by Simply BWWM
“You’re done, Mister Bartlett,” the judge said. “Prosecutor, your witness.”
Nina let out a sigh of relief when the sweet, petite blonde walked up to the stand and began her redirection, guiding Nina through telling her story, then thanking her for her bravery before turning over the floor.
Nina took her time getting down from the stand, her heavily pregnant belly making her look like she was waddling.
She sat down in the seat behind Alex, not allowed to sit with him during the trial. He gave her the thumbs-up sign under the table and she smiled. She’d done her best, but the little weasel had managed to get to her more than once. Hopefully, the district attorney would be just as happy with her performance on the stand, and everything Alex had shared over the past few months. Their lives depended on it, and a big part of their protection depended on the jury coming back with a guilty verdict.
The DEA made it clear that they were avoiding jail by testifying, but if the jury came back without a guilty verdict, there was a chance that Alex and Nina would be on their own. But that didn’t scare her as much as they seemed to think it would, and she was certain that they were bluffing, trying to ensure that Nina and Alex would give everything they had to save themselves. What they didn’t know is that Nina had more than she’d given them, and what she had would keep them safe no matter what happened in court.
As expected, Patrick Bartlett’s closing arguments were over the top and almost laughable, and by the looks of the faces in the jury box, Nina was almost positive that the jury wasn’t buying it.
When he was done, the prosecution sent the same petite, passionate blonde that had done most of the questioning, and by the time she was done, she had the jury in her hands, and Nina knew that Carlos Managua was going to spend the rest of his life in prison, as would most of his men. This case would be used to put most if not all of the over one hundred men and women who had been arrested in the sweep away, and Nina and Alex would walk away from Miami and everything that had happened to them in the past six months.
It was all up to the jury, and there was nothing she could do about that now.
The lawyers finished, sitting down while the judge instructed the jury before they left to deliberate. Nina and Alex were ushered through a side door as they had been every day Nina had attended court, taking them to the waiting car at the back of the courthouse before anyone else was dismissed from court.
Nina went out first, agents leading her to the car as they always had, everyone on edge when they exited the court. She’d been warned that this was the most dangerous time for them, and she was already on edge, watching every shadow cast by the massive stone building as they rushed to the car waiting in the back.
She saw the man out of the corner of her eye, but before she could say anything, she heard the pop! pop! pop! and someone nearby screamed. She tried to turn, to see if Alex was okay, but strong hands suddenly had her by the arms as two agents all but carried her to the car at a dead run.
“Alex!” she shouted. “Where’s Alex!”
“Run!” a man said, pulling her faster.
She managed to turn in time to catch the man with the gun being tackled by DEA agents, but she didn’t see Alex anywhere.
The agent at the car opened the back door of the SUV, and Nina turned, yanking free of the two agents, and searching the crowd for Alex.
Her heart dropped when she saw him, limp and covered in blood, being half-dragged, half-carried by a pair of agents who were covered in his blood.
“Alex!” she screamed, trying to run toward him, but the agents got ahold of her again.
They held her back while she fought, yelling Alex’s name over and over. A crowd appeared from around the building, running as if in a herd. It took Nina a second to realize that it was the media, running toward the sound of gunfire when everyone else was running away.
She tried to pull away from the agents, but they were stronger than her, and they weren’t going to be surprised into letting her go again. Fingers dug painfully into her flesh. Pulling her off her feet, they shoved her into the back seat and Agent Rivers slid in beside her, blocking her from getting out the open door.
They loaded Alex into another car, with reporters right behind them, clamoring to get the best shot for the news. The second SUV peeled out, heading toward the nearest hospital.
Nina cried out in rage and despair, hitting Agent Rivers in the chest and screaming at him.
“You said he would be alright,” she said, pummeling him in the chest over and over while he grunted and attempted to get his arms around her.
When he finally pinned her against him, she broke down in tears, huge, gut-wrenching sobs wracking through her body. It didn’t matter what the jury came back with now, she didn’t care. She’d lost the only man she’d ever loved, and now the only person she had left in the world was doing somersaults in her belly, no idea that the world they were coming into was a cruel, cruel place. They would have each other, and no one else.
Suddenly, she remembered what had happened in court and she pulled away from Agent Rivers.
“Jazzy. You have to make sure she’s okay. That asshole said her name right in front of Carlos’s men. They’ll find her, and I can’t lose her, too.”
“An agent has already picked her up. Now that her life has been compromised, she’ll be offered similar protection.”
“Don’t let anything happen to Jazzy. She’s all I got left.”
“I’m sorry about this,” Agent Rivers said. “We’re going to a safehouse to debrief, and as soon as the verdict comes back, you’ll be taken to your new home.”
Nina nodded her understanding, but she felt numb. How could this happen at the last second? They’d done everything they had been asked and all the agents had to do was protect them. It was that easy. Wasn’t it?
She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes, letting the tears spill over her cheeks unchecked. When Rivers took her hand she yanked it away, and he didn’t try to stop her.
