Fearless (16 page)

She dropped her head into her heads. “I am such an idiot. How could I have trusted a guy I just met to hop on a plane with me and spend the night in my house? What’s wrong with me?”

He sat down beside her and rubbed her back. “It’s not your fault.” He pounded his fist against his knee. “Damn it, I should have known that sonofabitch was up to no good.”

She rested her hand on his knee. “It wasn’t your fault, Josh.” She slapped her palm against her forehead. “That’s why he didn’t want me to testify. He told me it was because he was concerned about me, but it wasn’t that at all.”

“Apparently not.”

She took a few deep breaths, the imminent fear of a full-blown panic attack subsiding. “What am I going to do? How am I going to live my life this way, constantly looking over my shoulder, second guessing every person I meet?”

He put his arm around her and pulled her against him. “I’m not gonna lie. It won’t be easy. I’ve worked with people in witness protection and life is far from normal.”

She felt her stomach plummet. “Witness protection? Is that what you’re suggesting I might need if I testify against him?”

He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. “I don’t know, sweetheart. If you agree to come back to Nashville, we can beef up security at Trey’s place when we’re on the road or you could come home with me.”

She felt pinpricks of dread piercing her gut. She was going to be a prisoner no matter where she lived. She would be living under lock and key with armed bodyguards watching her every move.

If she did this, the freedom she prized would be gone forever. “I don’t think I can go through with this, Josh.”

A young woman approached them, looking apprehensive. “Excuse me, are you Lexi Brooks?”

Lexi nodded, noting the woman’s streaked mascara and swollen eyes. She had clearly been crying. She extended her hand. “My name is Carolyn Levine. My sister was married to Chris.”

Lexi felt her legs tremble as she stood to offer the other woman comfort in her arms. “I am so sorry for your loss, Carolyn.”

The other woman sobbed on her shoulder, her frail body shaking. “Thank you for doing this, Lexi. I wish my sister had been as brave as you are.”

Lexi felt her praise like a punch in the stomach. Here she was considering the possibility of running away and hiding while this poor woman’s sister lay six feet underground with nowhere to go. “I’m not as brave as you think I am, Carolyn.” She pulled back and smiled at the other woman. “But you have given me the strength to go into that courtroom today and speak on behalf of your sister and every other woman who has died at the hands of a monster like Chris.”

“My family and I will never be able to thank you enough,” she whispered.

“No thanks required,” Lexi said. “I’m doing this for myself as much as your sister. It’s time we unite against the bullies of this world, don’t you think?”

Carolyn smiled, her bottom lip trembling. “I think so.”

Lexi linked her arm through Carolyn’s and put one foot in front of the other. “Let’s go in there and let them know that they’re not going to get away with pushing us around anymore.” 

Josh was torn between admiration for the woman he loved and fury at the people who were making her life a living hell. He watched her on the stand; her hand trembled as she raised it to repeat the words he had recited dozens of times over the years. He had testified in cases just like this countless times, empathized with the families who were left behind, vowed to help them find justice for their lost child and some modicum of peace for themselves. He wanted the same thing for Carolyn and her family, but not at the risk of losing Lexi.

He had learned all he’d needed to know about Lexi’s houseguest. His friend informed him that Mark was, in fact, Chris’s cousin, and he had no doubt intended to persuade Lexi to change her mind about testifying by way of intimidation.

He said a silent prayer of thanks that he arrived at her house when he did. An hour later and he may have been too late. There were few things in life that terrified him. But the thought of losing Lexi topped the list.

He glanced across the courtroom to where Mark had claimed a seat next to his father. He wore a smug smile, clearly taking pleasure in the fact that he had flown under Josh’s radar. He cursed himself for not checking him out sooner. It was a rookie mistake that a seasoned veteran like him couldn’t excuse. In fact, he would have taken the necessary precautions had Lexi trusted him enough to tell him the whole truth. By the time he found out, his only thought was of seeing her, holding her, protecting her.

