Page 106 of Protecting Christina

Will gnashed his teeth and skewered the attorney with his eyes. This usually didn’t bode well with juries when the witness was hostile, but the jury seemed to dislike Mr. Freeman enough to not care that Will wanted to murder him.

“So, as you were trespassing in my client’s home, you confronted him, and he was trying to get away from you?”

“That’s not what happened. He knocked the lantern on purpose. He was trying to kill those women.”

He narrowed his eyes mockingly. “Are you saying you knew what my client was thinking?”

“No. He had poured oil on the floor before the police’s arrival. He planned to destroy all evidence of his crimes, including those women.”

“That is such a wild tale, Mr. Nash. And completely untrue.”

“No. It is true. I saw it with my own eyes. The floor lit up as it would if oil had been poured on it.”

“You are not a qualified expert to testify on wood floor fires, are you?”

“I don’t think there are any experts in that field, but I know what I saw.”

Despite the attorney’s slick smile, the jury frowned. One had covered her mouth, and another took notes.

“What is that you do, Mr. Nash?”

“I’m a bodyguard.”

“Oh, and that makes you qualified to make this statement?”

“No. But my ten years in the military with special training in combat, hostile situations, and terrorists, does.”

The attorney’s eyes went wide. “Your honor, that was not in his police report.”

“They never asked. You did.”

The judge fought back a smile and cleared his throat. “Do you have any more questions for this witness, Mr. Freeman?”

The attorney walked back to his desk and ruffled through some papers. He hadn’t lost his cool this entire time, but now he was wiping sweat from his brow. “Mr. Freeman, is that all?”

“Just one more minute,” he called out.

As he rifled through his papers, he grew angrier and angrier until Simon whispered harshly, “Come on, man. Do something.”

“Mr. Freeman, if there’s nothing else, I am going to release this witness.”

When the attorney nodded, my heart jumped out of my chest.

“Mr. Nash, you are free to go.”

Will stepped out of the box and adjusted his tie. Everyone on the jury stared at him. Some with pure admiration and others with obvious lust. I narrowed my eyes at those witnesses.

“Hey, you look upset,” he said when he sat down beside me. “Did the testimony not go well?”

I looked at him and smiled. “You were amazing. It was perfect.”

“Your honor,” the prosecutor began. “In light of Mr. Nash’s testimony, I would like to add another charge to the list: gross negligence.”

“What?!”

The attorney hadn’t even objected, too dumbfounded by the request. I raised my eyebrows and saluted him. “Nice job,” I whispered.

“What does this mean?” Will asked.

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