Unbroken (The Disclosure Series Book 2) (26 page)

But she looked at him expectantly, and suddenly words that his niece had once used to explain her love for something came into mind. It was ridiculous, but he knew he needed to give Embry something to hold on to, a lifeline.

He nodded toward the legal pad sitting between them on the table and scribbled out,
I love you more than all the stars in the sky
.

He felt like a fucking idiot, using a three-year-old’s words to express to his girlfriend all that he was feeling, but somehow Embry seemed to understand exactly what he was trying to say. Her bottom lip quivered slightly, but then she took a deep breath, her sad face lifting in a small smile, her eyes shining with unshed tears. And though his heart was still breaking for her, he couldn’t wait to get Jack on the stand. He was going to fucking destroy him.

Over the next hour, Morgan and Brett testified, and Luke presented the photographic evidence of Embry’s injuries, angling his body to block her view so that she didn’t have to see another ugly thing that’d been done to her.

Morgan had done a surprisingly good job, avoiding all movie quotes and clichés, and corroborating Embry’s testimony.

She stepped off the stand, and shot a death glare at Jack before grinning widely at Luke. “Georgia Peach for the win,” she murmured as she walked back to the gallery.

He sat impatiently through Jack’s direct examination, his knee bouncing incessantly as he took notes and planned his attack.

“I tender the witness.” Mr. Hines sat down at the defense table.

Show time.

Luke stood, looming over the witness stand and staring Jack down. He held all the power and it felt fucking great. He started with a few perfunctory questions to get into the flow and set the pace. He owned the fucking courtroom as he moved freely in front of the witness stand, peppering Jack with questions about his relationship with Embry, the harassing phone calls and the physical threats he’d made.

Of course, the little prick just sat on the stand, sneering at Luke while he lied through his teeth, acting like he had some big secret. Little did he know, Luke was the one with the secret, and it was going to bring him right, the fuck, down.

Luke approached the witness stand with ease, a slight grin on his face. “Mr. Stowe, have you had any other run-ins with the law?”

Jack shook his head in a cocky manner. “Other than a speeding ticket here or there, no, never.”

Luke raised his eyebrows, a smirk rising on his lips. “Never been arrested?”

Garrett stood. “Objection, Your Honor. Asked and answered.”

“Sustained. Get to the point, Mr. Brody.”

Luke sent a mega-watt smile the judge’s way. “I’m sorry, Your Honor, of course.”

“Mr. Stowe, who is” —Luke made a show of looking down at his notes, intentionally throwing off the pace— “Lindsey Cavanaugh?”

He watched with satisfaction as all of the color drained from Jack’s face. His eyes went wide and his mouth flopped open and closed like a fish. Sneaking a glance at Garrett Hines, Luke saw him scrambling at his table, flipping through papers and searching for information that he’d never find.
Got him.

“Objection, Your Honor. This goes beyond the scope of the direct examination.”

Luke had them right where he wanted them.

“Where are you going with this, Mr. Brody?” the judge asked.

Luke walked back to his table and grabbed a small stack of papers near the edge. He dropped one in front of Hines and handed the other to the bailiff for the judge. “Your honor, this goes to the witness’s credibility. He just testified under oath to never having been in trouble with the law. This is the defendant’s arrest record for the sexual assault of Lindsey Cavanaugh in 2002.”

All hell broke loose as Luke leaned casually against the prosecution’s table, watching Jack’s attorney nearly have a seizure.

A few weeks prior, Luke had called up an investigator friend and asked him to look into Jack. He’d hit gold. Jack had been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault a week to the day after Embry had left him. The charges were inexplicably dropped when the victim was offered a generous amount of money from the Stowe Corporation, but they’d never done anything to expunge the arrest.

The judge listened to Mr. Hines’ arguments before ruling. “I’ll allow it.”

Luke proceeded to tear Jack to shreds, destroying his credibility as a witness and shattering his arrogant façade. When Luke was finished with him, the snide smile on Jack’s face was replaced with a deep frown as he sulked back to the defense table.

Luke took his seat and Embry immediately leaned in, gently touching his arm. “That was amazing. And really hot.”

He let out a low, throaty chuckle and winked at her.

“All right. It’s been a long day, and I don’t want to prolong this,” the judge said.

Luke grabbed Embry’s hand under the table and gave her an encouraging squeeze. He knew there was no way the judge could find any other way than in favor of the protective order, but his heart still beat erratically, adrenaline coursing through his veins as they waited for the verdict.

“Based upon the evidence that’s been presented today, I’m going to grant a final order of protection.”

Embry’s stomach dropped as the judge announced her decision. She was dazed, speechless, overwhelmed by all of the feelings and emotions surging through her.

Was this really happening?

She followed Luke from the courtroom and was met in the hallway with congratulatory hugs from Brett and Morgan. Her head spun, but she smiled and nodded, thanking them for testifying and being there for her. Luke did the same and then politely excused them for a quick moment.

His face remained straight, stoic, as he led her toward an adjoining hallway. But as they entered the empty corridor, his blank face morphed into a large, winning grin. He wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her tight and lifting her off the ground. “You did it, baby. I’m so fucking proud of you.”

And just like that, the dam broke. A strangled sob tore from her chest, and she fell apart in his arms as all of the hurt, all of the pain that she’d felt for so long, was finally leaving her.

