Love, Lies & The D.A. (51 page)

“Johnny,
I’m sorry about what happened earlier, but you realize we may be able to get
him on other charges if you let us talk to her.”

“I
understand that entirely. She’s traumatized enough. She will do it only when
she’s ready. I’m not going to force her. Right now, we have enough with just
this to get him life in prison.”

“That
might be true, but that will be incredibly hard if we can’t talk to the key
witness in the case.”

“Phillip,
you’re going to have to be patient. Trust me, I know that’s hard, but I won’t
push her. You think it’s been easy for me to watch her go through this and not
know what she went through?”

“I don’t
presume to know what any of you are going through. I want all the people
involved in this behind bars as quickly as possible… and I want it done before
they cause anymore hurt and pain.”

“Sure
Phillip. I have to get back upstairs. I’m sure you’ll be listening once that
call comes in.”

“You
bet. Thanks.”

When I
return
upstairs, Bobby sits with Jada in her room. She’s still
silent, but I leave them alone, giving them some time with each other. Bobby
may have pissed me off, but I am well aware of how close he and Jada are. Right
now, she can use all the support she can get.

I sit
with my laptop in Jada’s library. I don’t want to leave her alone. It’s a busy
time at the firm, but over the next few days, I need to be here for her and
keep the appearance that she is still in captivity to all involved.

The
last few months, and worse, the last few days are beyond anything I’ve ever
experienced. I pray that it will soon be over. When it is, I hope to whisk Jada
away to Chile for that well-deserved vacation.

My
ringing phone bellows through my thoughts. I glance at the screen but don’t
recognize the number. I think this is it.

“Jonathan
speaking.”

“
Ahhh
…
just the person I wanted to talk to. It’s been a rough few days, hasn’t it?”
says the man.

He
sounds like he might have some sort of accent, but he’s masking it.

“Just
tell me how much you want for her safe return.”

“Well,
there’s a balance due of nine million dollars.”

“Fine,
but I need to speak to her, then you tell me when and where, and I’ll get you
your fucking money.”

“Oh,
Johnny. Did I piss you off? Have the cash ready by noon tomorrow. I’ll call you
with instructions then.”

“How
do I know for sure she’s safe and alive?”

“Don’t
you worry. I’ll have her call you in a second.” With that, the call ends, and
within minutes, my phone rings again; it’s the so-called Jada. Just like that.
The sting operation has begun.

I’ve
read about these operations before. I’ve tried cases that involved them, and I
know that they can potentially go horribly wrong. Despite the fact that I know
Jada is safe, the last six months of drama has the potential to all end
tomorrow, and the danger involved makes me dreadfully nervous. I hope that
finally she, we, will be able to move on with our lives.

I need
to take my mind off all this. I send off a few emails to the office and head
downstairs to check on Jada. I run into Bobby in the kitchen as I walk by. He
looks my way.

“Hey,”
he says coolly.

I can
cut the tension with a knife.

“Hi,”
I reply. “It goes down at noon tomorrow. Will you please stay with Jada?”

“Of
course.”

“Great.
Do me a favor. I don’t want her knowing anything about this. She has enough to
stress and worry about. Can we please keep this between us?”

“Sure.”
He hesitates. “Look, Jonathan. I know we didn’t see eye-to-eye about Jada’s
situation, but I know you love her. Thank you for sticking with her through
this, and for trying to end it.”

“Yeah.
No problem,” I reply. “Did she seem better? Did she talk or say anything at
all?”

“Not
really, she just asked if I’d make her favorite meal.” He smiles.

“Well,
that’s a step in the right direction,” I chuckle. “Your shrimp pasta is comfort
food for her.”

It
looks like all is well once more between us.

When I
return to the room, I am surprised to see her sitting up in bed.

“Hey.
Do you feel better?” I ask.

“A
little,” she replies.

“Can I
get you anything?”

“No. I’m
fine. How did your speech go?”

“My
what?”

“Your
speech. On Saturday. How did it go?”

I am
amazed that this is what she wants to talk about.

“My
speech… it went… it went fine. In fact, it went great. A camera guy I knew
there told me he would send me a copy here, so you’ll be able to watch it for
yourself.”

She
smiles for the first time since her rescue.

“I was
really looking forward to you telling me all about it. Johnny, I’m so sorry
about what happened. I am so sorry about the dogs.”

I walk
to her side of the bed and sit beside her. She looks down.

“This
is not your fault. You are not responsible for this.”

“I
feel so ashamed,” she whispers.

I slip
my hand under her chin and tilt her head up. She closes her eyes, but the tears
come through.

“Sweetheart,
I need you to look at me. Please.”

For
the first time in days, she does.

“I
thought I was going to die,” she cries. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you
again.”

I
embrace her tightly.

“We
were scared too. But all that matters is that you’re here, and you’re safe, and
I’m not going to let anything like that happen to you ever again.”

I sit
on the bed, leaning on the headboard, and she cuddles next to me. I wrap my
arms around her, stroking my fingers through the tendrils of her hair.

“I
watched a man die yesterday,” she whispers. “Soon after I spoke to you. I
watched a man die right before my eyes.”

“I’m
so sorry you had to go through that. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”

“You’ve
always been there for me. After the call dropped, I tried to convince one of
the men to tell me who was behind this, and to let me go. The other one walked
in just as he was about to tell me. They got into a fight. I tried to get the
duct tape off my ankles so I could escape, but then I heard a gunshot. Before I
knew it, a man was lying dead not far from me.”

