by Tl Reeve
“I did, but I feel much better now.” She cut her gaze to her aunt. “So much better.”
“Good to hear,” DA Franks replied. “I’d like to visit where the defense left off last time, we were present in court.”
Hayden nodded folding her hands in her lap. “Sure. Not like it wasn’t traumatic or anything.”
Charles frowned. “I’m sure it didn’t feel exactly pleasant having your sexual history put on display.” He grabbed a folder off the table then made his way to the podium. “Did you ever have sexual relations with Nico Lopez before you turned eighteen?”
“No,” Hayden said, staring at her aunt. “Never. I didn’t even know Nico was my mate until after I was kidnapped. For the second time.”
“We’ll come back to the kidnapping in a second. First, why would your aunt say Nico had sex with you while you were still a minor?”
Hayden snorted. “She hated Nico from the minute I met him in the Sheriff’s Department. She knows very well I never did anything with Nico before it was legal. In fact, I lost my virginity to him while I was in college at the age of twenty.”
“Twenty?” D.A. Franks prodded. “Why so long?”
“He cheated on me and broke my heart,” she answered. “So, when I went away to college, I saw it as a way to make a clean break.”
“But you still waited for Nico?”
“I drunkenly asked a friend to be my first.” Hayden blushed then gave a soft laugh. “Nico about lost his mind.”
“Nico was there?”
“Yes. He followed me. My whole family knew that little tidbit.” She smirked.
“Objection,” Mr. Walker said. “Relevance?”
“Since Mr. Walker brought up Hayden’s sexual history, I believe she has the right to refute the characterization constructed by her aunt and her lawyer, Your Honor,” Charles said.
“Overruled, Mr. Walker, I agree with District Attorney Franks,” the judge replied. “You opened this can of worms, might as well see what crawls out. Continue.”
“Hayden, you spoke about an incident of cheating, do you know a Justine Gabbles?”
“Yeah, now I do,” she answered.
“Your Honor, we have entered the affidavit of Justine Gabbles who came forward after she heard about this case. If we would have been able to do this last week, we could have proved everything the defense said was a lie. The Affidavit explains how one Holly Geithner approached Miss Gabbles at a difficult time in her life. She states under oath that the plan Miss Geithner concocted was to get Nico Lopez drunk and have sex with him. Miss Gabbles was supposed to take pictures and give them to Miss Geithner. Instead, what happened, Your Honor, is Hayden Raferty showed up.”
“I read the affidavit, and I approved it being added to the list of evidence,” the judge said. “Is Miss Gabbles available to testify, so she can be cross examined?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Good,” Judge Wright stated. “Proceed.”
“Hayden let’s pick up where we left off. Let’s talk about your first kidnapping. Okay?”
“Sure,” Hayden answered.
“Can you tell me what this is?” He produced the evidence bag Kalkin had brought with him to the meeting the day before and opened it, pulling out the smaller bag the IUD had been in.
“Yes, that would be a copper IUD found inside of me and removed,” Hayden answered.
“Do you know who put it into you?” Charles asked.
She shook her head. “No. I was kidnapped at five years old. I was brought to this place...” She shook her head. “My aunt and Deputy Logan Wagner found me.”
“And, when did you figure out you had something inside of you, this... IUD?”
“Thanksgiving. Danielle Raferty did a full body scan and found an anomaly,” Hayden said. “Then did she surgery. She pulled the little thing out of me.”
“Objection, Your Honor,” Mr. Walker said. “An anomaly that happens to also be an apparent IUD?”
“Is there something you’re objecting to besides the IUD?” Judge Wright asked.
“Well, yes. How do we know it came out of Hayden? How do we know where it came from? How do we know when it was placed? For all we know your honor, Hayden Raferty put herself on this type of birth control and never told anyone.”
“Overruled,” the judge said. “Again, we went over the specifics of this item and the attached information in chambers. Unless you have proof, she did this after the fact, you are haranguing the court.”
“Were you ever kidnapped again?”
Hayden nodded. “I was. I’d been here, in Window Rock, for about six months, and I was taken outside of the high school as I was walking home.”
“Who found you?”
She grinned. “Nico Lopez did, along with my fathers and my uncles.”
“While you were with your kidnappers the second time, do you remember being examined internally or worse, sexually assaulted?”
“No,” she answered. “I was with them for less than eight hours. Nico gave me a tracker charm, so he was able to find me.”
“So, there was no way for this IUD to be placed within you at that time?” DA Franks pressed.
“No.”
“And you didn’t have it done at a later date?” Charles pressed.
“No,” Hayden answered. “I didn’t have any reason to do so.”
They continued to go back and forth about her kidnappings, before Charles asked her, “When did you realize something was wrong with you reproductively?”
“When Henry Worthington told me there was a block, only he had the ability to release. He also stated I would help him build a unit of super soldiers once he, ‘unlocked’ me.”
