Page 176 of In the Air Tonight

“No, no one did.”

“But you knew it was true, right?”

Sienna looks down. “Yes.”

“Did you tell anyone that?”

“No.”

“Not even your boyfriend?”

“No.”

“So you’ve never told the man you married what you saw his brother do?”

“I told him recently.”

“After Blaise Merrick reported what she saw, youstilldidn’t come forward?”

“You don’t understand!”

“You’re right. I don’t. Nothing further.”

I want to stand up and cheer for Josh’s takedown of Sienna. I hope she enjoys the rest of her life in her tiny town with everyone knowing what an asshole she is.

Sienna leaves the stand and goes straight to Blaise, slapping her across the face before anyone can anticipate her intention. “You fucking bitch!This is all your fault! Why couldn’t you have just keptyour fucking mouth shut?”

Cam grabs his wife from behind and hauls her away from Blaise.

Sherriff deputies surround them, cuffing Sienna as she screams like a hyena.

The judge bangs the gavel. “I want her charged with assault and contempt of this court. Get her out of my courtroom.”

I turn to Blaise. “Are you all right?”

“I, uh, I think so. What’s another bruise?”

I can tell she’s making light of it for everyone else’s sake, but her eyes are glassy with shock.

“I’ve heard everything I need to hear,” the judge says. “Mr. Elliott, you’re remanded to trial. You’ll remain on bail until your trial, which will begin on February twentieth.”

“Wait!” Ryder stands. “I want to plead guilty.”

His lawyer grabs his arm. “Ryder, sit down.”

He resists her efforts to get him to sit. “No!” He looks over at me, appearing anguished. “I’m so sorry, Denise. I don’t know what came over me. I did it, and I want to take my punishment so we can all have some peace.”

A roar from behind Ryder precedes a man flying through the air to tackle him.

The man goes crazy, punching Ryder as he screams at the top of his lungs. “How could you do this to my sister? She loved you with all her heart! She was fucking dying, and this is what you were doing?”

Oh, God. Louisa’s brother.

“You son of a bitch!”

By the time the deputies pull Louisa’s brother off of Ryder, he’s unconscious and bleeding.

“All these years, he’s been lying to us while pretending to care about my sister’s legacy?”

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