Chapter Sixty-Six
Sam went out to the living room to find Justin and Angel waiting for her.
Angel looked over her outfit with approval. Justin came up and fitted her into a Kevlar vest.
Things were getting too real.
It took them two hours to get through all the security and into the courtroom. The precautions would have seemed like overkill if she hadn’t been chased down and shot at more than once.
At last they arrived outside the courtroom doors, ready to go in.
“Did Garrett already testify?” she asked Angel.
“I think so,” Angel answered as the bailiff opened the door for them.
“Oh.” Sam’s disappointment must have shown.
“For what it’s worth,” Angel said, “this job makes relationships difficult. It’s not you, it’s him.” Angel gave her a sad smile and rubbed her shoulder.
Sam appreciated the sisterly gesture. But it didn’t help. She knew it wasn’t him. It was her. To be with her, Garrett would have to give up his whole life to go into witness protection with her. She just wasn’t worth that kind of sacrifice.
In the courtroom, she sat next to Angel. Justin was on her other side, and her father sat right behind her. She searched the room for Garrett, but didn’t find him.
Instead, she saw a different face, horrifyingly familiar.
Congressman Ashton Howe.
Her heart pounded as he glared straight at her. If looks could kill, she’d be dead. Thankfully, he didn’t have lasers in his eyes.
The district attorney called her up to the stand. She sat down and placed her hand on the Bible, repeating the words she was instructed to say.
Yes, she would tell the truth. That was why she had given up her entire life. And the man she loved. All for the truth.
Hugh asked her all the questions he’d prepared her to answer. She went over every detail of that dreadful night for what she hoped would be the last time.
Eventually, he was satisfied with her testimony, and she was dismissed for the day.
“You did great,” Angel praised her as she buckled up her vest and got her ready to be transported back to the Bird Cage.
“Thanks.”
“I have a surprise for you back at the apartment.”
“Really?” She perked up, hoping it was Garrett.
When she saw her father sitting in the living room, she tried not to look disappointed, even though her heart dropped down to her feet.
“Hello, Sam.” He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. Very fatherly.
The table was set and the place smelled like food.
“Unfortunately, we can’t go out for dinner. But I took the liberty of having dinner delivered, so we can have a nice, relaxing meal tonight.” He smiled as he put his gun on the table. Then froze, as if he realized it was bad etiquette.
But she was already putting hers beside her plate. She stopped to look at him. They both laughed.
She sat down. “It smells great.”
He picked up the wine and filled her glass. She took a sip.
“You did great today,” he said. “Very concise, but likeable. The jury ate it up.”
She smiled at his praise, and hoped he was right. “Thanks.”
“Are you ready for tomorrow?”
Tomorrow would be the defense’s turn to cross-examine her, to try to throw her off track. Hugh had made it sound like pure torture, and she was dreading the ordeal.
“I think so. The DA has gone over their possible questions with me again and again. I know they’ll be mean and try to make me sound like a liar. But I’m not lying, so they can try all they want.” She took another sip of wine. “I just want it to be over so I can move on.” She sighed. “Not that anyone has told me where I’ll be moving on to.”
Her father pursed his lips. “I’ll see if I can find out.”
“Thanks. It finally pays off to have a Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal for a father.”
“Finally,” he said with a laugh.
“Can I ask you something personal?”
“Of course.” He looked a little nervous.
“Did you love my mother?”
He smiled and relaxed. “Yes. At one time, I loved her very much. I hated that I had to lie to her every night when I came home. It was no way to have a marriage. I wanted her to be happy.”
“You gave her up because of your job.”
“Yes. And have regretted it every day since,” he said sadly.
It was the second time he’d said it, and she truly believed him.
They were silent for a few seconds before he changed the subject to something just as difficult. “Have you heard from Garrett lately?” He must have guessed the real reason for her question.
“He called this morning. He wanted to wish me luck and apologize.”
Her father straightened in his chair. “Apologize for what?”
“He feels bad about what happened. Not that he should. He was very honest and told me up front we wouldn’t have a future. I guess I still had some stupid hopes, though… Silly dreams.”
Her father cleared his throat. “I’m new at this fatherly advice stuff, and not sure how to be diplomatic in this situation. I admire McKendrick. He is one of my best men. But I’d still like to shoot him for causing you pain. You shouldn’t have to make do with hopes and dreams. You deserve to be loved unconditionally, someone’s top priority. Don’t settle for anything less.”
“Thanks.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. It was weird having a parent all of the sudden. “Please don’t shoot him. He’s a good guy at heart.”
“Yes, well, he asked me to give you this.” Her father held out an envelope. “I really wanted to open it to make sure it wouldn’t upset you, but I didn’t. I’m trying to be respectful of your privacy.”
Warily, she took the envelope and turned it over in her hands. There was no name written on it. Just a blank business-size envelope.
She ran her thumb under the flap and ripped it open. Inside, was a necklace with an aquamarine charm and a note that simply said, I always keep my promises.
She couldn’t help herself. Tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks.
“What is it?” her father demanded when he saw her tears.
“Nothing bad. Just replacing something I’d lost.” She fastened the necklace around her neck, and swiped at the moisture on her cheeks.
Her father frowned when he saw the wedding band she still wore on her finger. “What’s with the ring?”
She shrugged, not wanting to tell him the truth. “Just part of my outfit.”
He looked dubious, but let it go. When dinner was finished, he gave her a hug and a kiss, and turned her over to Angel and Justin, who’d been hiding out in the hall.
“Get some rest,” he ordered her.
She smiled. “You’re starting to sound like a dad.”
“I’ll try to move my schedule around so I can stop by again tomorrow. Maybe we can have another dinner together. Would you like that?”
“That would be nice.”
“I’ll let you know. Don’t count on me until you hear back, though.”
She understood loud and clear, she was only a small piece of his life, not a top priority. Still, it was better than nothing.
Before she crawled into bed, she went to the window and looked out at the lights. Was Garrett out there somewhere, still watching her?