Page 22 of Vermilion Desire

“Something like that,” Scarletta answers, detached.

She’s not nervous, the energy on her skin is buzzing, and I could feel it from where I’m sitting. I think she truly wanted to be questioned by the other side just for fun. We’re going to have a talk at home about her rash behavior.

She’s going to get ripped to shreds on the stand.

“What is your occupation?”

She cocks her head with a smile. “Researcher for rare diseases.”

“I see,” the man nods and aimlessly walk around. “What is your relationship with Mr. Braxton?”

“Objection!” the prosecutor shoots up from his seat. “Relevance?”

“I need to establish this fact to present my evidence, your honor.”

The other man in the highest place nods. “Tread carefully, Mr. York.”

The defense resumes to questioning her with the same question, and she answers it flawlessly without a shred of emotions other than excitement.

“I don’t know him.”

“You don’t,” the defense’s voice turns to condemn. “Then why did your phone record have his lawyer’s number, and why do we have this!”

The defense stalks to his table with a smug curl of his lips that makes me want to break his skull. He’s attacking Scarletta and I don’t care if this is his time to question her. I will take her off the stand if he makes her the slightest uncomfortable.

I don’t care if I’m going to be held in contempt and disrupting the trial.

The man holds up a bunch of pictures showing that she is in a deep conversation with Braxton, but the angle and distance prove that it’s taken from a distance. This has to be another trick to blindside the naïve jury into thinking Scarletta and him have something more than what is implied.

“You said you don’t know him, but you are clearly having coffee with him in this photo!” He slaps the picture in front of her before showing it to the jury.

“Mr. Braxton is one of the shareholders of the research facility that you work in. He said you threatened him to plead guilty for a crime he didn’t commit just so your boyfriend, Detective Wolf, could win this case.”

A synchronized gasp breaks the tense silence, and I grip the edge of my bench, but Cal’s hand shoots out to stop me from bashing the man’s face into the ground.

“If you say so,” she says with a shrug.

“If I—” the defense stutters in shock while the judge raises an eyebrow in conflict. “Are you denying it?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugs again. “Do you have proof?”

The defense nods, gracefully pulling out sheets of paper to show it to the judge. Then it’s shown to Scarletta who only have a brief glance at it while no one else in the room knows what it is.

“These are signed and sworn statements of witnesses who have seen you threaten him at the coffee shop.”

I peer over to Braxton, and the fire that just settled in my stomach begins to burn into my blood. If justice isn’t served on that bastard, I’ll take it into my own hands.

“Huh, interesting.” She raps her nails on the wood.

The defense attorney is undoubtedly stunned at the nonchalant behavior of someone who had been caught in a lie, but Scarletta doesn’t give any clues as to if that is true or not.

“Because of your relationship with Detective Wolf, this case has been compromised. I request a mistrial, your honor!”

There’s a roar of angry people behind me, verbally screaming at the unfairness of this. The judge slams his hammer down several times to get everyone settled down.

The two lawyers are at it again with the judge and with each other to see who can win this round. Scarletta pensively glances over to Braxton, and I follow her gaze because that sheer jeering in her eyes triggers the fury in his eyes.

He should be happy that his lawyer is fighting the chance for a mistrial, but she isn’t bothered by it. If she isn’t, then I’m not either. Her relaxed posture is too confident, too Scarletta to be taken without precaution.

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