Without opening her eyes, she said the only thing she could think of in that moment.
“You promised me he would be okay.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to have to go through this.”
“You promised,” she whispered.
The Final Chapter
Nina sat on the sofa in the safehouse, watching the news cycle through the same stories over and over. They were doing a recap of the trial and the DEA sweep leading up to it, building anticipation for the verdict as Miami held its breath, waiting for the verdict.
Nina felt raw and completely numb, completely detached from what was happening on the screen. Her dinner sat untouched on the table, and she had no idea when Agent Rivers had placed a soft blanket around her shoulders, wrapping her in warmth that was stifling and comforting all at once. She’d been sitting there for hours, unmoving, completely oblivious to everything going on around her.
There was a knock on the door, but Nina didn’t move. She didn’t care who was there.
An agent walked in first, then he was shoved aside so hard that he almost fell over, and Jazzy burst in, rushing to Nina.
“Girl, what did you get yourself into?” Jasmine said, sitting on the couch beside her and hugging her tight.
“Oh Jazzy,” Nina sobbed. “I’m so sorry about all this.”
“Shh,” Jasmine said. “It’s alright. Everything is gonna be alright.”
Nina held her friend tight, too tired to cry anymore. She looked up at the agents, still angry with everything that had happened, but thankful that they had gotten to Jasmine in time.
There was more movement in the doorway, and when the familiar face appeared in the doorway, Nina felt faint.
She pulled herself out of Jasmine’s arms, standing up and walking to the door in a daze. He stood there, his shirt stained with an impossible amount of dry blood, a sad, crooked smile on his face.
“I thought you were dead,” she said.
He ca
ught her hand before it connected with his face, kissing her open palm before pulling her into his arms. This time, she cried tears of relief and joy so powerful that she struggled to stay standing.
Alex was alive. She didn’t know how or why, but he was alive.
She pulled out of his grasp, glaring at him, but he held his ground.
“How could you do that to me?”
“We needed your reaction to be realistic,” Agent Rivers said. “In order to have a fresh start, Carlos Managua and his men must believe that Alex is dead. They would only come after you to hurt him. But it’s hard to fake that kind of reaction, and we needed you to do exactly what you did.”
“Is that why you said you were sorry about all this instead of sorry about Alex?”
“It was. I felt bad putting you through that, but it was for the greater good.”
“The greater good can kiss my ass.”
Alex unbuttoned his shirt and removed his vest, handing it to one of the agents. He winced when Nina touched the fist-sized bruised on his ribs.
“That one hurt like hell,” he said.
“Good.”
“I didn’t expect sympathy,” he said, chuckling. “I’m really sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Of course, I forgive you. Doesn’t mean you’re out of the doghouse, though.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said, laughing.
“Why did you have to get shot like that? Isn’t there an easier way to make them think you’re dead?”
“Yes, there is, but someone already blew up my house, so we had to go with plan B.”
The television announced an update, and they turned as one when the anchor announced that the jury was back with a verdict after only seven hours of deliberation.
“Here we go,” Agent Rivers said as they gathered around the television.
The jury foreman stood, taking a deep breath before reading from the paper, his voice shaking, the paper trembling slightly in his hand.
“We, the jury, find the defendant, Carlos Efrain Managua, guilty on all charges.”
The agents yelled in delight as one, startling the baby inside Nina as she stared, open-mouthed at the screen.
“That’s it?” she said. “It’s over?”
“It’s over,” Agent Rivers said. “You don’t have to hear the name Carlos Managua ever again.”
The camera panned around the courtroom, editing the footage to show the reaction of each section as the verdict was read over and over again in the background. Carlos Managua looked stunned by the verdict, but no reaction was as satisfying as that of his sleazebag lawyer. Patrick Bartlett’s mouth dropped open in shock, and he turned to Carlos, fear in his eyes. Before anyone could react, Carlos swung hard, catching the lawyer square in the jaw with one giant fist. The lawyer staggered backward a few steps then fell to the ground.
“Serves his ass right,” Nina said.
“Is that the man?” Jasmine asked.
“He is. He’s the reason you’re here with us.”
“I guess I should thank him, but that worked, too.”
“I’m sorry you were ripped away from your life because of me.”
“Are you kidding? I was still looking for a job, and I was about to get kicked out of my apartment. I guess I need you to keep me on track.”
“I guess.” Nina laughed, hugging her friend.
“I hate to cut this short, but we need to move while people are still focused on the news. We can’t risk anyone recognizing you or Alex.”
“Where are we going?” Nina asked.
“I don’t know,” Agent Rivers said. “Suffice it to say that it’s somewhere wonderful, and you won’t be disappointed. That’s all I know.”
“I’ll just gather our stuff, and—”
“No stuff,” Agent Rivers said.
“Whatever,” Nina said. “I won’t miss a thing about this place.”
The agents gave each of them a bulletproof vest and a jacket that read “DEA,” and matching hats, then led the way out of the room.