She sobbed into his suit jacket as he ran his hand soothingly over her head, holding her close. “It’s over. You’re free.”

She shuddered against his chest. “I’m free,” she whispered. After years of running, she could finally move on.

Luke held her away from him and swiped his thumbs gently across her cheeks. “I’ve got you.”

She looked up into those cobalt eyes, momentarily losing herself in the love she saw there. “I know.”

She swiped at her eyes, removing any leftover tears and smiled weakly. “We should celebrate. Why don’t you go grab Morgan and Brett? I’m just going to run to the bathroom and fix my makeup.”

Luke nodded and headed back toward Brett and Morgan, while Embry found the bathroom. Her nervous system was shot. She’d pumped herself up to handle the confrontation with Jack, and now that the adrenaline was leaving her body, she was left feeling vulnerable, unsteady.

Luke had prepped her relentlessly, making sure she was prepared for anything. Her thoughts over the past week had been infested with Jack, but it had all been worth it knowing that she’d be free of him, and now she was. It was a huge relief, but the strain and pressure of the hearing—revisiting such ugly times, the constant worry of how it would all go—had taken its toll.

She steadied herself in front of the mirror as she held onto the sink and let out a long, shaky breath. Her eyes were bright with tears. Rolling them upward, she blinked rapidly to stem the flow. Then she pulled her makeup bag from her purse and set to work fixing the streaks and smudges that had formed on her face.

The bathroom door swung open and Embry looked up to find another blonde, hair wrapped in a trendy ballerina bun, her large, blue eyes staring into the mirror beside her.

Embry smiled politely, putting away her lipstick and mascara, and shoving her makeup bag back into her purse. Flicking on the faucet, she washed her hands.

“Excuse me, I’m sorry,” she said, offering an apologetic smile to the girl as she tried to squeeze past her to the paper towel dispenser.

“Oh, no problem,” the girl said, shifting so that Embry could dry her hands.

She had a sweet, southern accent, similar to Luke’s, which made Embry smile. “Thank you.”

“Welcome.”

Embry found her way back to Luke and her friends. Morgan wrapped her in a huge hug, both she and Brett offering more congratulations.

“Your man was amazing in there. I’m not gonna lie, he got me a little excited,” Morgan joked.

Embry chuckled. Luke wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling to her side, his lips landing softly on the side of her head. “You okay?” he whispered.

She looked up at him and nodded happily. “I am.” It had been a rough day, and she was completely emotionally drained. It hadn’t really hit her yet that it was all truly over.

Just then, she had the strangest sensation, the feeling of eyes on her back, someone watching her. The hairs on her arms stood on end as she turned to look over her shoulder. The blonde from the bathroom was standing at the mouth of the hallway, staring deliberately at her and Luke with a bewildered, almost contemptuous look on her face.

What the…

Before Embry could mention it to Luke, Morgan locked her arm with Embry’s and dragged her down the hallway, Luke and Brett following close behind. “You know it’s a shame,” Morgan observed. ”I really wanted to get a bit more intense on the witness stand. I think I could’ve gotten him put away for life.”

Luke and Brett broke into laughter behind them. “I’m pretty sure your poor excuse of a Jack Nicholson impersonation wouldn’t have done Embry any favors, babe” Brett teased.

“You want the truth!” She spun on her heel and flung a stiff finger at Brett, her voice low and deep, as she attempted to impersonate those famous lines from
A Few Good Men
.

Brett grabbed her and wrapped her in his arms, his hand coming down over her mouth. “No more truth, babe.”

Luke grabbed Embry’s hand in his. “Are you really all right?” he asked quietly as Brett and Morgan made a ruckus behind them.

She looked up into those bright blue eyes and felt like she was staring into her future. “I think I am.”

They walked out of the courthouse without looking back, and for the first time in five years, Embry was leaving her past behind.

“Time to celebrate!” Morgan shouted. “Drinks on southern sexy!”

The following week, Embry dragged herself to class in yoga pants and Uggs, wrapped in one of Luke’s old sweatshirts, her nose red and swollen. She’d gone to bed last night with a bit of a scratch in her throat and woken up on the edge of death.

She collapsed in her chair next to Jeremy, who had returned to his normal seat in all their classes. Although she still hadn’t agreed to speak to him, she had to admit he was trying.

“You look like hell,” he deadpanned.

She glared at him. “Thanks.”

“What’re you even doing here if you’re this sick?”

“Jeremy,” she warned. She didn’t have the energy to deal with him today. They hadn’t worked things out, had barely spoken since they’d been paired up in class last week, but apparently he wasn’t giving up.

“What?” he asked with a shrug.

She shook her head and unpacked her computer and textbook, along with the pharmacy of cough drops, Dayquil and tissues she had in her purse.

Jeremy grimaced at her mobile drugstore. “Just try not to breathe on me, okay?”

She rolled her eyes and deliberately coughed in his direction before turning her attention to their professor who’d just walked in.

Sitting through a two hour lecture on easements and adverse possession in property law had drained her completely. She just wanted her bed, but she had one more afternoon class to make it through.

“Are you staying for the rest of the day?” Jeremy asked as they left the classroom.

Embry nodded. “Trying to. I don’t want to miss any oral argument prep in legal writing.”

“What’re you going to do for the next hour?” He asked, quietly hopeful.