Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 116708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
“That’s not fair!” Folly protested. “There’s nothing that states a member of the media can’t attend this hearing.”
“I just did. Out!” Judge Clavet boomed.
Marcus grinned—a huge grin—as Folly grumbled and shuffled out.
The hinges on Jeff’s jaw ticked, his ego no doubt taking a hit.
Truett’s hand landed on my shoulder from behind, but I was too damn nervous to find any comfort in it.
The judge searched around his desk, shuffling through a stack of papers. “Okay, here we go. Mr. West, I have been supplied with images taken in front of Ms. Weaver’s home.” He paused and looked at me. “To avoid confusion, may I call you Gwen?”
“Please do,” I replied, and he flashed another one of his holiday best.
“As I was saying, there are pictures of you arriving at Gwen’s home with a duffel bag of sorts. Are you currently residing at her residence?”
“No, sir,” Truett answered.
“Have you been in contact with Nathan Weaver?”
“Yes, sir, I have.”
“Can you tell me a little about that?”
Truett drew in a deep breath. “Gwen cooked dinner on Wednesday night and I met him for the first time. We ate wings and then watched old family videos of my daughter. It was only for a couple hours before a friend came by and invited him to spend the night. He left and I haven’t seen him since.”
“So it was a friendly evening? No issues or problems?”
Truett smirked. “Well, he was a little disappointed with the flower pressing kit I gave him as a gift. Apparently, it was an inside joke between him and his mother, but it ended up as a joke on me. I think I redeemed myself by getting him one of those disgusting jellybean games. You can’t go wrong with gross when it comes to boys.”
The judge chuckled. “You don’t have to tell me. I have two grandsons. Boys are a different breed these days.” He cleared his throat and then sat up straighter in his chair. He swung his gaze between Truett and Jeff. “I’m going to level with you two. I did not want to take this case today. I tried to pass it off to every colleague I have. But it seemed we all had the same problem. I know who you are, Truett. I know what you did.”
My back shot straight in my chair. Suddenly, I was terrified of where this was going.
The judge continued. “I remember the day when we found out about that horrible, horrible tragedy at the mall. We were all scrambling, calling our family and friends in Watersedge, checking to make sure everyone we loved was accounted for.”
My stomach wrenched, and I flicked my gaze to Truett. He was standing stock-still, his arms at his sides, his face unreadable.
I tugged on Marcus’s arm to get his attention. “Don’t let him talk about this. Anything but the mall.”
He looked at me like I had three heads and hissed, “Relax. It will be fine.”
It wasn’t going to be fine. If Truett had willingly put on a suit, I knew he’d committed to the cause ahead of us, but there was no telling what would come out of his mouth if the judge made his way down the path I feared he was headed.
And much to my horror, he did exactly that. “Your name and a picture of you in uniform was plastered all over the newspapers for weeks. It made national news, but no one could get a single comment from you. I want to personally say thank you. I’m sorry about the loss of your daughter. From one father to another, I feel for certain she would be proud of the hero you were that day.”
Oh my God.
Thank you.
Proud.
Hero.
It was the trifecta of trigger words.
I shot to my feet. “Please stop talking.”
The judge sliced his gaze to me. “Excuse me?”
There was a rumble of whispers through the room, including an arrogant laugh from Jeff.
“I’m sorry,” I rushed out. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. It’s just—”
Truett moved forward until his lower body was flush with the partition, and he hooked his arm around my shoulders, pulling my upper body against his chest. I went willingly, hoping that whatever calm he claimed I gave him would keep him from losing his head and me from losing my son.
Surprisingly, his heartbeat against my ear was slow and his breaths even. “I’m sorry, Your Honor. That was my fault too. If I may level with you as well, Gwen knows I haven’t always liked the word hero. But over the last few days, I’ve done a lot of soul searching and reflection. I’m starting to think fighting the label has been more damaging for me than just accepting that my action saved the lives of others.”
In utter shock, I tilted my head back to peer up at him. I looked for any sign that he was uncomfortable or maybe pretending again. However, the brown eyes that flashed down to me were free of clouds and storms of the past.