Page 62 of Prey for You

I nodded frantically. “Sam hadalwaystried to persuade me not to see the other men anymore. He’d given me every argument for getting out of this arrangement, even asked me not to see or interact with anyone else before talking to him first. Sam wanted an exclusive relationship with me. When they were the same person I was floored. I thought he’d been lying to me the whole time. ButSamtold me that he had changed his life and now used his skills and experience to find women like me and convince themnotto die. He had been trying all along to make me see that my life was worth living. It was why part of his rules were to disappear if the woman wanted to live, or used the safeword. He only came when I told him to that night to reveal himself and ask me to change my mind.”

“And did you change your mind? Did you agree not to proceed with the request for your own death?”

“Special Agent Haines and his team appeared at that time, but if I had known then what I know now, I would never have called Jeremy in. I neverintendedfor Sam to be a target for them. I always knew he was different than the men I’d informed against. I didn’t want him in jail.”

“No further questions, your Honor.”

Fucking Derek rose to his feet again. “Your Honor, permission to redirect?”

“Granted.”

He strode out from behind the table to stand halfway between me and the jury. “If you didn’t want Mr. Priestley in jail, why did you call in Special Agent Haines?”

“Because… because I only wanted to stay alive if Cain was also alive. And I thought… I was afraid he’d disappear if I gave him the safe word and I’d never see him again. So, I thought I’d get him caught instead.”

“You had him arrested so you could see him in prison?”

“Yes. I mean, no… Notjustfor that reason… I wanted to see if… if there was some way we could… get past it. Together.”

Derek blinked. We’d never talked about this part of the events of that night. “Mrs. Priestley… Are you saying you used the resources, cover, protection and assistance of our nation… so you coulddate a man while he was incarcerated?”

Oh god.I kind of did. But… “That’s not… I wasn’t thinking clearly. I panicked. I just—”

“Did you, or did you not believe that a man called Cain was coming for you to murder you that night?”

“I… I did.”

“And—please answer this yes or no, Mrs. Priestley. Did you, or did you not call Special Agent Jeremy Haines to come andsave you from him?”

Tears pinched my eyes and blurred my vision. “I did. But—”

“That is all, Mrs. Priestley. No further questions. However, your Honor, the revelation of this relationship changes our strategy. I had thought we might be able to move forward, but it’s clear our witness had left a great deal out of her testimony thus far. Your Honor, I move for a continuance to allow sufficient time to file and address necessary motions pertinent to this case.”

The judge sighed, but she nodded. “Unfortunately, that seems wise. The motion for continuance is granted. Please file all motions before Monday. We will reconvene to hear thosemotions on Tuesday. This case will be rescheduled to Thursday. But do not force me to delay further, either of you.”

When both the lawyers nodded, she slammed her gavel down one more time, the sound cracked through the room and startled me. “Mrs. Priestley, you may return to your seat.”

Then she turned to the jury. “We will endeavor to make certain all the legal definitions of the terms used today are explained. But if you have further questions when you deliberate, you can return to the Court and I will answer them. Mrs. Priestley can and will be required to testify against the accused. Her actions were not entrapment in a legal sense because she has already established that the accused acted alone and without her direction.

“That is our session for today. This case will reconvene one week from today. Court is adjourned.”

That gunshot of a gavel landed one more time, then the room rumbled and rushed with movement and whispers, people leaning into their neighbors and getting up from their seats.

Everyone got to their feet, but I didn’t want to move. For those moments I could just sit there and watch Sam. His lawyers leaned over him, speaking as they all gathered up papers and filled briefcases. But then they bracketed him and all three of them walked to the center aisle and through the gallery towards the doors.

Sam sought me the moment they were turned around, his eyes locked on mine until he was too far past to see me without craning his neck.

I love you, Sam. I love you. I love you.

When he disappeared through the door I sighed and rose to my feet—to find Jeremy standing in the aisle…livid.

20. Wrong Game

~ BRIDGET ~

I crawled up into the back seat of Jeremy’s big black Yukon and ignored his muttering. I was grateful for the tinted windows because the media was outside, and even though they weren’t allowed down in the parking lot, there was some chance they’d know which vehicles belonged to the agents, and they’d be looking for me. This way, if anyone was trying to get a picture of me, they’d be disappointed.

Still, these big vehicles always made me feel like someone was trying to prove something.

---