Madison was fighting back her tears as she nodded. “I want you to as well.”
“Madison, it’s going to be okay.”
Andrew was doing his best to reassure her, even though he wasn’t sure himself what would happen tomorrow. All Madison could do was nod again and squeeze his hand tightly. When she finally parked the car in front of his aunt’s house she embraced him closely. They held each other for several minutes, neither saying anything. Both hoping for the best but secretly worried about the worst.
“I wish I had kept my mouth shut and not tried to antagonize Jimmy,” she finally murmured against his chest.
“I wish I had kept my anger in check. This isn’t your fault, Madison.”
He ran his hands into her hair and tilted her head back slightly. Her eyes were red and wet from her tears. Andrew brought his lips to hers, kissing her as if it were their last. After ten minutes of passionate kissing, he was throwing his bag over his shoulder and walking into the house. He found his aunt and uncle sitting on the couch and immediately sat down on the chair nearby.
“Hey, you two, did you have a good weekend without me here cramping your style?” Andrew said with a forced chuckle.
“We had a wonderful weekend. How was Lake Arrowhead?”
“Jay and Callie were a lot of fun to hang out with. Madison was amazing, and to have her all to myself was fantastic.” He sighed and frowned as he remembered the juvenile way he had acted the other day. “I sort of acted like an ass at the concert though. I don’t know. Everywhere we went guys just eyed her. I couldn’t stand it and by the time of the show I really...” He paused again and started running his fingers through his hair. “I really embarrassed her in front of the singer,” he finished with a strained expression.
His mind went to last night. They had talked extensively about what happened. She had told him that he couldn’t act like that, that it was disrespectful to her and made her think he didn’t trust her. She had then told him that she couldn’t avoid interacting with men but it didn’t mean she wanted to be with any of them. He had said he would try harder to keep his jealousy under control but wasn’t sure how he would be able to do it. He had told her that seeing guys look at her like that drove him insane but he would try not to act like an asshole about it. He knew he needed to work on it. He wasn’t about to lose her.
“Andrew,” Aaron said, forcing Andrew to look at him. “Madison is very beautiful. You were smitten with her the minute you laid eyes on her so it’s unrealistic to expect other men not to notice her as well,” Aaron said in his soft spoken way.
“Yeah, that’s what Jay said too. I was on edge all weekend though. I would have been content just staying in our room but I knew she didn’t want to do that. I guess that’s something I am going to have to get used to.”
Andrew took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, hoping that he would have a chance to get used to it. He then dug into his pocket and pulled out the remainder of the cash he hadn’t used and handed it to Aaron.
“What’s this?”
“The rest of the money you gave me. I didn’t spend it all.”
Aaron and Olivia looked at each other and then Aaron put the money back in Andrew’s hand and wrapped Andrew’s fingers around it. He offered him one of his heartfelt smiles.
“Why don’t you keep this, okay?”
Andrew stared at him and then put the money in his pocket again. “Thanks, Aaron.” Andrew stood up and kissed his aunt on the cheek. “I’m going to lie down for a little while, okay?”
“Of course,” she said with a small smile. “I am making spaghetti with cheesy garlic bread and my triple chocolate cake. I know they’re your favorites.”
Andrew smiled as he walked to his room. He knew she meant well but there was a part of him that wished she wasn’t making a big deal tonight. Preparing his favorite dinner like it was his last meal or something. He dropped his bag on the floor as he entered the room and immediately plopped down on his bed. Sleep took him quickly.
“Andrew!”
Andrew startled awake in a cold sweat as his aunt moved his shoulder in an attempt to wake him. She had a stressed and worried expression on her face as she watched her nephew, sweat was dripping down his face and his eyes were wide with fear. He sat up immediately, looking around his room, trying to get his bearings. He then turned to her and without hesitation he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. He rested his head on her shoulder as she gently rocked back and forth, making cooing sounds as if he were a frightened child she needed to soothe.
