THE PROSECUTOR

by Adrienne Giordano

  No second location.

  She’d have to run before they reached the garage, except he detoured away from the entrance.

  She pointed. “The garage is—”

  “Shut up.”

  Emma slowed, but Alex pressed her forward, nearly shoving her. She swung her gaze left and right, searching for a weapon. Lamppost. Garbage can bolted to the sidewalk. Fire hydrant.

  Nothing useful.

  Then she saw the sidewalk separate and her limbs turned cold, freezing, like icicles attached to her body. She halted and Alex laughed. Monster.

  If he took her into that alley, she’d be dead. No question.

  “Why...why are you doing this?”

  “Because you won’t go away. Subtle doesn’t seem to work for you. What the hell is it with you women? I speak, but you don’t listen.”

  What? She looked at him and he pressed the knife into her coat far enough that she felt the tip. Sharp. Deadly.

  “Don’t look at me,” he said. “Eyes forward.”

  Across the street, two women came out of their car, hunched against the cold and strode in the opposite direction.

  “Don’t even try it,” Alex said.

  Emma’s eyes went back to the mouth of the alley twenty yards ahead. You’re dead.

  “Please don’t do this. I’ll stop. I promise.”

  “Too late. I thought that idiot Leeks would do it, but you’re just that damn fearless.”

  “You sent him?”

  Again, he laughed, a guy simply enjoying a chat with his companion. “No. That’s the beauty of it. He wanted your boyfriend to lay off his kid. Imbecile was helping me and didn’t even know it.”

  So confused.

  “The kid’s a waste of space anyway. I loved her and he’s an abusive psycho she couldn’t stay away from. Stupid women. All of you.”

  “Chelsea?”

  “And then I had to suck up to make sure I drew the damn case. Unbelievable. My life went to hell the minute I saw her. All I wanted was a damn report from her father and there she was, waiting for him to finish up. After that, it was over for me. Nothing but trouble.”

  They reached the alley. Emma stopped, threw all her weight into not moving. If she went into that alley, she’d never come out.

  But Alex was bigger and stronger and he had that knife digging into her side. “Home sweet home, Emma.”

  Fight.

  He shoved her hard enough to send her stumbling into the dark alley. Quickly, she bolted upright thinking fast. Weapon. Elbows, fists, legs. All she had. Water splashed—he’s coming—and she whirled on him. Swung back into the general direction of his throat. Missed.

  “Now she wants to play,” he said in that voice, evil and menacing, that cut through her worse than any knife. “We can make this as hard as you want, Emma.”

  She ran into the alley, her feet slamming against the pavement. Don’t be a dead end. Blackness surrounded her and her eyes slowly adjusted as she sloshed against the wet ground. Oooff—he tackled her. Her knees hit the ground first and she turned her head before doing a face plant. Her left cheek took the impact and pain exploded.

  Hair tug. Ow. Straddling her from behind, he wrapped his hand tightly around her ponytail and yanked her head back, exposing her throat. Using his free hand, he looped something around her neck—no, no, no.

  Emma kicked out, tried to get him off her. Too heavy. The cord tightened, sliced into the minimal flesh at her throat and she gasped.

  “Crazy bitch. I set your damn house on fire and you still won’t give up.”

  He jerked the cord tighter and tighter still. Get him off. She flung her arm back. Nothing there. Except the pressure released. Free. Emma howled, her throat convulsing from the effort of her scream and the air blowing through it. The weight on her back disappeared. She flipped over, scrambled to her feet. Extra person. Too dark to see. Both on the ground.

  “Son of a bitch.” Zac’s voice.

  “He’s got a knife!” Emma yelled.

  Zac pounced before Alex got fully to his feet. He shoved him, forced him to the ground. Punches flew, Alex’s head snapped back and Emma ran toward him. Check his hands. But Zac flew backward when Alex slammed him with a kick to his midsection.

  Find the knife. Too dark. She’d never find it. Instead, she hurled herself at Alex giving Zac time to recover.

