Billionaire Ransom (13 page)

Would it be enough?

Craig sat next to Jessie, his lips curved into a sardonic little smile. She shook her head. People’s lives were at stake, and he was trying to get laid.

What a freakin’ idiot.

The next morning, Katie woke and dressed in the clothes she and Jessie had managed to procure the night before. She felt sluggish and sick; her body ached all over from sleeping on the hard mattress of the twin bed in the spare room.

They all had coffee and left the house, riding in the direction of the courthouse where the hearing would take place. She studied the road as they sailed along it. The lines kept blurring, so she yanked her eyes upward and watched as the quiet suburbs became the busy bustling city.

There were so many things she wanted to do in her life, and she knew she wanted to do them with Morgan. She wanted that little three-legged dog Morgan had picked out for her, and she wanted to live a life that would make them both happy and safe.

She had spent a long and restless night wondering how they could be happy if he continued to ride with the Orphans. If he kept riding, there would always be danger, and she would always be afraid she was going to lose him to prison, or to a crew who had a beef with his, or to the road that he took his bike out on.

She knew that she might never get a chance to try to work through any of that; not if he was kept in a jail cell and found guilty of those murders.

And what if he was? What would she do then?

The idea of moving on and finding someone else was not one she wanted to dwell on, and her heart told her in no uncertain terms that there was no moving on from Morgan; that the pieces of her heart would never fully heal.

She also knew that there would probably be years spent with him in prison and her in the world, separated and alone in their own ways. She knew that that might have to be enough, that going to visit him in prison might have to be enough…until the powers that be decided to administer the death penalty, which the state most assuredly would do in that case.

Those thoughts went with her all the way to the courthouse and as she climbed off Jessie’s bike. The OutKasts surrounded her, their bodies a buffer against a bullet or anything else that might come hurtling toward her.

That Morgan could do things that would make people be willing to risk their own lives for her, in his name, astounded her. She found herself considering Red, the brutal killer and savior of wounded animals, and that complex stew of lawlessness and tenderness that Morgan had too.

Morgan was tough, and hard, but he had a gentle touch and a warm heart. He was giving and kind, but he was also brave and steady. And she had no idea if he had ever killed anyone, or what else he might have done in his life that would somehow go against everything she believed in.

They found their assigned courtroom and took seats on the rows of benches. Katie checked the name on the judge’s bench in front of them. Her heart pounded as she realized she knew him, and that he knew her father. She tapped Nate on the shoulder and whispered, “We might have a problem, and a big one.”

He leaned closer to her. “What is it?”

“He’s in a business that launders money, and he’s in that business with my father.”

Nate’s eyes went round. “You mind telling me how you know that?”

She thought hard, and managed to bring the sheets from the file she hadn’t taken from the box up in her mind. “I know he owns a restaurant called Noir. It’s—”

He nodded. “I know where that is.” Nate’s lips pressed together. “We’ll get to that.”

The door on one side of the courtroom opened, and Katie’s heart leaped in her chest as Morgan and the others were led in. They all wore orange jumpsuits, and their wrists and ankles were shackled. Morgan’s one leg was bandaged, and he was on crutches. The rest had to shuffle, and her heart broke as she watched them shamble and falter toward the bench where they had to sit.

Morgan’s head turned. His eyes met hers.

Her heart raced and she smiled, her hand coming up in a small wave. A deputy stood nearby, face impassive and hand near his weapon, taking a step closer to Morgan.

Katie couldn’t look away. Her eyes scanned every inch of Morgan’s face, taking in the dark circles under his eyes, the stubble on his chin, and the strong, straight angles of his shoulders, even the one in the brace.

That was her man up there.

That was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with, no matter what happened. She’d stay his even if he went to prison, and she’d stay his even if they killed him. She would always be his.

The judge came in and sat.

Nate stood. “Your Honor, may I approach the bench, please?”

The judge, an older man with a head of white hair, and a hard, cruel face, gave him a filthy look. “Hello, Counselor…I haven’t seen you in my courtroom on that side of the proceedings in a while.”