“I don’t think I can do prison again,” Andrew muttered against her.
“You won’t have to,” she said calmly as he raised his head to look at her. She placed both of her hands on his face lovingly. “We have to trust that Mr. Bennet will be able to help us. Understand?” she stated, nodding her head.
Andrew nodded as well and then wiped under his eyes, having realized that he had been crying. The nightmare of prison had haunted his dream. He knew without a doubt that he wasn’t the same person he was before. He wasn’t as closed off. Madison had changed that and he worried how that would impact him if he went back. Would he be able to fight off the likes of Marcus and people like him? He felt his aunt’s hand on his shoulder, bringing him out of his worrisome thoughts.
“Come on, dinner’s ready,” she said with a smile that warmed the room.
~*~
Andrew’s arms were wrapped around Madison, holding her close to him as his hips swiveled and he thrust forward in a synchronized rhythm that was setting Madison’s core on fire. Each move his hips made hit her sweet spot with precision. Her lips were firmly pressed against his as her screams of yearning were lost in his mouth. He started grunting wildly and started moving impossibly fast against her.
“Oh, God!” Madison sputtered, gasping for air.
He had a slight grin on his face as her head dropped into the crook of his neck. She squeezed him tighter as her mouth clamped down on his shoulder and she began sucking and nipping hard and fast. He let out a whimpered groan as she moved to straddle him. It would not be long. Andrew watched as her body convulsed and she whimpered before dropping on top of him, finally satiated. They both lay in that position for a few minutes, catching their breaths and trying to steady their racing hearts. When the time came, she hesitantly rolled off of him and crawled to his side, allowing her fingers to play with the hair on his chest which was now wet with sweat from their rigorous lovemaking. His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly parted as he caressed his lips with his tongue.
“If things don’t go well tomorrow I can’t ask you to wait for me. I won’t do that to you,” he said, opening his eyes and looking at her with sadness that immediately overwhelmed her.
Madison stopped moving her fingers and took a deep breath.
“Helios, I love you and there isn’t a chance in hell that I wouldn’t A) wait for you if necessary and B) fight like a crazed lunatic to get you out if for some crazy messed up reason you were sent away tomorrow. I won’t abandon you. I don’t care the cost.”
Andrew closed his eyes tightly. As much as his heart soared at hearing her words, there was a piece of him that felt she was making a huge mistake in loving him. He felt her hands on his face and then her thumbs across his eye lids before her hands rested against his jaw. When he finally opened his eyes again he saw a very determined Madison gazing back at him.
“I never expected to love you, Andrew, but I do and there’s no turning back from it.” She breathed out deeply. “I won’t give up on you. I love you too much for that. We have to trust that things will work out in our favor tomorrow, okay?”
He nodded and brought her down to him, resting her head against his chest. He was aware that he and Madison hadn’t been together long and that there were probably a lot of things he didn’t know about her but what he did know was that once she set her mind to something she followed through with it 100%. He only hoped that he was worthy of the s
acrifice she was willing to make for him.
“You’re everything to me, Madison,” he stated with conviction as he kissed the top of her head.
“It’s going to be alright, baby,” Madison muttered against his chest, kissing his skin lovingly.
Andrew sincerely hoped she was correct. His mind was still filled with all sorts of worrisome thoughts but Madison’s words and her gentle touches were allowing hope to sink in as well.
“Let’s get some rest. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow,” he finally said, gently rubbing her back.
She nodded against him, feeling the rhythm of his heart begin to slow down. It wasn’t long until they both fell into a fitful sleep, grasping onto one another, and both praying that the next day would go as they hoped it would.
27 TO PROSECUTE
“Andrew, are you ready?” Aaron asked, stepping into Andrew’s bedroom.
Andrew was standing in front of his mirror, staring at himself. He had arrived back from Madison’s a couple of hours ago, had eaten breakfast and showered. He was now in one of Aaron’s suits. It felt strange to him. He had never worn a suit in his life. He didn’t own anything but jeans and, aside from the first time he went to court and the concert this weekend, he had never worn anything but a simple t-shirt. He had used some of Aaron’s hair products as well to try and tame his hair, regretting the fact he didn’t get it cut this week.
