33. Chapter 33
Grace
“You okay?” Mariah nudged me with her elbow, bringing me back to the present and reminding me the wooden seats in the courtroom were as uncomfortable as the situation. I sighed and nodded.
We had all been in these seats before. This time, Aurora and Nellie framed Mom on either side, each holding one of her hands like they were trying to comfort her as much as they needed comfort themselves.
At the end of the row, I bounced my leg, spreading the anxiety, until Mariah put her hand on my knee and forced me to stop.
“Relax,” she mouthed without speaking. Easier said than done.
“Ladies and gentlemen, these are dangerous men. They are the leaders of a ruthless and calculated criminal enterprise that has riddled our streets with drugs and crime.” The prosecutor pointed accusingly at Giaco, Ronan, and Enzo, who looked unmoved by the accusation.
Then, he looked sympathetically back to the jury.
“If you think that the drug trafficking we’re charging them with is everything, you’re wrong.
It’s only the beginning. It’s only the stuff we can show you evidence for—it doesn’t include the money laundering, corruption, and murder.
” There was a gasp from the jury that made my mom sniffle with doubt.
When the door behind me burst open, the attention of everyone in the courtroom turned to it. “Your honor, I have something to say,” Connor announced, walking into the room with the confident audacity only a man could have.
“Objection!” The prosecutor tried to regain the control of the room he had before the interruption. He turned to the judge, pleading with her. “Ma’am, he can’t just come in here with new evidence like this. We haven’t seen what he has.”
The whispers were quiet at first before they grew into louder mumblings that drowned out the tension, replacing it with new pressure. “Order in my courtroom!” the judge snapped. She cleared her voice, waiting for the crowd to mostly quiet down. “Counsel, approach the bench. You too, agent.”
When Connor walked past me, I felt his stare. “Did you know about this?” Mariah whispered, and when I shook my head, I noticed my mom, Aurora, and Nellie looking at me too. I shrugged. I’ll do anything it takes.
I listened as closely as I could while the prosecutor argued against letting Connor share anything, and Connor just stood there, waiting. “The man has connections to the family and may have fabricated this.” The prosecutor held up the manila folder he snatched from Connor.
“I didn’t fabricate anything,” Connor said.
How was he so calm? “Your honor, I have a tape that features Brian O’Malley, a close confidant of the Cassidy family, giving extensive details on how he planted the evidence.
You’ll also hear Rob North offering him immunity for the information.
This tape proves the Morettis are being wrongly accused.
It would be an injustice not to share it in this courtroom. ”
“Ma’am, they’re still criminals.” The panic in the prosecutor’s voice carried to the rest of the room. “Regardless of what is on that tape, the Morettis are guilty. You cannot let him do this. Be reasonable.”
She narrowed her eyes, looking right at my brothers. Then, she looked up, and I swear, she looked right at me. Could she see the surprise on my face that Connor was really here to do what he said he would? Maybe it looked like hope. I held my breath.
“You know what? I don’t like being told what I can and can’t do,” she said with a smirk that definitely felt like hope. I grabbed Mariah’s hand and squeezed. “I’m going to let you play the tape, Mr. Murphy.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“If your case is solid, the prosecution won’t have to worry. Sit down, Mr. Evans.” The judge gestured vaguely, and, in a blur, the file was playing. Connor straightened his spine confidently but adjusted his weight nervously from one foot to the other.
When Brian’s voice came through the speakers, a chill ran down my spine. “I already have the white girl. We leave it at the pizza shop, and you let your captain know.” My brothers narrowed their eyes and looked at each other.
Another man’s voice. Rob. “Right. The guy is so stupid, he’ll take the bait instantly. He just needs evidence. If I get him their stash, then we move in.”
“And then you pay me. The full hundred grand.” Brian sounded like he’d already won. How did Connor get this?
“The full hundred grand.” The officer chuckled.
Brian laughed with him, and when he stopped, they both did. “And my immunity.”
“That’s enough. How do we know this isn’t staged, your honor?” The tape turned off abruptly, and the prosecution jumped up. His face got darker while Connor’s smile got wider.
“In the envelope, you’ll find reports validating the recording and identifying the speakers as noted as Brian O’Malley and Rob North.” Connor pulled a sheet of paper from the file and handed it to the judge. She took it, raising her brows and then narrowing them as she read it.
Then, she hit the stand with her gavel and silenced the room.
“That is enough. Clearly, we have some bigger issues.” She looked frustrated when she set the paper down.
“It’s clear you didn’t do your due diligence, Mr. Evans.
I suggest you get your case together and double check your sources.
Misters Moretti, you three are free to go.
Case dismissed.” Chaos slowly grew in the courtroom as she left.
Connor looked relieved when my brothers approached him, and, for the first time, when Giaco reached for his hand, it didn’t look like he wanted to break it. “Thank you,” Giaco said, just loudly enough for me to mostly hear it if I was also reading his lips.
“I told you I’d do what I could,” he said.
“We appreciate it,” Ronan said quickly before he scanned the room for Nellie, lighting up when he saw her.
Giaco and Ronan nodded at me, like they were giving approval I needed months ago. Then, they moved past me to get to their wives in a blur that felt like the last couple weeks. Behind them, Connor moved slower. “Thank you for that,” I said when he was close enough to hear me.
“I told you I’d do anything it took,” he said. Connor held my hands gently, giving me a soft squeeze. “I need to go.”
“Go? Where?” I didn’t try to hide the disappointment in my face. For the first time since I learned who he was, I thought he might walk away, and I’d never see him again. And I wouldn’t blame him for it.
He reached up, gently tucking a loose curl behind my ear.
“I’ll explain later. I have to take care of something.
” I sighed. Maybe I’d never know Connor like I thought I would.
Maybe he would always be hiding something.
Maybe that was exactly who Connor was. I crossed my arms, as if they’d work as a shield against my disappointment.
“I just need you to trust me a little bit longer. I promise, I’ll tell you everything when I can. ”
“Murphy.” The officer who arrested my brothers approached us. “Are you ready?”
Connor nodded, looking at me one more time before he stepped away. “Let’s go.”