The three of them positioned themselves randomly so that they didn’t look like they were together, and anyone looking on would see a group of DEA agents and nothing more. Nina didn’t bother looking around at the hotel as they walked through the courtyard. She didn’t want to remember this place, and she wanted to leave this time behind.
They split up into three SUVs, the three of them ending up in the same back seat by design, a dark partition between them and the driver to block them from view of other motorists through the windshield. It was dark and wasn’t likely to be a problem, but even the slightest chance of being seen was too much, and Nina was glad they took the extra precaution.
The radio was on in the back, the news reporting as it had on the TV.
“I’m really sick of this,” Nina said, but Alex stopped her from turning the channel on their radio.
“Drug lord turned state’s evidence, Alex Conrad was killed today as he left the courthouse, the subject in his slaying subdued immediately by agents,” the man’s voice said over the speaker. “His pregnant wife was taken away, presumably to a safehouse to wait out the results of the trial before being released.”
“These people act like y’all are thugs,” Jasmine said. “Shameful. At least your performance was convincing, Alex.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice. Rubber bullets hurt pretty bad and falling down was a natural reaction.”
“I saw it on the TV,” Jasmine continued. “I thought you were dead.”
“Thanks.”
“Where do you think they’re taking us?” Jasmine asked.
“They wouldn’t tell me. I think we’re transferring from this car to another one at the halfway point, and maybe once more if they think we’re being followed.”
“That’s comforting,” Jasmine mumbled.
“It’s necessary. We don’t want to get into our new place and discover that they know where we are. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”
Nina was leaned back in the seat, watching the two of them banter back and forth, trying to ignore her discomfort. She was due in less than three weeks, and ever since Alex had been shot earlier in the day, she’d been having Braxton Hicks contractions. They were bearable but sitting in the car had her feeling really uncomfortable, and she couldn’t wait to get out and walk around.
She pushed the pain to the back of her mind, focusing on the scenery out her window and trying to guess what their new house would be like. She knew they wouldn’t be able to live in the luxury they had enjoyed before, but they could fill their house with what made them happy, and they would find a way to make it work. As long as she had Alex and Jasmine with her, everything was going to be alright.
They made the first switch as they had in the McDonald’s parking lot so many months before, the cars nose to tail, back doors shielding them from view. The transfer was done so quickly that they were in the next SUV and leaving the back of the grocery store parking lot within ninety seconds.
Her contractions had calmed somewhat, and she chalked it up to the stress, finally letting herself relax enough to lean back and doze off while Jasmine and Alex passed the time talking about anything and everything that came up.
She was just starting to relax when the SUV slowed, and she looked out the window to see they were pulling up to their final transfer. Nina sat up, cringing when pain ripped through her.
“Are you alright?” Alex asked.
“I’m just cramping from sitting in one position for too long,” she said, sliding across the seat toward the sedan that sat waiting for them.
When her feet hit the pavement, another shooting pain went through her abdomen, and she knew there was no explaining this one away. She grabbed Alex’s arm to catch herself, moaning softly.
“Nina?” Alex asked.
“It’s time, Alex.”
“Time for what?” Jasmine said, then gasped. “Wait, now?�
��
“Now, what?” the confused agent who’d been driving the SUV asked.
But Alex was already pushing Nina into the new car, instructing Jasmine to get in the front seat.
“Drive!” he said, and the driver of the sedan stomped on the gas, tires spinning for an instant before they caught asphalt.
Nina breathed through the pain, leaning against Alex for support, her feet against the passenger door as the sedan whipped through traffic, finally screeching to a halt in front of the hospital maternity door. Nina reached into her pocket, putting the flash drive in Alex’s hand. He took it and put it in his own pocket quickly, kissing the top of her head and holding her through another painful contraction.
A familiar voice shouted to be heard over her moans.
“No names. Let me handle everything.”
Nina’s head turned and she stared incredulous at the man in the driver’s seat.
“Jaime?” she said, then remembered his name was Miguel.
“I said no names,” he repeated, smiling. “I’ll handle this, that’s my job.”
She nodded, and Jasmine opened the passenger door just in time for the nurse that came rushing forward.
“That was quick,” Jasmine said.
“We know what it means when a car screeches to a halt like that.” The nurse laughed, helping Nina into the wheelchair. “What’s your name, mama?”
“TeLina,” Miguel said. “I’ll handle the paperwork while you get them to the room.”
The nurse started to argue, but he produced his badge, and the nurse closed her mouth and nodded.
“Come on Mom and Dad, let’s have a baby.”
The nurse wheeled her through the halls, almost running Alex over more than once when she turned without warning. They stopped in a large room that looked more like a hotel room than a hospital room.
“Aren’t you taking me to the delivery room?” she asked, trying to breathe as the pain increased.
“This is the delivery room. You’re going to love it.”
She disappeared, but another nurse took her place in an instant, getting Nina ready and in a hospital gown with practiced precision. A few moments later a doctor sailed into the room, way too peppy for Nina’s taste and already scrubbed up and ready to go. The doctor took her place on a rolling chair, checking Nina and smiling at Alex.