“Andrew?” Aaron said softly, placing his hand on his shoulder.
Andrew blinked and then turned to him. “I’m ready.”
The two men walked out into the living room where Olivia was sitting on the couch, wringing her hands together. She had not been around for Andrew’s first court date, therefore she was a nervous wreck. She had been going over all possible scenarios in her head; trying to come to terms with them all before they left so that she would be prepared for whatever happened. When she heard them approach, she took a deep breath and looked up at the two of them, plastering a smile on her face.
“Don’t you look handsome, Andrew,” she said thoughtfully.
Andrew gave her a smile before they headed out the door. They rode in silence to the courthouse. Andrew wasn’t sure what to say, so he said nothing, opting to stare outside the window instead. As they parked, Andrew could see Madison pacing in front of the building. Her arm was covering her stomach while the fingers on her other hand were nervously tapping against her mouth. As soon as the vehicle stopped, Andrew made his way to her with Aaron and Olivia following close behind him.
Madison had been inside the courthouse waiting for Andrew to arrive but her nerves had gotten the better of her so she had decided to wait for him outside. The minute she saw him approach she rushed to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tightly. His hands immediately went to her hair as his head dropped to kiss her lightly. After several minutes, the two of them walked in behind Olivia and Aaron. They all took a seat to wait until they were called inside.
After ten agonizing minutes, Mr. Bennett emerged from the courtroom and started making his way to his client. He walked like a man on a mission. His black pinstripe suit with his white shirt and maroon tie was cut to fit him perfectly and accentuated his physique in a way that would make even a GQ model feel inferior. Madison admired the way he exuded authority and power. It was only as he neared them that he broke character and smiled warmly at the four of them.
“They will call us in momentarily,” he said, sitting next to Andrew. “Jayden and Callie should be here soon.”
Andrew nodded.
“I have complete confidence, Andrew. Jury selection is a specialty of mine and I believe they will see reason. Now remember, it’s the prosecutions job to prove their case and they made two critical errors.” All four of them stared at Mr. Bennett, confused. “Their first error was not allowing a lesser charge to be listed. Mr. De Luca is cocky. He has never beaten me and he thinks this is the case that will do it.” He shook his head and grinned. “But his arrogance leaves the door open for us. All I need is to get the jury to have doubt.” He smirked almost evilly. “And trust me, I will get that. And their second error was thinking that Jimmy Bowers is a credible witness.”
Everyone nodded as he glanced away from them, his eyes narrowed, deep in thought. Andrew could see why Jayden said his father was fierce. Andrew could sense that about him. Every time they had met, and even during jury selection, he had seen snippets of that ability to control those around him. Seeing the look on Mr. Bennett’s face, Andrew knew, without a doubt, that Jimmy did not stand a chance on the stand. Mr. Bennett would tear him apart.
“Mr. De Luca will regret those errors,” Mr. Bennett finally said in a tone that sent a shiver up Andrew’s spine.
Jimmy had done many things over the years and had been cruel to Jayden throughout high school because of his hate and intolerance. It needed to stop and Elias believed he was the one that would make that happen. He was absolutely sure of one thing, if Jimmy thought he would get away with lying on the stand, he was seriously mistaken and, unlike most people, Elias was not afraid of Jimmy’s father. He glanced around and then a smile spread across his face as his son and Callie walked in. Jayden hurriedly walked towards his father, giving him a quick hug and then shaking Andrew’s hand.
“You holding up, okay?” Jayden asked Andrew as he let go of his hand.
“I’ll be better once this is done,” Andrew replied woefully.
“Andrew Thomas Harrison,” the bailiff said at the door.