  “Emma, back!”

  And then Emma got the luck that had eluded her for so long. A shaft of moonlight broke through the clouds and illuminated part of the alley. Two feet from her, a glint of steel winked.

  Knife.

  She ran toward it, picked it up. “Got the knife.”

  And Zac went crazy. Punches flying, kicks connecting, elbows swinging. All of it, a reign of terror on Alex Belson so fierce she wondered if the man would survive it. Alex doubled over and Zac slammed his elbow into his back, sending him to the ground. In a split second, Zac pounced on him, digging his knee into the center of Alex’s back.

  “Hands out,” he said. “Let me see them.”

  But Alex wouldn’t surrender. He bucked and Zac smacked him on the back of the head. Unable to wriggle free, Alex spread his arms flat.

  Zac dropped his head, heaved a breath. “Dammit, Alex. What are you doing?”

  * * *

  ZAC LEANED ON THE COLD cement wall of the parking garage as officers loaded Alex Belson into a squad car. A truck rumbled by, that rotten egg smell of its exhaust hitting Zac, making his stomach seize. Nasty, that.

  What had just happened?

  A detective escorted Emma from the alley. They’d been questioned separately and would most likely be questioned again, but for now, they were done. He still didn’t know what had happened to her. All he knew was that he’d looked up from the car accident and she was gone, walking away with some dude. He’d followed, keeping his mouth shut and his steps light, knowing he wouldn’t allow Emma to get hurt.

  Coming up next to him, Emma leaned against the building. “You okay?”

  Always worried about everyone else. “Are you okay?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I think he’s the one. He didn’t say it, but he said he loved Chelsea. Something about how she couldn’t stay away from Leeks’s son.”

  Zac nodded. “She and Leeks were on-again-off-again. Twisted relationship.”

  “I’m so confused. We trusted him. He let my brother go to prison. That filthy hunk of flesh wanted my brother to rot in a cell.”

  Zac dragged his hands over his face and suddenly her hand was on his back, rubbing in that way she did that made everything less intense. “I looked up and you were gone. If I hadn’t looked up when I did, I’d have lost you, Emma. I wouldn’t have known where you went. I’ve never been that scared.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder. “But you did look up. Thank you.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” He kissed the top of her head. “I could have lost you. How could I let that happen?”

  Had there ever been a time when he’d been this uncertain? He’d always been the logical one in the family. Always making the right decision, and even when he didn’t, it wasn’t a big deal. No one got hurt or died. He’d simply learned from it and moved on. In his current state, if learning from his mistakes meant being without Emma, he didn’t want to learn.

  Her shoulder hitched against him and he looked down. Face collapsed, eyes squeezed shut. Crying.

  Damn, he never wanted to see this strong, capable woman reduced to tears. Pushing himself off the wall, he wrapped her in his arms. “Sshhh, you’re okay. I’ve got you. We’ll figure it out. Somehow, we’ll figure it out.”

  And they would. Because after this, job or no job, he wouldn’t let her go.

  Chapter Seventeen

&n
bsp; The following morning Emma forced down dry toast, a relatively boring breakfast, while surrounded by the fancy marble and stainless steel of their temporary kitchen. If she broke something in this palace, it would take a year to pay for it. Her phone whistled and she punched the screen, scanning Penny’s text summoning her to the criminal courthouse. In thirty minutes. Thirty minutes to shower, get dressed and face the end of rush-hour traffic.

  Their lawyer truly was nuts.

  At this point, with Alex Belson still being interviewed, the only thing Emma wanted from Penny was confirmation that Belson had killed Chelsea Moore and that Brian would come home. That’s it. The terror of the previous night would be worth it if Brian came home.

  Why? Emma texted back.

  Just get there.

  Emma sighed.

  “What is it?” Mom asked.

  Emma contemplated a response. Something must have been happening with Brian. But she didn’t have the heart to tell her mother that. What if it’s not good?