“I know.” Nate didn’t even look abashed. He wore his OutKast vest, and jeans and a tee-shirt, a stark contrast to the neat suits and clothes around him. “As I said, Your Honor, I’d like to approach the bench, please.”

The judge scowled. “This is highly irregular.”

“So is this case.” Nate cleared his throat. “Yes, it is, Judge Hawkins.”

Judge Hawkins’ scowl deepened. “Okay, then, approach but this had better be damn good.”

“It is, Your Honor.” Nate got up and walked to the bench. Judge Hawkins bent his head, and Nate whispered something. Judge Hawkins’ head jerked up and his eyes bore into Katie’s. Her heart pounded furiously.

What had Nate just said to the judge? Her eyes went to Morgan and he stared back at her, a smile on his face. He nodded at her. She nodded back. Her teeth had begun to chatter, and she had to bite down to control the nervous reaction.

The judge gave Nate a tight nod and Nate turned around, coming back toward them, his smile cool and his face calm. Katie leaned forward, but before she could ask him anything the bailiff called them to order and they all stood.

They listened as the words were spoken that would start the proceedings. The men were called up one by one to hear their charges.

Katie’s heart sank with each charge.

Seven counts of murder each.

Plus, pending charges in an ongoing investigation that had not yet closed. She swallowed hard. Her eyes stayed on Morgan. Was he in terrible pain? Had he rested at all? Was he in any danger in prison?

The judge turned to the lawyers. “I need to see any and all evidence that points to these men being guilty of these crimes, Mr. Watson.”

The District Attorney puffed out his chest and pranced up to the bench to hand over a discouragingly thick file.

Nate cleared his throat. “Your Honor, I’ve not yet had access to those files you’re holding, and so the DA has withheld disclosure.”

“Noted,” Judge Watkins said, and then he flipped open the files. “Anyone want to explain what it is I’m holding here?”

Katie focused her attention on what was being said, at the same time watching Morgan while the explanations and arguments began to drag on.

Morgan stared at Katie. Her face was pale and drawn, and her hair, usually lustrous and full, looked limp and dry. She’d pulled it back in a simple braid and she wore no makeup, but she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

They had managed to get the file, but he had seen the look she had given the judge and the way she had spoken to Nate. He hadn’t missed the way the judge had looked both startled and frightened when Nate had whispered whatever it was he had to say to him either.

He was tired and in pain. The doctor hadn’t shown up that morning so he’d had nothing to relieve his misery, and Jon had not yet come into the infirmary before he had been shuffled out to come to court.

He shifted slightly on the bench, trying to hide his discomfort. He didn’t want Katie to worry about anything more than she already had on her plate.

Clive, sitting next to him, shot him a concerned look, but he just nodded at Clive and turned his attention back to the proceedings.

The DA had some evidence, text messages from them to the other crew. That they had forgotten to snatch phones was a stupid thing he couldn’t do anything about now. Those texts had come to Craig, who was currently sitting in the gallery beside Katie, a free man. That fact grated on him.

They had been careful to try to erase their presence in the house were the dead crew lay rotting, but they had missed a few things. There were some fingerprints on a wall, and there was DNA they had apparently left behind. It was already in a database, thanks to their criminal histories, so matching it had been a breeze.

He grit his teeth and shifted again. His shoulder ached furiously, and the deputy cuffed to him had to be a sadist or fidgety as hell, because he kept moving his body around. Every time he did, the cuff pulled and yanked, moving his free hand and forcing his cracked ribs to shift. It hurt like fucking hell.

He watched as Katie looked over to him again, a smile, strained and thin but there, playing along her lush mouth.

He loved her. Damn, how he loved her.

All his life he’d been afraid to really love a woman, to commit to one, and he’d managed to fall in love with a woman at the worst part of his life, in the worst of times, and with no guarantee that he would ever be able to see her again.

He wanted to hold her. He wanted to put a hand out and touch her. She was almost close enough to do that, almost close enough to simply reach out and touch, but he couldn’t even do that.

The utter unfairness of it hit him. He wasn’t alone in that situation. Penny had done what Clive ordered her to do, and bailed. She had a big part in the break-in, and her very life had been in danger, but the wives and girlfriends of the others were in the courtroom, too, and he knew every man on the bench with him wanted to touch their women.

