Page 42 of Katie 3

“Not good enough,” he whispers back and slips out. My brows furrow together and Katie’s eyes track him too.

“Did you hear me?” the prosecutor asks, snapping me back.

She shakes her head. “No.”

“Where were you on the night in question—when you were supposedly in the woods with Brad, apparently having sex while seeing Dan strung up. Or perhaps I should say while your boyfriend was rapin—”

“Objection!” Carter yells. “Your Honor, if this isn’t leading the witness and creating a story, I don’t know what is.”

“Sustained,” the judge says with a nod. “The jury will disregard the leading and, prosecutor, you’re on thin ice.”

He nods and focuses back on Katie. “Where were you on the night in question?”

Katie thinks about it and I can tell it makes the prosecutor sure he has an easy win. “Well, it was a weeknight, right? It’s been a while, so it’s hard to remember with school and keeping up with everything.”

The prosecutor reads the date, then Katie nods and ducks her head slightly, looking sheepish. “It was date night. Brad went to the gym for a bit, then he came home. We left the house together and um… well…”

“Where did you go? Where are the receipts? Where are the witnesses?” he pushes.

Katie’s blush deepens. “There wouldn’t have been witnesses. We drove out into the country and laid in the grass under the stars. He apologized for being so stressed out lately, spending so much time at the gym and not seeing me so often. He pointed out some constellations, but he was wrong. Orion’s belt only shows in winter. We kissed and… more happened.”

“We need specifics, can you please elaborate?” the prosecutor insists.

“We had sex,” Katie meets his eyes with barely hidden defiance that turns me on so much I’m thankful for sitting behind a desk. “Consensually. It was rough, it was exciting, I yelled his name over and over again. I’m surprised no one heard. We’re…exhibitionists, but Brad would never let anyone else see or hear me. When we’re in that mood, I’m his and only his.”

“You’re aware perjury is punishable by law,” the prosecutor warns.

“Yes,” Katie answers, then looks to the judge. “I have proof.”

He blinks at her. “What?”

“Yeah. I mean… sometimes we take pictures or videos. I don’t really want to share that. I think it’s porn. But I also know where we went. The farmer there yelled at us once,” she says.

She’s not lying. We enjoyed plenty of places but there’s this one spot we’ve come back multiple times. And the farmer there doesn’t have the best memory. She gives the name of the farm, pulls up the map of the property, and shows where we’d always park.

I hear a scoff in the audience and I’m sure it’s her mother.

The prosecutor snorts, then smirks. “Well, I think there’s a very easy way to prove this. Dan is certain he heard you say something specific and if it’s not true, it will clear everything up.”

The color drains from my face. She said she was pregnant. She said it loudly. If he knows when we haven’t told anyone… then that’s the end of it. It’s not like Katie can deny it. Her body won’t back that lie.

Katie doesn’t give me a panicked look—she just looks confused. This is the end. That’s why Dad left. He knew it was going to come to this no matter how good on the stand Katie was.

Just as the prosecutor is about to demand her answer, the speakers crackle across the courtroom. The prosecutor looks around just as Dan’s voice fills the space. No. Not this. Please not this. Katie doesn’t need to hear—

“She’s a whore and I’m sure a few drinks, maybe a little… relaxing, and she can take all of us,”Dan’s voice comes in loud and clear

“If she’s got a boyfriend, hell no,”someone else says.“Plus, I don’t want to see all your dicks.”

“I bet you’d like to tape it. Imagine the money we could make pushing that around. The real Girls Gone Wild. Seeing her take dick after dick. We could run a train on her, use her all night, see what else we can fit inside her. I bet we could do a whole lot with a whore like her,” Dan continues over the speakers while the prosecutor starts yelling to turn that off as the courtroom erupts.“Imagine all seven of us taking turns with her. I bet we could try plenty of things she hasn’t done, use her until we deliver her back to her boyfriend all stretched out, covered in our marks, with new internet fame.”

“Order! Order,” the judge says and slams his hammer down, again and again. The speakers die down and the judge shakes his head.

“Both of you.” He curls his finger and Carter and the prosecution step up. And it seems the jurors have forgotten all about what was going to be asked and are staring daggers at Dan.

The whispers and murmurs won’t stop and no matter how much the judge calls order, there’s no way to regain the calm in the room. The jurors are furious with Dan, accuse him of perjury, others demand to put him on trial, while Katie’s eyes water and she sinks between her shoulders.

A sly smile tugs on my lips, I know Dad did it. I know he didn’t tell me or Carter because we would have argued against it. I know he didn’t tell the prosecution. It’s a dirty fucking trick, but I know it’s going to work based on Dan’s horror, his father snarling behind him, and the way the prosecutor is pleading.

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