Mending Hope (Contemporary Western Romance) (License to Love Series:Book 2) by Amelia Rose Page A

Sanders, you are accused of assault and battery, kidnapping, burglary, breaking and entering, and tampering with official police records. How do you plead?”
    The man that was seated next to Sanders rose to answer.  Even though Alyssa had been told that this was the man’s step-brother, she could not believe that the two had come from the same home.  The brother was just as tall, but where Chuck was lanky, this man was more filled in.  His shoulders were relatively broad under his suit, and she speculated that he probably had to have them custom sewn, in order to get a good fit.
    His hair was a dirty blonde, and the contrast between that and his tanned skin was beautiful.  There was nothing of resemblance between the two of them except the name. 
    “My client pleads ‘not guilty’ by reason of mental disease or defect,” he said, and then turned to look down at his stepbrother.  When he did, Alyssa noticed that he grimaced when he spoke, and there was more than a hint of distain in his slate grey eyes.  Perhaps the family differences went even deeper than it seemed.
    “Bond?” The judge asked. 
    They were seated directly behind the prosecutor, so when she stood up to respond to the judge’s inquiry she motioned to them. “The defendant has been accused of heinous crimes against Shad Brandt and Clara Roberts.  We ask that he be remanded to the custody of the state until the trial.”
    The judge nodded and then turned to the defense.  “Any rebuttals, counselor?”
    “No, your honor, we’re fine with remand as long as he can be treated for his psychiatric condition whilst in custody.”
    “Your honor,” the prosecutor interrupted, and Alyssa swung her attention back to the lady in the blue business suit. “Mr. Sanders has caused a lot of disruption and problems in Clara Robert’s life with the use of nothing more than the Internet.  He is one of the best hackers that the FBI has record of.  I feel that he should be severely limited on his social interaction as well as his access to technology from the outside.  If he is released for psychiatric visits, then those need to be very closely monitored as well, to make sure that he has no access to any form of computer, including cell phones, e-readers, etc.  Nothing is safe in the hands of a hacker who is as skilled as he is.” 
    “We have no objection to that either,” the defense responded, “As long as he is able to get the mental health care he needs, we don’t object to it being spent in shackles in a place far away from any and all access to the Internet.”
    Alyssa looked at Chuck’s face while Sanders’ brother spoke.  The entire room was tuned into what the lawyer was saying, but she caught sight of his brother’s face when he agreed to keep him confined and away from the Internet, and she knew that he was not happy with the situation.  He’d been wearing a smile when he came into the courtroom, but now he was downright scowling at his brother’s agreement to the restrictions. 
    The lines of his face were so contorted for a moment that Alyssa found herself somewhat concerned for the safety of Sanders’ brother.  Then his face went slack again, and all traces of his aggression seemed to vanish.  Alyssa almost would have thought she was imagining it, if he didn’t lean back a little and catch her looking at him.  When she was trapped in his gaze, she knew that the rage she’d seen was real and that it was boiling over underneath his calm, placid exterior. 
    Woody took in a sharp breath next to her, and she looked up at him, realizing that he had caught this most recent encounter as well.  His jaw was firmly set, and she saw a small pulse on his neck.  She knew that he was holding back his anger, and so she leaned into him and whispered.
    “It’s okay,” she reassured him while lightly patting his forearm.  “He can’t do anything now.”  Woody nodded, but he did not unclench his jaw for the remainder of the time