Chapter Thirteen #2
Jayla turned and watched from the back seat of their SUV as they drove away from the cabin.
She watched it become smaller before the forest around them concealed it.
She turned back to the men. Some of the happiest times in her life had happened with those men.
Now she had a bad feeling things were going to change.
If that happened, she would never be the same.
The ride home was mostly silent, which made Jayla’s stomach grow constricted with dread.
Beau turned around when they pulled into town. “We’re supposed to take you right to the courthouse if you feel up for it.”
Jayla’s stomach was twisted so tight she felt nauseous. She pressed against it to ease some of her agitation. She nodded and then turned her head to look out the window.
Diego frowned at her in the rearview mirror as he drove. He hated that she was feeling so much anxiety and wished he could ease it. He guessed only the end of the trial would do that.
Shortly, they pulled up on the side of the courthouse. Beau turned the SUV off, and they sat quietly.
“Where will you guys be?”
“After we get you into the courthouse, we’ll park the truck and come in.”
Jayla shook her head. “You don’t have to come in with me now. The guards waiting for me will get me there.”
Both men frowned at her.
Beau reached over his seat and grasped her hands in his. “Everything is going to be okay, sweetness.”
She swung her gaze back to his. “Is it?”
Diego growled. “Yes. Now, the sooner you get your butt in there, the quicker we can get to you.”
“Do you promise?”
“Yes,” Beau said softly. “Baby, you’re not getting rid of us.”
She looked back and forth between the men. She didn’t know why, but she felt things were going to change with them, and she couldn’t do anything to stop it. “Why do both of you need to park the truck?”
“Because before we come in, we have to have a phone conference with the director. We didn’t want to tell you because we didn’t want you to worry.” Beau’s concern was written all over his face.
It made sense. Then why did she feel so uneasy? That it might be the last time they saw each other? One minute at a time, she told herself silently. “Okay, I’ll meet you in there.”
“All right,” Diego said, turned, and was already dialing a number on his phone.
Jayla stood between two huge guards with another three standing close by. She waved as they drove off. They hadn’t kissed her. She knew they would be coming right into the courthouse, but it seemed the second she’d slid out of the vehicle, they were already onto something else.
She let the men walk her into the courthouse and toward a row of conference rooms.
“Are you Jayla Davenport?”
Jayla jerked her head up and faced another guard who stood in front of them. “Yes.”
“I’m supposed to take you to a conference room where the prosecutor is right now.”
“Okay.” She followed a few steps behind until the guard stopped and opened a door.
“He’s in here.”
“Thank you.” Jayla smiled at him. “If you see two large men, both have short dark hair and look military. Will you tell them where I am?”
“Absolutely.”
A man in his fifties walked forward with his hand out. “Miss Davenport, I’m glad you could make it so quickly. I’m Prosecutor Gannon.”
Jayla shook his hand.
He introduced her to the other four people in the room before sitting her in one of the chairs. He waited until someone passed him a stack of papers. He studied them for a minute before looking up at her.
“I’ve got some questions here that the Defense will probably ask you. Do you mind if we go over them? We only have a day to finish up before the trial, the day after tomorrow.”
“Absolutely.”
He asked the regular questions to get it going, then started on the harder ones. She wished the men were here. They would calm her down.
An hour and then two passed. Every time the door opened, she turned to see if it was them, and every time, a little piece of her froze when she saw they still hadn’t come. Jayla needed to give it time. They told her they’d be here and she could trust them. And she did trust them.
Another hour passed.
“Miss Davenport. I’m going to have Monica and a few of my men take you to a hotel.
We have a room waiting for you. I’ll have men on either side of you and outside your door.
I doubt there’s any threat, but I’d like to make sure you’re taken care of.
We’ll pick you up in the morning, and we’ll go over these again.
I’ve got so much against Rafael Perez, there’s no way he’s getting away this time, but your testimony will be the icing on the cake, so to speak. ”
“I understand. I had two men with me, and they were supposed to come here. Is there a reason they might have been kept away?”
The prosecutor frowned. “Not that I’m aware of. Sam, get Tim in here.”
Five minutes later, the guard she had talked to before walked in.
“Tim, Miss Davenport is waiting for two men?”
“Yes, I was on the lookout for them and even had another guard keep his eyes out. I’m sorry, Miss Davenport, they aren’t here.”
Jayla used all her strength to hold back the emotions growing inside her. They could still have a good reason for not being here. She had to give them another chance. Give them a bit more time. “I’m ready.”
The prosecutor watched as she walked out.
He never butted his nose into other people’s business, but that woman looked devastated for a second before she closed off her expression.
She’d been through enough with the kidnapping, the beating, and then being hidden away for weeks. She definitely had enough on her plate.
He knew he could be a bastard, that’s what made him a great prosecutor, but he really hoped this didn’t affect the trial.