name.”
“Well, that will be difficult considering your son bears the same name.”
“You better find a way, Mr. Bennett. I can see that the jury is leaning in your direction. That bastard better not get off,” the senator said, giving him a steely expression.
“Or what?” Elias asked with a heated glare. “I won't 'throw' a case for you or anyone else. You can’t intimidate me, Senator.”
“I am not trying to intimidate you, Mr. Bennett, and would never ask you to sully your principles,” he said with a smirk as he picked up the picture on Mr. Bennett’s desk again. “Nice family. I hear he works for a firm in town. Does he enjoy what he does? Well, I suppose he must since he works late many nights.” He tapped his finger on Liam’s face in the picture. “Does he still enjoy running by Nottingham Estates?” he asked casually, but there was a tone that said more than the words he was actually expressing.
Elias pushed back from his desk and stood abruptly, his anger boiling to the surface. “Are you threatening my family, Senator Bowers?” Elias fumed, his fists clenched at his sides.
“Of course not, Mr. Bennett,” he said with a smile. He had found Elias’ weakness. He always knew he had one.
“Get the hell out of my office before I forcibly remove you.”
Senator Bowers grinned and stood up. He gave Mr. Bennett an off handed wave as he exited the office, feeling as if he had shifted the balance of power between them. The minute his door closed, Elias sat again, picking up the picture of him, Liam, and Jayden that was taken a few years ago at Big Bear. As he set the picture down, his brain flashed to that dreadful night so many years ago.
“El, take care of Jayden!”
Elias closed his e
yes and willed his breathing to steady. He rested his forehead on his desk with his hands entwined in his hair as he tried desperately to get the images out of his head. He would never forget Texas and how helpless he was in that situation. Liam had been in the hospital for a week and then it took several more weeks before all of his physical wounds healed. His emotional wounds would take years to go away. During that dreadful time, Elias had to call upon Liam’s sister to come down, all the way from Ireland, to take care of Jayden because he had been a non-functional parent.
Elias had not handled Liam’s injuries well. He had handed all his cases to other attorneys and stayed by Liam’s side, vowing that he would never let anything or anyone harm him again. Elias sat up abruptly and walked out of his office with purpose.
“I’ll be on my cell,” he said to Mallory and waved her off when she tried to tell him his partners wanted to speak with him. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
He pushed the door open and quickly made his way to his vehicle. He sped across town and entered the small unassuming building that housed four offices and a conference room. The waiting room was not very large but served its purpose well and the receptionist, Jaimie, was kind. She smiled brightly as Elias walked in.
“Mr. Bennett, what a pleasant surprise.”
“Hello Jaimie. Is he free?”
“Go on back, sir. It’s not as if he wouldn’t make time for you,” she said with a knowing smile.
Elias returned her smile and stepped into the open office down the hall, closing the door behind him. Liam looked up and smiled brilliantly. He quickly stood and walked over to embrace him and then kissed him softly, his hand moving down his back slowly.
“What are you doing here? I thought you would be in court all day.”
Elias frowned. “I’ll start my defense tomorrow.” He ran his fingers along Liam’s face and sighed. “Senator Bowers showed up.”
“Well, that was unexpected.” Liam chuckled and rolled his eyes as he walked towards his desk. “I’m sure he wasn’t too happy with the ass kicking I presume you gave his son.” He sat on the edge of his desk and reached his hand out for Elias.
Elias laughed as he took Liam’s outstretched hand. “Yes, I did tear up that cocky little bastard.”
“I bet you did.” Liam smiled, pulling him closer and kissing along his jaw. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
It had been a few weeks since they had been intimate, as any time Elias started a new case it would consume him. He would stay up most of the night and usually fall asleep in his office working late. Liam understood that that was his process and never questioned it but he missed the intimacy between them.
“I’ve missed you too,” Elias murmured.
Elias closed his eyes, running his hands into Liam’s hair, fisting it and bringing his mouth to his. He kissed him hard, getting lost in the way his lips molded to his. Elias knew that he had to talk to him about Senator Bowers’ threat, he needed his feedback on how to handle the situation but for right now he just wanted to be connected with him.
~*~
Later that evening, Andrew pulled up to the Bennett’s, wishing Madison was with him. He understood why she couldn’t be there but he felt lost without her by his side. Jayden invited him inside and they ate dinner, chitchatting before moving into the living room to talk about the case. Both Jayden and Liam excused themselves to give Andrew and Elias privacy.
“We still have the jury. Jimmy has been discredited in most of their minds and the other half is skeptical of him,” Elias said as he took a sip of his Guinness.
Andrew nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want me to testify?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Won’t they think I’m guilty if I don’t say what happened?”
“Andrew, you need to trust me. Mr. De Luca is smart. If I were in Mr. De Luca’s place and had you on the witness stand, I would eat you alive. I would talk in circles until I got you flustered enough so that you volunteered your sex offender status and admitted that you went too far.” He shook his head as he set his beer down. “Trust me, Andrew. It would be a bad move to put you on the stand.”
Andrew sighed and looked down. “I trust you, Mr. Bennett.”
Elias nodded. “Good. Alright, let’s talk a bit about what will happen tomorrow when I start our defense.”