“What did he mean by that?” Charles questioned.
“Isn’t it obvious?” she quipped. “He knows I am like my father, but more like my biological mother, he wanted to breed me—rape me—to produce the perfect shifter with abilities.”
“No further questions, Your Honor,” Charles stated. “Thank you, Hayden.”
Mr. Walker stood then. It took every ounce of strength Mackenzie had to not clobber the man. He buttoned his jacket as he stepped to the podium. The smarmy look on his face only adding to the expensive suits he wore. Hayden rolled her eyes.
“Mrs. Lopez, why were you the one to investigate or better yet go undercover into this auction the night of the wildlife refuge raid?”
“Nico and I were unknowns. We’d been in Colorado for four years while I finished school. It was easy to put us in.”
“You had no official title, though,” Mr. Walker said.
“I did,” she answered. “I was hired as a forensics officer.”
“By your uncle?”
“No, by the county. I applied the last time I returned home during spring break of my senior year,” she said. “My cousin, Deputy Royce Raferty was there for backup along with Deputy Lopez and Agent Benefield.”
“After you were kidnapped by Mr. Worthington, you went back to the scene to investigate, don’t you find that suspicious?”
Nico snarled and muttered under his breath. Hayden did everything right and by the book. She’d never risk anything, investigation-wise, because she’d been part of the kidnapping and the illegal transportation of people. It wasn’t her way. She prided herself on going by the law. Hell, she prided herself on doing good work and saving lives. Mackenzie frowned as Mr. Walker stared at Hayden waiting for her to answer. The anticipation in his eyes, the look of being ready to pounce, made Mackenzie’s stomach twist.
“No. I didn’t even know about Holly until after I returned to Window Rock. I don’t think any of us did. As far as I am concerned, Henry Worthington is nothing. His death is a blessing to the shifter community, especially after finding Emmitt within the wildlife sanctuary.” Hayden stared the man down, the glaring dare in her eyes, begged Mr. Walker to come at her.
“It’s a conflict of interest,” Mr. Walker said then turned his attention to the judge. “Your Honor, w
e request that all charges be dropped against Holly Geithner, because of an improper investigation and a vindictive forensics officer going beyond the scope of her duties.”
The judge sighed. “This is the third time, Mr. Walker, you’ve tried to dismiss the case.”
“Because of the egregious way this investigation was slapped together.”
“Overruled. Do you have any more questions for Mrs. Raferty-Lopez?”
Mr. Walker’s face turned a deep shade of red as he stood there staring at the judge. His hands were clenched at his side, and his body was tense. Mackenzie would’ve laugh if he wasn’t afraid the lawyer would launch himself at Hayden. “No, Your Honor.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Lopez, you are free to go.”
Hayden rejoined them in the front row, then it was Emmitt’s turn to testify. Mackenzie hated the fact the guy had to be on the stand. After everything he’d experienced for the last nineteen years, he deserved to be left alone, especially after finding out the dead pups were his. Twice now in the man’s life, he’d lost his children, even though he’d been slowly building a relationship with Aidan.
“Emmitt, do you remember when you arrived at the Wildlife Refuge?” Mr. Walker asked.
“Not really,” Emmitt answered, his voice still had a bit of a growl to it due to the length of time he spent in his wolf form. “All the days in the beginning after I was shot, rolled together.”
“What do you remember?”
Emmitt frowned. “Pain. All the time.”
“Do you remember who brought you there or who was there to do these so-called tests on you?”
Emmitt shook his head. “I never saw his face. He always wore a mask and a surgery hat. His body was always covered, but he had an evil gleam in his eyes when he’d come to my enclosure.”
“So, you don’t know how long you were there, or how you got there. You don’t know who experimented on you, if that’s what really happened, correct?”
“Objection, Your Honor,” Charles snapped. “Mr. Walker is badgering the witness.”
“Sustained.” Judge Wright pointed his gavel at Mr. Walker. “You’re testing my patience.”
“Sorry, Your Honor,” Mr. Walker apologized, though there wasn’t a hint of sincerity in his voice. “You said you were kept with other wolves, correct?”
“Yes, in the beginning, but I was being attacked, so they moved me.” Emmitt took a deep breath. “I thought it was to protect me, but they started to train me to be a performance animal.”
“Must have been humiliating,” Mr. Walker said.
“It was,” Emmitt agreed.
“Do you remember who shot you?”
“Marjorie,” Emmitt answered. “When she found out about Tiffany being pregnant.”
“Curious, you remember that, but not who experimented on you.”
The judge let out an exasperated breath. “Mr. Walker, my patience is wearing thin.”
The man nodded to the judge. “Did you complete your mental health evaluation as requested by the court?”
Emmitt swallowed hard. “I did.”