  They were too far gone for that. No more sheltering her mother. The load had gotten too heavy and this had to be—had to be—good news.

  She met her mother’s stare. “I’m not sure. She wants me down at the courthouse in half an hour.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  I hope so. “It could be nothing.”

  “I don’t care. I’m going with you. It’s time I started helping you.”

  Wow. How far they’d come in a week. All because of the Hennings family. Emma glanced down at the phone in her hand. Those crazy Hennings siblings. They’d drive her mad before this was done.

  And yet she welcomed the madness.

  Putting her thumbs to work, she texted Penny. See you soon. She dropped the phone, shoved her chair out. “Be ready in five minutes. I’m gonna take the fastest shower of my life and throw some clothes on.”

  “Put your hair back,” Mom called as she charged down the long hallway behind Emma. “It’s a mess.”

  Exactly twenty-six minutes later, Emma and her mother joined the back of the security line at the criminal courts building. On her tiptoes, Emma counted heads in front of her. Ten. Not as bad as usual, but they’d never make it in four minutes.

  She texted Penny. A second later her phone rang. She didn’t bother to look. She knew who it was. “Not my fault. I’m stuck at security.”

  “Here’s the deal,” Penny said, the words firing faster than usual. “My father, Zac and I are walking into Judge Alred’s court. We’ve—the State’s Attorney included—filed a joint emergency motion to vacate Brian’s conviction and sentence.”

  Every word rolled into a massive ball in Emma’s throat. She tried to speak, but only managed a high-pitched squeal. She spun to her mother and latched onto her arm.

  Mom winced and Emma let up. “What?”

  Finally, the massive ball trapping her words unfurled. “This is happening now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is the judge a good one?”

  “He’s perfection. A good guy and reasonable. Hang on... What?” A muffled sound came through the phone line. “He’s ready for us. Hurry. Judge Alred’s courtroom. 400.”

  “Wait.”

  Dead air. Emma jerked the phone from her ear and stared at it. Don’t get too excited. The judge could deny it. Anything could happen.

  Mom’s face blanched.

  Emma squeezed her mother’s arm again. “It’s good. They filed a motion to vacate Brian’s conviction and sentence. In a little while we’ll know if Brian is coming home.”

  “My God.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up. You know our luck stinks.”

  Mom held her hands out, her eyes big and round and...well...happy. “But we’ve never gotten this far.”

  The gray-haired security guard Emma had seen several times before motioned her to the x-ray machine. “Step forward please, ma’am. Cell phone down.”

  She shoved her purse and phone on the belt. “Sorry.”

  He waved her through. “No problem.”

  Once through the machine, she grinned up at the guard. “My brother may come home today.”

  He offered a thumbs-up. “Good luck. Hopefully I won’t see you here anymore.”

  Her mother stepped behind her, both of them grabbing their items off the belt. This could be it. Brian coming home.

  Don’t go there.

  They got into the elevator, and Emma watched the numbers tick by until they reached their intended floor. Dragging her mother along, Emma dashed off the elevator, her low heels clickety-clacking against the tile floor. People cluttered the hallway, blocking her, forcing her to cut around them. Just get there. A door banged open and two men in suits stepped into her path. Move. Emma threw her arm out and angled around them. Her mother had better be keeping up. On her right, courtroom doors whizzed by. She checked numbers as she went. Almost there.

  Courtroom 400.

  She stopped and her mother plowed into Emma’s back. Emma grabbed Mom’s arm to keep her from falling over.

  “Sorry. This is it.”

  She stared at the double doors, rocked onto the balls of her feet. “You ready?”

  Mom breathed in. “I have to be.”

  “We’ve got this, Mom.”

  Emma swung one of the doors open, ushered her mother inside and eased the door shut. The soft click echoed and she winced. Don’t piss off the judge.

  She spun around, her gaze landing smack on the judge, a man appearing to be in his late forties. He sat behind the bench, two fingers pressed against his meaty cheek. His face gave away nothing. Not a scowl, not a smile, not a frown. He simply listened, and Emma imagined that she’d go mad wondering what the heck the man was thinking.

