Page 67 of The Councilor

I was sick to my stomach.

When the bailiff suddenly appeared, everyone stood up without being told. I don’t know why I was thinking this way but until today, I’d never set foot inside a courtroom. My father had been arrested once, even facing a grand jury. However, he’d shielded his family completely, forbidding us to even watch television during the time period.

He’d been exonerated of course. Now that I was older, I knew that meant the grand jury had either been threatened or paid off. I’d been pretty naïve at that point, assuming my father had been innocent.

I was numb inside as the jury entered the room, the defendant appearing way too confident even for my tastes. As the judge finally made his way to the bench, I was fairly certain I was going to pass out.

Aleksander seemed to know and helped guide me to the chair by placing his hand on the small of my back. I knew I was holding my breath, which made me extremely lightheaded, but it was better than screaming.

The words echoed when the judge asked the right questions, the head juror rising to his feet.

However, as soon as the first verdict was read, there was no way to hear anything at all, the screaming was so loud.

I heard enough.

Not guilty.

On all charges.

Aleksander had won after all.

I glanced over my shoulder, noticing at least ten people were on their phones. They weren’t even supposed to have them turned on. That spelled trouble. I could just see the headlines now.

There was no way I could have moved yet. I sat quietly as Aleksander shook the hand of his client. But when I looked up, the man was leering at me. Dear God, I needed a shower.

With a few administrative things necessary, by the time Aleksander closed his briefcase and was ready to go, the courtroom had been emptied.

I was wringing my hands still while he appeared to be all smiles. At least I sensed there was a tenseness about him I hadn’t anticipated. I thought the scene earlier that morning had unnerved him as well.

The congressman would have his own private lynch mob outside waiting for him. Even though he had eight family members supporting him, the man should be worried.

Aleksander purposely waited until everyone had left, taking a deep breath as soon as they had. He turned to face me, offering a more professional smile. “You did great today. You made a perfect assistant and I hope you don’t take offense to that.”

“I don’t. I just feel a little… slimy.”

I could tell he was thinking about something to say. “We’re going home. We’re going to open a bottle of wine and relax. I’ll order some food in so we can enjoy ourselves without worry. Deal?”

Nodding was about all I could do. My heart was still racing and I knew part of it was because of the dread I felt in the pit of my stomach. “I’m surprised you didn’t have one of your soldiers drive us.”

He laughed and grabbed his briefcase. “I’ve been accused more than once of being in the Bratva. While true of course, I’ve always tried to separate the two businesses.”

“Understandable.” I finally stood on shaky legs. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for this. He led me from the courtroom, his hand firmly placed on my back. Thank God it was because he was forced to push me down the back hallway. When we reached the exit door, the security guard gave us both a look.

“The police have been contacted,” the man said. “It’s unruly out there. I wish I could do more.”

Aleksander sighed and pulled out his key fob. “Not sure what you can do, Bob. There were supposed to be additional guards.”

Bob glanced over one shoulder then the other. “Someone called them off. Last minute.”

“Who?”

The man threw up his hands. “I don’t know but there were a lot of happy people because of it.”

Aleksander didn’t just bristle; I could read his mind enough to know he was furious. Even the way his hand was clenched around the fob was a clear indicator he would ensure heads would roll.

“I appreciate the info, Bob. Tell Nancy hello for me.”

Bob smiled. “I will. By the way, it’s raining. Be careful.”

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