His eyes went back to Craig. What the hell was he doing there? The woman sitting next to him was gorgeous, and he frowned. There was something about her that was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place her face. He tried to figure out who she was as the DA droned on about evidence that was mostly trumped-up.

Trumped-up or not, it was probably enough to land all of them in prison. He took a deep breath, trying to work out all the angles in his head. The words, ‘pending charges in an ongoing investigation’ ran through his head.

He had to figure it out, and fast. The judge shuffled papers and said, “I see. And what have you brought to us today, sir?”

Nate stood. “I have proof that there is another person who could have easily committed these murders, Your Honor. I have proof that the land on which the house where those men were killed is located was the site of quite a lot of contention.” He strode forward, now looking the lawyer, even in his crew gear. “You see, there was a development planned, a $20 million-development, and that was what it would have cost to build. The profit would have been two or three times that much according to the papers I hold here.”

He paused perfectly then as a slew of surprised noises came from those watching the proceedings.

Nate turned and looked at the judge. “That’s a lot of motive, Your Honor. We move to have this file entered into evidence.”

The DA stood, his face mottled. “I haven’t received that file, Your Honor.”

“Then I guess we’re both guilty of non-disclosure,” Nate said cheerfully as the bailiff took the file from his hands and brought it to Judge Hawkins.

Judge Hawkins took the file and opened it. His face went pale. Clive poked an elbow into Morgan’s side then whispered, “Sorry, dude; forgot you’re fucked up.”

“No worries,” Morgan wheezed as a bolt of pain shot through him.

The judge said, “Where did you get this file, Counselor?”

Nate didn’t miss a beat. “Miss Katie Wilkes, daughter of Blake Wilkes, worked in her father’s corporation and had access to all files as a result. She was accidentally given this file and she made copies, one of which you are currently holding, so feel free to lose it because there are plenty more. She took them from the building with her on the day she quit working there, due to her belief that her father had committed a terrible crime. Her conscience would not allow her to continue to work.”

Hawkins said dryly, “Save it for a jury if it comes to that. Bailiff, please pass this file down to the others.”

Morgan held his breath as the file was handed down to the other participants of the hearing. That they had stolen the file could keep it out of evidence, and he had to admire Nate for his quick thinking, but he was still concerned that maybe the judge would not allow them to say anything else about it, or that the other people in the hearing might have a stake in Wilkes’ empire.

Anything was possible.

The DA glanced through the files quickly. “Your Honor, we intend to prove here today that the evidence we’ve given is enough to proceed with a trial against these men. They’re criminals, all of them. They each have violent histories, and arrest records. Each and every one of them has been convicted of a crime that was violent in nature. Those men over there have been convicted and have served time for everything from arson to murder. They were dealing drugs to the men who were murdered in that house, and they were owed money. They were angry. They are criminals. Angry, violent criminals who were out to retrieve drugs and money—”

Nate cut him off, “Objection. There is absolutely no evidence of that.”

The DA said, “We have texts—”

“Yes,” Nate rolled his eyes. “From a disposable phone to another disposable phone. A phone anyone could have bought, and without any kind of identification required. We have no idea if the people texting the victims that night were the men who you’ve arrested.”

“Their DNA was in the house!”

“It was a notorious drug and party house,” Nate pointed out. “Correct me if I’m wrong. I mean, how many fingerprints and how much DNA not belonging to my clients did you find? And save your theatrics for a jury, because this is a hearing and nothing more.”

Judge Hawkins banged his gavel. “Gentlemen, and I use that term loosely, you will conduct yourselves in an orderly fashion, and if you can’t you will be escorted out. I’ll let you know if anyone needs to save their theatrics for a jury. We will take a few hours to deliberate as to whether or not there is enough evidence to proceed, and we’ll call you when we are ready to reconvene. That is all.”

Morgan was hauled to his feet.

Katie ran toward him and reached across the railing. “Morgan!”

The deputies barked, “Stay back from the prisoner, ma’am.”

Their fingers met, a small and fleeting touch, and then he was moved away, into the back of the courtroom, and he was gone.

THE END

Billionaire Misery

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