Page 35 of Montana Silence

Beside me, Mara went rigid. I followed her gaze to where he sat. I’d seen a picture of him, but in the picture, he was younger. As I studied him now, in a prison jumpsuit, Malcolm Novic looked absolutely ordinary. Like many of the men who managed to con people with extreme charisma or manipulation.

Speaking to him was one thing. But looking at him was another, and he was just a man. A man who was looking over his shoulder at Mara, while she stared at him.

People sat on his side of the courtroom, and their expressions weren’t friendly either. Toward both Mara and me. I wanted to protect her from their gazes, because if looks could kill…

Slipping a hand around her waist, I turned her toward me, but her eyes stayed on him. “Mara?”

She let out a shuddering breath.

“Look at me, sweetheart.” Her eyes finally found mine. Everything about her was terrified. “You still with me?”

Mara swallowed. “I don’t know.”

“I do,” I said. “You’ve got this.”

I took her face in my hands and kissed her. The only thing I could do was be here for her.

“Mara,” Claire said. “It’s time.”

When I released her, I smiled, but hers was nowhere to be found. I couldn’t help but think it looked like she was going to her own funeral.

I found a seat, but I felt eyes on me. Malcolm Novic was looking at me, and in his eyes, I saw nothing but madness and fury.

Chapter12

Mara

I couldn’t breathe.

Letting go of Liam’s hand was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. I should be listening to what the people at the front of the room were saying, but there was a ringing in my ears, and nothing was breaking through it. BecauseMalcolmwas right there.

Claire touched me on the shoulder, and I startled. She was looking at me expectantly. “What?”

“Time to go.” She looked toward the front of the room, and so did I. The panels’ eyes were on me. The other lawyer was looking at me. Everyone was looking at me. One of the women on the panel smiled encouragingly and gestured to the chair positioned next to the panel.

I stood.

One step at a time, Mara.

Senses. Find them.

There was a floor beneath my feet and the barest hint of lemony scent in the air. Like a cleaning solution. In the silence, I heard the air conditioner humming. Don’t look at Malcolm. Don’t look at Malcolm.

Don’t look at Malcolm.

Claire cleared her throat, and I looked at her. “Can you state your name for the record, please?”

I opened my mouth, and nothing came out. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. I could do this. I could do this. “My name is Mara Greene.”

“And can you tell us why you’re here?”

“I’m here because…” I curled my hands into fists. “I was in The Family. A victim of The Family.”

A laugh reached my ears, and chills covered my skin. “A victim. Never.” The words were so quiet I didn’t know if the people on the panel had heard them. But I had. I looked straight at him.

No.

He was so much closer than when I’d entered the room. Malcolm had a smile on his face, and to anyone else, it might look like a normal, friendly smile. But I knew this man’s face like my own. Every single one of us had memorized the nuances of his expressions in order to survive.

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