  Zac spoke from his place at the prosecutor’s table, his voice, as usual, assertive. Confident. Penny and her father sat behind the defendant’s table, their postures tall but not stiff. Almost relaxed, but that couldn’t be. Could it?

  Judge Alred focused on Emma, then her mother, the only two spectators in the room. Not wanting to cause further disturbance, Emma slid onto the nearest bench. So what if it was way in the back? She needed to sit before her legs gave way.

  Her mother landed next to her and gripped her hand. This was it. Emma clung to her mother and directed her attention to the front of the room where the judge addressed Zac.

  “Counselor, why is this a joint motion?”

  “Your Honor, new evidence has come to light. After examining this new evidence, we determined that said new evidence changes the State’s position.”

  Emma tapped her foot. Yeah, yeah, we get it. New evidence. Blah, blah, blah. Get on with it.

  “Because of this new evidence,” Zac continued, “the State joins in the motion to vacate and set aside.”

  Please, please, please. A loud whoosh filled her head, smothered the voices of Zac and the judge. She closed her eyes. Hot little stabs traveled up her arms and made her itch. Please let him come home. Never had she prayed so hard, but this warranted it. She wanted her brother back. Maybe she wanted a few other things, too, but Brian coming home was the priority. If that happened, they’d rebuild their lives as a family. And, if the world could be so generous, she’d be free to have her own life and maybe make Zac Hennings part of it.

  That’s what she wanted. Zac, her brother and her mother. With them, she almost believed anything could happen. With them, the impossible became possible.

  An immense calm inched over her, slowly smothering the pinpricks her body had just endured. Her mind went quiet and a male voice sounded. The judge.

  “Okay, counselors, motion granted. Defendant is ordered immediately released.”

  What? Emma snapped her head sideways. “What?”

  Penny leapt to her feet. “Thank yo
u, Your Honor.”

  Mom held her fingers to her lips before the judge yelled at them. Wait. Emma turned to the front again, stared at Penny’s back. Beside Penny stood Mr. Hennings and the two high-fived, their faces glowing. It’s happening. On the other side of the aisle, Zac shoved a folder in his briefcase, all serious prosecutor but chances were he was dying to smile. He’d never give his sister the satisfaction. He’d make her beg for it.

  The judge rose from the bench and rounded the corner, his long robe swaying behind him as he entered his chambers. Just like that, they were done.

  Brian was free.

  Penny whipped around, a mile-wide grin on her face. “Now you can talk.”

  But Emma shook her head. The words immediately released looped in her mind, over and over and over, and she breathed in. Don’t believe it. Not yet. Not until they told her. Then she’d allow herself to believe that finally, after endless trudging through the justice system, they’d won.

  Zac closed his briefcase, and turned to her. Their gazes held and he finally offered up a grin that sent blood racing into Emma’s brain.

  Penny stood in the aisle hugging Mom whose sad, wilting eyes were now gone. My mother is back.

  Emma jumped up. Too fast. The rush made the room spin and she held on to the bench in front of her, taking it all in. The Hennings crew huddled together, father, son, daughter. Zac and his dad shook hands, slapped some backs and—they’d done it.

  “Come here, girlfriend,” Penny said. “Give me a hug. We won.”

  And Emma lost it. She held her arms in front of her as tears barreled out of her eyes. We won. Mouth gaping, happy sobs rocked her. Darn, she was tired. So tired.

  The foursome gathered around her, their faces a mix of surprise, shock and—in Mr. Hennings’s case—curiosity. Mom had her own set of waterworks going and Emma had to look away. It was all too much. All the emotion that had been shoved deep inside, brutally packed away with the lid slammed down, came bursting free and she sobbed harder.

  Zac eased her mother out of the way and stepped beside Emma. He slid his arms around her and squeezed. He’s so good. She buried her face in his chest, bawling on his suit jacket and gripping the material at his back. Just hold on.