They spent several hours talking about the case, what to expect, how Elias planned to work the witnesses and, more importantly, how Mr. De Luca would spin the case. Elias expressed that his greatest concern was Madison, as he was worried that Mr. De Luca would get her to slip something she shouldn’t. By the time Andrew left and made it back to Madison’s, it was late. They had made love and didn’t talk much. He felt she was holding back something and he took that as fear. She had doubt and, as much as he didn’t want to, he was affected by that.
29 AND THE DEFENSE RESTS
The next morning came by in a blur. Andrew was now sitting in the courtroom waiting for the judge to bring in the jury. His stomach was in knots. While he trusted Elias, he was still worried. He glanced over at Mr. Bennett. He was reading over his notes. Andrew shifted his gaze to the prosecutor who was glancing at some documents. Finally his eyes rested on Madison. He smiled at her when she mouthed 'I love you'. He turned away when the judge entered the room and everyone rose.
“Mr. Bennett, call your first witness.”
Throughout the course of the day, Mr. Bennett presented a case of a man that was simply protecting his girlfriend, that Andrew had no intention of purposefully harming Mr. Bowers, and that he had a right to defend himself and Madison. Mr. De Luca tried to show Andrew’s reckless indifference but was not pulling it off as well as he would have liked. He did trip up a couple of witnesses who admitted that Andrew had probably gone too far. Overall though, things seemed to be fairly even.
“The defense would like to call Ms. Madison Ellis.”
Madison made her way to the witness stand. She nervously took her oath and sat down. Unfortunately for her she could not stop the twitching in her leg which she knew would probably be judged harshly. She wished she had something to calm her down, Xanax, a shot of whiskey, anything at this point. She glanced at the smiling face of Mr. Bennett.
“Ms. Ellis, as you know, Mr. Harrison is on trial for an altercation he had with Mr. Bowers. It is the prosecutions claim that this was an unprovoked assault,” Mr. Bennett said in a soothing and calming manner.
Madison immediately shook her head as her bottom lip slipped into her mouth. The fight was definitely not unprovoked. Jimmy asked for it with his bullying behavior.
“The defense has brought forth many witnesses that indicate that the events that transpired showed that Mr. Bowers kept pushing for a fight and that Mr. Harrison had no other recourse but to defend you. It is our claim that Mr. Harrison did not act with reckless indifference but was instead protecting you. Would you agree with that assessment?”
Madison nodded her head.
“Your Honor, Mr. Bennett is leading the witness,” Mr. De Luca said with a heavy sigh.
“Mr. Bennett, get to your point.”
Mr. Bennett glanced at the judge and nodded slightly before turning to Madison again. “Madison, will you please tell us what happened on the night in question.”
He stepped back slightly so that the jury would be able to see her. Madison took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair before she began.
“I was invited to the lake by Brie and Jimmy. I met Andrew later at my grandmother’s house and asked him to come along as well. Jimmy started problems the minute we arrived. He picked a fight with Andrew, and later Jayden, because Jayden defended Andrew’s right to be there. Throughout the day, Jimmy made snide comments to us but we ignored him. By the end of the night Andrew and I were, ummm, you know,” Madison hesitated, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“You two were being intimate?” Mr. Bennett asked and Madison nodded. “Were you being coerced in any way?”
&
nbsp; “NO! God, no. Andrew wasn’t forcing himself on me at all. Anyone in their right mind could see that,” Madison said decisively.
“What happened next, Ms. Ellis?”
“Jimmy and his friends, once again, started making snide comments and Andrew got up to cool off. But I was angry. Jimmy was being an as... sorry, he was being a jerk and I told him that. We had a confrontation and he ended up pushing me and Andrew came to my defense.”
“Thank you, Ms. Ellis.”
Madison smiled, thinking that wasn’t so hard. Mr. De Luca stood just as the judge asked him if he wanted to cross examine the witness. He approached Madison and gave her a smirk.
“Ms. Ellis, did you honestly think that inviting someone like the defendant would be okay with everyone?” Mr. De Luca stated coyly.
“Object, Your Honor,” Mr. Bennett immediately stated.
“Mr. De Luca, watch where you’re treading.”
Madison began glaring at him. “Andrew has every right to be wherever he would like.”
“Well, with his history...”
“OBJECT!” Mr. Bennett stood. “Clearly Mr. De Luca has either forgotten or is ignoring your previous decision on this matter.”
“Mr. Bennett, sit down.” The judge scowled at him and then turned to Mr. De Luca. “Mr. Harrison’s past criminal behavior may not be brought up.”
Mr. Bennett rose yet again, anger radiated off of his body. “I move for an immediate mistrial. Your Honor, you have permanently biased the jury against my client with the mere mention of possible past criminal behavior. He is not on trial for any acts he may or may not have committed. You cannot...”
“Do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot say in my own courtroom, Mr. Bennett,” the judge stated angrily as he cut off Mr. Bennett’s response.
“Your Honor...”
“Approach,” the judge said cutting him off again and motioning for Mr. Bennett and Mr. De Luca to approach the bench.
Both attorneys walked up to the judge. Madison looked at Andrew confused, hoping she hadn’t said or done something that messed up Mr. Bennett’s defense. Andrew looked worried and then they both turned suddenly when Mr. Bennett turned quickly, annoyance and irritation clearly on his face. He started to move and then stopped suddenly as he spotted Senator Bowers in the back row, a smirk on his face. Mr. Bennett narrowed his eyes at him and sat down next to Andrew.
Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) Page 28
