Page 121 of With Wine Comes War

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ROMAN

I was trying not to laugh but she wiped the smirk off Tanner’s face and that was cause for a chuckle.Alex, quit trying to be a smartass and just answer the question.Maggie and Abby were giggling but stopped when Matt and Jack turned around and told them to stop. The room grew noisy. I thought the judge was going to hit his gavel and get mad again when suddenly Alex went on a personal attack. She called him a pussy and a rapist and said that she could kick his ass. Maggie and Abby were both clinging to my arms with a death grip. Matt, Jack, the other attorney, the DA and the judge were all trying to get her to stop but she tuned all of them out. It wasn’t until the judge's third contempt warning of jailtime did Matt and Jack run up to the stand and stop her. It was like she was possessed. I didn't understand what that was about. Not that it wasn’t all true, but it wasn’t going to get her anywhere. There was more to this. The room grew even louder with people talking and the judge was hitting his gavel. Then he told everyone to leave the courtroom except the attorneys and their clients.

Out in the hall there was a look of complete and utter shock on everyone's faces.

Harrison walked up to me and said, “She’s a badass! She didn’t give a fuck what happened to her as long as she got her jabs in.”

I had to admit he was right, but I didn’t know what this was leading up to.

“It was pretty funny watching Tanner get exactly what was coming to him.” I concurred but something still felt very off about that display.

Maggie went into comradery mode. “She took her power back, that’s for sure.”

She did something all right.

Grant came over and patted me on the back and said, “She can take care of herself, can’t she?”

I took him to the side and asked, wondering if he knew what this was all about. “She’s provoking him, isn’t she?” It was the first thing that popped into my head. Grant nodded and I watched his jaw tick.

“It looks that way. I’m not sure what she’s trying to get him to do, but she can’t be doing this alone. There has to be someone in on this with her.”

“It’s not you, is it?”

I mean he has all the damn secrets.

He almost seemed offended. “I would never put Alex in harm's way, so no.”

That’s good to know. I probably shouldn’t be provoking the mafia hitman, myself.

“Do you think she’s in danger now?” He was worried enough about her to put a detail on Tanner, so I would assume he thinks she’s in more danger now.

“Yes. I think these people are dangerous and we need to protect her.” I finally agreed with Grant, and we returned to the rest of the group.

I asked my mom if she knew anything about this and she said no. I gave the once over to everyone in the crowd who was here to support Alex. She may have confided in someone.

I walked over to her brother. “Hey Edward, how’s your dad?” I doubt her family would’ve let her go along with this, but I wanted to feel him out anyway.

He snorted and said, “Alex did a real number on Tanner in there. Dad’s outside. Thank God he wasn’t in the courtroom for that bullshit, though.” Edward seemed almost proud of his sister to be honest. I'm not so sure I feel good about that or unnerved.

I nodded. I can’t imagine how her father felt listening to that. She must’ve been keeping her cool in there for his benefit. I know howclose she is to her father, and that couldn’t have been good for either one of them.

“I think she planned this. I don’t know what her plan is. She refuses tell me shit, but I think she was provoking him.”

Edward shook his head and rolled his eyes before saying, “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me. After her divorce Alex didn’t give a shit about anything. I had no idea how affected she was by that whole fiasco.”

I guess her brother didn’t know anything either.

There’s that divorce thing again too. I was lucky to have a mother that did her damndest to protect me from a divorce. I can’t imagine changing so dramatically after a breakup until my mother forewarned me,“A divorce isn’t the same as a breakup.”She was right about that.

***

ALEX

Okay, sorry. No. Not sorry at all.I stood as tall as my five-foot four-inch stature could and planted my hands firmly on my hips.

Matt yelled, “Alex, what the hell were you thinking?” I rolled my eyes and looked away before answering.

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