Josh turned his attention to the prosecutor.

“Miss. Brooks, you were once engaged to the defendant, is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you end the engagement or did he?”

Lexi cleared her throat. “I did.”

“Can you tell the court why you ended your engagement, Miss Brooks?”

She took a sip of water. “Chris was abusive toward me, both physically and emotionally.”

“I know this must be difficult for you, but describe, if you would, the abuse you suffered at the hands of Mr. Coletti.”

She locked eyes with her former fiancé. “At first, he would call me names if he saw me talking to another man. He would call me a cheating whore or a lying bitch. Over time, his rage escalated to physical violence. At first, he just grabbed me and shook me...” She cleared her throat when her voice cracked.

“Do you need a moment, Miss Brooks?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She drew an audible breath. “He beat me several times...”

The prosecutor held up several large, glossy photographs. “I’d like to introduce into evidence photographs of the injuries Miss Brooks sustained as a result of these attacks, your Honor.”

The lawyer projected the photos onto a screen for the jury to view. There was a collective gasp in the courtroom.

Josh clenched his fist in his hand when he saw the evidence of what that brute had done to her. Her face was marred with hideous black and purple bruises; her lip was split and her left eye was so swollen it was partially closed.

It took everything in Josh not to jump over the barricade between them and inflict on him some of the damage he had subjected Lexi to all those years ago.

“Miss Brooks, what made you finally decide to leave Mr. Coletti?”

She glanced at Josh. “He tried to kill me.”

Josh dropped his head. Lexi had only told him part of the story that night at his cabin. She hadn’t told him the extent of the abuse or the reason she’d finally decided to end the relationship.

He needed to leave the room or risk facing criminal charges himself, but he didn’t want Lexi to think he was leaving because of something she had said or done, so he forced himself to remain rooted to his seat and listen to the most horrific story he had ever heard. Horrific not because of the details, he had heard worse before, but because the strong, brave woman he had fallen in love with had been subjected to such brutality at the hands of an animal she had trusted to love and protect her.  

“Describe for the court, if you would, the events up to and including Mr. Coletti’s attack that evening.”

She bit her bottom lip, obviously trying to compose herself. “He came home drunk and tried to initiate sex. When I told him I was tired, he became angry and began to accuse me of sleeping with other men. I denied it, but he wouldn’t listen. He forced me to have sex with him, and when he had me pinned down on the bed, he started choking me.” She clenched the door of the enclosed space until her knuckles turned white. “I almost passed out, but I was able to summon enough strength to raise my knee and it connected with...” She looked at the jurors. “A very sensitive area of his anatomy.”

Josh watched one of the female jurors smile and shake her head.

“Did you press charges against Mr. Coletti at the time?”

“I did, but the charges were dropped.”

The lawyer walked over to the defence table. “Did you ever find out why the charges were dropped?”

“They said there wasn’t enough evidence to support a charge of attempted murder. They claimed that they couldn’t disprove his claim that I was into rough sex and had wanted him to choke me as part of some depraved sexual game we played.” She glared at her ex-fiancé. “Toward the end of our relationship, I couldn’t even stand the thought of him putting his hands on me. I certainly wouldn’t have willingly engaged in kinky sex with the man.”  

Josh thought back to that night in her hotel room. He had warned her that he was domineering in the bedroom, had pinned her to the bed, and started talking about what he would do if she even thought about taking another lover. No wonder she had a panic attack, given what she’d been through. He hated that he hadn’t known then what he was learning now. It would have changed everything. She had invited him into her bed because she trusted him, and he had betrayed that trust by reminding her of the worst time in her life. He felt like a beast for forcing her to draw comparisons between him and a man capable of committing murder.

“Did you know Mr. Coletti’s late wife, Miss Brooks?”

“No, I didn’t even know he was married until I got the call about this case.”

“Were you hesitant to take the stand today, Miss Brooks?”

She looked down, then across the courtroom at the family and friends who had gathered behind Chris to lend their support. “Yes, I was.”

