and were voicing their impressions when the wide doors opened again and the panel of jurors filed through. Jesus, they hadn’t been gone five minutes yet.
That was either very good or very bad. Everyone dispersed as the judge took the bench and Whitcomb motioned for me to stand.
“The jury has reached a determination. What say you?” The judge tipped his head and peered at the jurors over his wire-rimmed glasses.
“We the jury find the evidence to be insufficient at this time and recommend that the charges of felony aggravated assault against Sebastian McDaniels be dismissed.”
Adrenaline pounded through my veins as the courtroom exploded around me. It was a small but loud bunch, and my brothers whooped and hollered as they rushed forward to envelope me in a bear hug. I pushed them back, still afraid to believe it. What if the judge didn’t accept their recommendation? Was it really over?
“Mr. McDaniels, you’re free to go,” the judge said over the din. “Case dismissed.”
I slumped forward into Liv’s waiting arms and squeezed her tight. My heart was hammering so loud, it felt like it might pound right out of my chest. We’d won. That made for two wins in a row. We were on a fucking roll.
“I love you, Bash. I love you so much,” Liv whispered, peppering my face with kisses, setting the wicked hook of guilt even deeper into my gullet.
“I love you too, babe.”
It was true. I did love her.
But that hadn’t stopped me from breaking my promise to her. And when she found out, she was probably going to leave me forever.
Chapter Five
Olivia
“Councilman Jared Fenwick’s daughter?” Reid shook his shaggy dark head incredulously for the fifth time in as many hours. “What are the odds of that?”
Matty laughed and nodded, taking a sip from the mug of champagne I’d handed him. My mother had planned ahead, feeling pretty confident that her star witness was going to obliterate the prosecution once she got on the stand. It was no longer the word of Bash McDaniels and his girlfriend against deep-pocketed and respected businessman Andrew Abernathy and his son. It was the daughter of Boston’s own councilman who was also on the fast track to being mayor who was going to be called into question, and it was pretty clear right out of the gate that nobody in that courtroom wanted to start that beef.
Everyone, including the cops who’d testified, couldn’t wait to get out of there once they realized who they were dealing with. He’d be signing off on their overtime someday soon, and it was all a game of politics. Luckily this time, justice had prevailed.
Now I was back at the gym with Bash and his brothers after dinner with my mom, drinking the Moët she had sprung for out of clay mugs. Nothing had ever tasted so sweet.
“Actually, the odds are pretty good. A lot of fancy people go to Olivia’s school, so it doesn’t seem all that strange to me that one of them happened to be there and witness Andy acting like a dick-bag,” Matty said with a lopsided grin.
I eyed him, wondering if he was breaking my balls with the “fancy school” dig, but it didn’t seem like it. He just looked…happy. The way we all did.
The Spada fight was still on, Bash wasn’t going to prison, and this whole thing was behind us now for good. A shiver of apprehension ran through me and I brushed it off, taking another swallow of crisp bubbly. Probably I’d just gotten used to things taking a turn for the worse lately, and all this good luck was making me twitchy.
I pushed myself off the worn blue mat and peered around the room in search of my man, vowing not to look for trouble where there was none. Bash had been notably absent for almost half an hour, and the news was still too fresh for me to feel comfortable letting him out of my sight for that long. I loved hanging out with Matty and Reid, but all I really wanted was to latch on to Bash like a starfish on a clam and squeeze the shit out
That was either very good or very bad. Everyone dispersed as the judge took the bench and Whitcomb motioned for me to stand.
“The jury has reached a determination. What say you?” The judge tipped his head and peered at the jurors over his wire-rimmed glasses.
“We the jury find the evidence to be insufficient at this time and recommend that the charges of felony aggravated assault against Sebastian McDaniels be dismissed.”
Adrenaline pounded through my veins as the courtroom exploded around me. It was a small but loud bunch, and my brothers whooped and hollered as they rushed forward to envelope me in a bear hug. I pushed them back, still afraid to believe it. What if the judge didn’t accept their recommendation? Was it really over?
“Mr. McDaniels, you’re free to go,” the judge said over the din. “Case dismissed.”
I slumped forward into Liv’s waiting arms and squeezed her tight. My heart was hammering so loud, it felt like it might pound right out of my chest. We’d won. That made for two wins in a row. We were on a fucking roll.
“I love you, Bash. I love you so much,” Liv whispered, peppering my face with kisses, setting the wicked hook of guilt even deeper into my gullet.
“I love you too, babe.”
It was true. I did love her.
But that hadn’t stopped me from breaking my promise to her. And when she found out, she was probably going to leave me forever.
Chapter Five
Olivia
“Councilman Jared Fenwick’s daughter?” Reid shook his shaggy dark head incredulously for the fifth time in as many hours. “What are the odds of that?”
Matty laughed and nodded, taking a sip from the mug of champagne I’d handed him. My mother had planned ahead, feeling pretty confident that her star witness was going to obliterate the prosecution once she got on the stand. It was no longer the word of Bash McDaniels and his girlfriend against deep-pocketed and respected businessman Andrew Abernathy and his son. It was the daughter of Boston’s own councilman who was also on the fast track to being mayor who was going to be called into question, and it was pretty clear right out of the gate that nobody in that courtroom wanted to start that beef.
Everyone, including the cops who’d testified, couldn’t wait to get out of there once they realized who they were dealing with. He’d be signing off on their overtime someday soon, and it was all a game of politics. Luckily this time, justice had prevailed.
Now I was back at the gym with Bash and his brothers after dinner with my mom, drinking the Moët she had sprung for out of clay mugs. Nothing had ever tasted so sweet.
“Actually, the odds are pretty good. A lot of fancy people go to Olivia’s school, so it doesn’t seem all that strange to me that one of them happened to be there and witness Andy acting like a dick-bag,” Matty said with a lopsided grin.
I eyed him, wondering if he was breaking my balls with the “fancy school” dig, but it didn’t seem like it. He just looked…happy. The way we all did.
The Spada fight was still on, Bash wasn’t going to prison, and this whole thing was behind us now for good. A shiver of apprehension ran through me and I brushed it off, taking another swallow of crisp bubbly. Probably I’d just gotten used to things taking a turn for the worse lately, and all this good luck was making me twitchy.
I pushed myself off the worn blue mat and peered around the room in search of my man, vowing not to look for trouble where there was none. Bash had been notably absent for almost half an hour, and the news was still too fresh for me to feel comfortable letting him out of my sight for that long. I loved hanging out with Matty and Reid, but all I really wanted was to latch on to Bash like a starfish on a clam and squeeze the shit out
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