Page 50 of Captivated with Them

Chapter Twenty-one

Rue

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THE DAY OF THE TRIALhad arrived.

I’d barely slept, lying awake all night, tossing and turning, worrying about what would happen today.

After this was over, I was being handed over to Davide Fleming, and I’d be flown out of here, to a country I’d never even heard of. I’d never see Kodee, Ryan, or Dillon ever again.

My fucking heart was breaking.

A part of me wanted to tell Frankie Capello to go fuck himself and refuse to testify. He no longer had one of the things he was using to control me. Dillon had somehow escaped—though Frankie still hadn’t told me himself. I assumed he preferred to keep me thinking he still had Dillon as a prisoner to use as a stick to beat me with if I refused to behave. But the truth was he didn’t only need Dillon. He knew where both Kodee and Ryan were, and so long as they were both exposed, I had no choice but to do exactly what Frankie wanted.

Where was Dillon now? My heart ached for him, hoping he’d managed to get somewhere safe. I knew Dillon well enough by now, though, and even though he acted like a bit of a renegade at times, I didn’t think he would abandon the others, but I did worry he’d put himself in danger.

My time was almost up.

I showered and dressed in the same skirt-suit I’d gone to speak with the lawyer in and tied my hair back into a knot at my nape. I tried to put on a little mascara, but my hand was shaking so badly, I almost stabbed myself in the eye, and quickly gave up. Why did I care what I looked like?

A knock came at my door, and it opened. Frankie stood in the doorway.

“It’s time.”

I scowled at Frankie. Hate filled my heart. If I’d had a way to kill him, there and then, I would have done it.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

“Don’t screw up, Rue. You’ve got a lot riding on you.”

“I want to see Joe Nettie sent down as well. Prison is the best place for men like you.”

“Behave yourself, Rue. You know who will suffer if you don’t.”

Who? The man who has already escaped?

I wanted to say it, the words dancing on my tongue, but I didn’t want to risk getting any of the other girls in trouble for gossiping. Their fates were as bad as mine, and I wasn’t going to bring any further punishment down on them just because I wanted to get a snipe in to make myself feel better.

Mentally, I gave Dillon a high-five. Good for him. I was glad at least one of us had gotten one over on the Capellos.

It was an early start, but I’d already been warned there might be a lot of waiting around today. Joe Nettie’s case was fairly high-profile, but there were multiple cases being tried within the building, and often there were delays. It wasn’t going to be easy, though, my nerves increasing with every passing minute.

Maybe, once this was over, when I was living my new life, owned by a man I barely knew, Dillon would be somewhere else entirely, living his new life, and Ryan and Kodee would have figured out a way to work amiably for the Capellos. Dillon would survive—lose himself in booze and women, and probably some men as well—and at least Kodee and Ryan would have each other.

As we walked through the house, I felt like a prisoner taking their final walk to the electric chair. It took everything I had not to break down, and I held my tears back behind a rigid expression.

Still, I found my thoughts going to the other two girls I’d been held here with. Had they already been taken away? I had the trial keeping me here—though not for much longer—but they hadn’t had that. They could already be on a plane, lost to this country, and any loved ones who had no idea where they were, forever.

We left the property. Two vehicles were waiting for us. One would transport us to the courthouse, and the other would be acting as protection, should we run into any trouble. The events of the last couple of weeks had depleted Joe Nettie’s number of men significantly, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t still have people out there who wanted to prevent me from testifying.

We did the drive in silence, my sense of trepidation growing with every mile we covered. I was a nervous wreck, my breathing too fast, my hands clenched together to stop them shaking. Despite it not being a particularly cold day, I was chilled to the bone. I felt as though I was seeing everything at a distance, like I wasn’t really a part of my body.

The traffic made things slow going, but we eventually arrived. Otis opened the passenger door for me, and I forced my legs to comply and climbed out of the car.

The courthouse felt even taller and more imposing than it had previously. A stream of people flooded in and out of the doors.

I swallowed hard, trying to keep a hold on the panic fluttering inside me. I was hugely conscious of the men around me. They’d do their best not to appear threatening inside the court, but that didn’t change that I knew exactly what their presence meant—behave. Do what was needed. Don’t fuck up.

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