“I
know that was difficult.”

“His
brother wanted me to chop his body into small pieces and bag it so he could get
rid of the body.”

“What?”

“You
heard me.”

I am
flabbergasted. I can’t believe he’d ask her to do something so horrific.

“When
I wouldn’t do it…” She hesitates long and hard, like she’s remembering
something. “That’s when things got really bad.”

“What
did he do to you?”

“He
tortured me… threatened me… He … He told me he’d bury a broom stick inside me.
When that didn’t work, he emptied all but one bullet from his revolver and
played Russian roulette. The first time, he aimed it between my thighs; the
second time, he shoved it in my mouth. The FBI came in just as he was about to
pull the trigger.”

I am
enraged, though I try hard not to show it. I keep on wondering if she was
raped, but I’m afraid of what the answer might be. Out of nowhere, I get the
guts and blurt it out.

“Did
he rape you?”

“No…
but I’m sure he was thinking about it.”

I sigh
in relief.

“He
fondled me and told me if I didn’t do as he wanted, he’d want to take a look at
the red lingerie I wore.”

“Jada.
I’m so sorry. I wish you never had to go through that. I should have never left
you alone.”

“It’s
not your fault. You never could have known this would happen.”

“I
shouldn’t have taken the chance, especially because of the recent break-in.”

“We
both thought because Chris Hostin was behind bars, we were safe. I don’t blame
you for this, just like you don’t blame me for Micky and Maggie’s death.”

“I don’t.
The FBI was able to pull DNA from the kidnappers off the dogs. Their death was
not in vain. In case he tries to deny it, it places the bastard at the scene of
the crime.”

“Did
he tell the police who is behind this?”

“He
says he doesn’t know. He says he was called with directions to kidnap you. He
was paid half his money and then he would get directions in time telling him
what to do.”

“I don’t
know if I believe that.”

“Neither
do I.”

“They
said Richard stole from some very important people. What happens next?”

“I don’t
know. I have to see Phillip tomorrow,” I lie. “Do you think you’re ready to
talk to him?”

She
hesitates, her eyes well up with tears, but she tries hard not to let them
fall.

“I don’t
know. I’ve never been so humiliated in my life. I feel like I’ve been raped of
all my dignity. I wish I could feel normal again.”

“You
will. I promise you, you will. And you don’t have to talk to anyone about it,
not until you’re ready. I’m here if you need to talk, but you don’t ever have
to talk about this if you don’t want to.”

“Thank
you… for always being there.”

“I
promise you, I always will. Jada, I love you so much.”

“I
love you too.” She smiles, looking at me, then tightens her grip around me.

A
while later, Bobby and Val walk in with a dinner tray filled with all her
favorites. She doesn’t eat everything, but after some more time with her
family, I see snippets of the old Jada coming through. By the end of dinner,
Val has taken her off the drips. After a long bath and taking her medication,
she gets under the sheets and falls asleep to a night of rest.

I wake
by
4AM
the next day. Not that I’ve slept much. I’ve been thinking long and hard about the
day ahead. After a long shower, I go downstairs to see Phillip to plan and
organize any last minute details.

Hours
later, when I return, Bobby and Val are making breakfast together in the
kitchen. They offer me some, but food is the last thing on my mind. I’ll eat
when this is all over. I head to Jada’s office and call my mom to touch base.

After,
I think about my conversation with Phillip earlier today. He reminded me of the
danger of the situation once more and gave me one more chance to pull out. I can’t.
This needs to be over. Right now. Jada’s security and peace of mind are all I
really care about.

It’s
nearing the
time that I have to leave. Jada’s been
sleeping in, but I want to spend some time with her before I make my exit. I
make her a sandwich and bring it into her room. I think she’s asleep when I
walk in, but as the door shuts, she turns around.

“Hey.
How do you feel today?” I ask.

“A
little better. How do I look?”

“Beautiful,”
I reply, placing the tray on the bedside table and sitting on the bed beside
her.

“Yeah,
right,” she replies sarcastically, sitting up in bed.

“I
have to see Phillip then head into the office for a while. Bobby and Val are
going to stay with you. Are you going to be okay?”

“What
time will you be back?”

“I’m
not sure, but I promise I’ll get you whatever you want for dinner.”

“French?”

“Sure,
if that’s what you’d like.”

“I
think I’ll talk to Phillip today. Can you tell him to come over when you see
him?”

I’m
surprised.

“Are
you sure you’re ready?”

“I don’t
think I ever will be. But I need to try and get my life back to normal.”

“I get
that. I support you, but please make sure you take some time to recover.”

“I
will. I promise.”

I
glance at my watch and realize I need to leave. I look over at Jada. I suddenly
feel a little nervous. I am about to walk into a dangerous land of uncertainty.

“Are
you okay?” she asks.

“I’m
fine, Babe. I just need to get going,” I reply.

I’m
afraid to leave her.

“Can I
tell you something before you go?”

“Sure.”

“I
just wanted to thank you for being there for me, and I also wanted to tell you
that I really do love you,” she says, holding my hand.

An
extraordinary surge of power radiates through my body.

“I
love you too… so much, Jada,” I whisper.