“Can you tell the court why you were reluctant to take the stand?”

She turned to face the judge. “They threatened my life, your Honor. I can substantiate these claims. I recorded several phone conversations...”

The defense attorney jumped up. “Objection, your Honor. Relevance?”

“Sustained.” The judge looked at the prosecutor. “Move on, Mr. Bailey.”

The lawyer returned to his seat. “I have no further questions for this witness, your Honor.”

The judge lowered his glasses and peered at the defence attorney. “Your witness, councillor.”

He stood. “We have no questions of the witness at this time, your Honor. But we do reserve the right to recall her as a witness.”

“Very well.” The judge looked down at Lexi. “You may step down, Miss Brooks. Thank you for your testimony. The court will take a fifteen minute recess.”

Chapter Thirteen

Lexi wanted to run as far and as fast as she could. She didn’t care where she ended up as long as she never had to set foot inside that courtroom again. It had taken everything in her to maintain her composure on the stand. She fought against her impulse to take her high heeled shoes off and hurl them at Chris’s head as he sat behind the defense table glaring at her as though she had somehow betrayed him when she decided to expose him for the animal he was. The only thing that got her through it was Josh, knowing he was there to support her no matter what they threw at her.

She heard footsteps behind her and assumed it was Josh struggling to catch up. Even in three-inch heels, she was able to maintain her runner’s pace. She didn’t bother to slow down, knowing he would eventually fall in step beside her.

“Lexi, wait, please.”

She stopped dead in her tracks. Mark. Instead of feeling fear or apprehension, she felt contempt and disgust. She was looking forward to confronting the man who had deceived her. She stalked toward him. “You,” she shouted, pointing her finger at him, “are a worthless piece of shit.”

He stopped, stooped over, struggling to catch his breath.

She saw it as a perfect opportunity to practice some of the kickboxing moves she had perfected in class, but thought better of it when she noticed the uniformed officers hovering around the doors of the courthouse. “Whatever you have to say, spit it out. I don’t have time to waste on the likes of you.”

He stood up, still panting. “I’m sorry.”

She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her shoe against the pavement. “Am I supposed to believe that? You good for nothing...”

He held his hands up. “You’re right; what I did was unforgiveable. But you have to understand, I only heard one side of the story.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. She was never going to accept anything he said at face value. “You’re telling me you no longer support your cousin?”

“How can I after seeing what he did to you?”

“You had no idea he beat me?”

He took a step closer. “I didn’t. I swear to you, had I known he was capable of that kind of violence, I never would’ve agreed to help him.”

She sized him up, trying to decide whether he was being sincere. She hated that she couldn’t even trust her own instincts anymore. “Was the plan to kill me?”

His face drained of color. “God no, I could never do that. They just wanted me to talk you out of testifying.”

Her mouth twitched. “I can’t imagine they were too happy when I wouldn’t back down.”

He smiled. “Hell no, my uncle Peter was livid. It serves ‘em right.”

“Let me set the record straight, Mark. If that’s your name?”

He tipped his head back and looked skyward. “I know I had that coming. That is my real name. Everything I told you about myself is true, Lex. I’m just a fireman who loves his job, his nieces and nephews...” He hesitated, taking another step closer. “And you.”

She wanted to back up when he invaded her personal space, but she forced herself to hold her ground. “Shut the hell up. I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth anymore.” 

“I don’t blame you,” he whispered. He raised his right hand. “But I’d be willing to swear on a stack of Bibles that it’s true.”

She looked over his shoulder at the policemen who were watching their exchange with interest. No doubt they were Josh’s friends, given strict orders to stay close to her. “I don’t care how you feel. Whether you love or hate me, it’s of no consequence to me.”

He ran his hands through his hair. “I didn’t expect to feel this way about you, Lexi. They painted you as this opportunist who was making up lies about Chris because you wanted a payout. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that wasn’t the case. I could tell right away that you were a straight shooter. I admired that about you.”