Mr. Bennett stood and gripped Andrew’s shoulder, giving him a steely expression as if to say it will be okay. They all walked in to see the district attorney sitting at a table with his assistant. They were looking at some papers and glanced over as Andrew and Mr. Bennett came in. Mr. Bennett directed Andrew to the chair on the defense side of the court room while Madison slid onto the bench behind Andrew.
It wasn’t long before the judge called the jury in. Madison sat mesmerized as the proceedings began. The prosecutor was really making Andrew out to be some vile criminal that needed to be put away for the safety of everyone in the community. He tried to prove this fact by showing pictures of what Jimmy looked like after the fight. Madison sat horrified as a few of the jurors looked visibly distressed by what they were seeing. Madison glanced at Mr. Bennett who was watching with his hands folded on the table. He did not look fazed by this reaction. He then leaned over to Andrew and whispered something to him to which Andrew nodded.
“Are you ready for your opening remarks, Mr. Bennett?” The judge asked as the prosecutor sat down.
Madison could have sworn she saw the prosecutor roll his eyes and mumble something as Mr. Bennett passed him. Mr. Bennett glanced at him and smirked before straightening his tie and smiling radiantly at the jury. Madison grinned as several of the women looked at him with stars in their eyes. She had to cover her mouth to stifle a giggle because she knew they had absolutely no chance in hell of landing Mr. Bennett. She wanted to tell them that he batted for the other team, but she was enjoying watching Mr. Bennett use his swagger to his advantage.
“The prosecutor is here to sway you, to make you think one way when, in reality, it is another. What I will ask is that you see beyond what your eyes tell you,” he said bringing his hand to the rail of the jury box. He tapped his finger lightly against his temple. “See with what’s in here, your mind. A mind that doesn’t take things for granted. A mind that looks at a situation and what could be behind a picture. A mind that sees that sometimes in order to protect what’s important one must act,” he tapped the jury box dramatically, “with force if necessary.”
Mr. Bennett turned to Andrew and motioned towards him with the palm of his hand.
“This man grew up in a world where, in order to protect the people you cared about, you must fight. There was no sitting down and asking nicely, it was survival of the fittest on the hard streets of Chicago and Detroit and, later, Los Angeles.” He turned again to face the jury. “You will not hear us den
y that the fight ensued, but what you will hear is that prior to the incident, this man that the prosecutor is making out to be some uncontrollable agitator, had stepped back while the 'victim',” he said with air quotes, “goaded and bullied several people, including the defendant, escalating to the point where he actually attacked the defendant’s girlfriend.” He looked at several of the men in the jury box and arched his brow slightly. “What would you do in that situation? Would you allow someone to assault the woman you love or would you defend her?” He made eye contact with the other male jurors. “Would you make sure that he knew never to touch her like that again?”
Madison noticed that most of the men were already nodding slightly. Mr. Bennett nodded his head in affirmation as he scanned the jury box. He already had most of them on his side. That was definitely a good start. He shoved one hand is his pocket.
“We will show that the defendant acted in self-defense. This was not a malicious encounter; this is not a man out of control. This is a man who was protecting the woman he loves, plain and simple. Thank you.”
He then turned and strode past the prosecutor, giving him a look as if to say, 'this is my courtroom' and then sat down next to Andrew, patting him on the shoulder. Andrew was sitting there in shock. He had been worried as the prosecutor presented his case and then when he laid out pictures of what he had done to Jimmy, he panicked slightly. Andrew could tell that many of the jurors had cringed and one had actually made eye contact with him. But hearing Mr. Bennett, and seeing that many of them were actually nodding their heads in agreement, gave him hope.
“Mr. De Luca, call your first witness,” the judge said authoritatively.
Each witness that came to the stand, Mr. Bennett took care of with precision. To Andrew, it seemed like a game of tug of war, and just when Andrew thought the prosecutor was winning, Mr. Bennett would pull back and cause the prosecutor to stumble. Each time that this happened, Andrew felt more at ease, believing that Mr. Bennett might actually do the impossible and get him off.
Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) Page 26