“Your honor, Mr. Silver isn’t fit to be on this stand. He remembers who shot him, but nothing about the person who held him.” He held up a packet of paper. “This is the state psychologist’s report. Due to the trauma, the gaps in his memory are vast, and he cannot prove who was responsible for his injuries while in the wildlife refuge, and, consequently, we can’t definitely prove either way if anyone at the park knew he was a shifter. Your honor, I beseech the court to throw this case out before the state makes a mockery of it, and with that, I yield to the court.” Mr. Walker returned to his seat beside Holly and grinned.
“I do remember,” Emmitt said. “I might not have seen his face, Your Honor, but I know his name. I know Holly Geithner, too, though we never officially met. She came to the sanctuary many times to see her brother, Henry Worthington. They gleefully watched as the stimulation machine shocked my genitals over and over again, collecting several ejaculate samples a day. They used my body sometimes until it would bleed, and only then, would they stop. But, in two days’ time, they would begin again. It was relentless, Your Honor. The torture. The searing pain running through my body. The electricity coursing through my veins. I thought I’d go insane, until I met Nicole, the woman who was found in the shallow grave. She was so nice and kind to me.”
“Uh, Your Honor,” Charles said, standing. “Can I guide the witness through this?”
The judge nodded. “Proceed.”
“You state your experiments were done to your genitals, for collecting samples, correct?” Charles hedged. “Do you know why?”
“Yes,” Emmitt answered. “To create the best of both worlds according to Worthington. A perfect soldier. Half shifter and half psychic human. He believed that humanity had become too complacent and needed a revolution. He planned to start it with these experiments.”
“Do you know who the surrogate for your children was?”
“No. Didn’t know I had any until Hayden told me, though I asked her not to,” Emmitt said.
Hayden bent her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. Mackenzie knew the girl’s heart had been in the right place when she told Emmitt. They were his kids, no matter what, and in her specific situation, it made sense why she did it. He deserved to know.
“However,” Emmitt added. “I understand why she did, and I am grateful. Eventually, the curiosity would have won, and I’d have to know. I’m sorry Nicole had to die, though. Guess it only seems right those babies had their mother beside them in this tragedy. They’ll never be alone now.”
The judge banged his gavel and announced there was going to be a fifteen-minute recess, so everyone could gather themselves. Mackenzie had been thankful. He needed to get out of there and breathe. He knew Holly was a horrible person. Knew what she could do and might be a part of some depraved things in her life, but that... It made Mackenzie sick. He stepped out into the hall and was greeted by Charles almost immediately. The look on his face did nothing to calm Mackenzie’s stomach one bit. “Why so glum?”
“Holly is up next. I want you to know this won’t be easy, so if you wish to leave, you can. I won’t hold it against you.” Charles tried to give him a reassuring smile.
Mackenzie appreciated it.
“No can do. I’m here to take a stand with my family,” he answered. “I’ll be here every day through the end. My being here is for the want of justice, and I will have it for everyone who is in need, especially my family.”
Charles gripped his arm. “Okay. Then let’s take out the trash together.”
When court resumed, Mr. Walker called his final witness for the day, Holly Geithner. The woman sauntered up to the stand, beaming. Her narcissism would be her downfall, Mackenzie knew it, and she’d been too blind to see it. She stated her name for the record once more, and he lobbed easy questions, trying to refute Hayden and Emmitt’s testimony. She cried on cue and had the performance of a lifetime.
Too bad Mackenzie could see right through her. Because, in the beginning, even when Kalkin tried to tell him the truth, he’d been too focused on his family. In proving he could help in the most inane, singular way. Now, even his children suffered, and it would be a long time before he’d forgive himself.
When Charles stood, he picked up a folder filled with the evidence they’d collected while in Massachusetts. There were pictures of the children who’d been left in squalor conditions, medical reports from the sick adults and children who’d been shipped across the country. It detailed how they were treated and how some were fed a pheromone-based drug, the same one Jase had been given all those years ago. It showed how some of the women were pregnant and how others feared they might be as well.
Hayden had helped put that book together once she got out of the hospital after she broke her hand. She spent time with every witness and every victim. Mackenzie had been so proud of his niece and his son when they completed the mission. Hell, he still was, even if he cou
ldn’t properly express it.
“I want to take you back to the night of the auction,” Charles said. “You were in charge, weren’t you?”
“I suppose,” Holly said.
“In fact, you were the head of PBH. What a prestigious title. I mean, you were forced to care for your niece, ‘run’ for your life for years before happening to drive through and break down in the town where all of the Raferty’s resided. Then for ten years, you had to pretend to be Mackenzie’s mate, because he struck a deal with you. To finally be the head of the company your sister and your brother stole from you and be in the limelight, well...”
“I believe you have the Paranormal Bounty Hunters all wrong,” Holly said. “We help those who are abused escape.”
“Really?” Charles opened the notebook. “Did you have medical staff for those who were injured?”
“Yes,” Holly answered.
“And you never did any type of testing to those in your care?”
“No,” she replied.
“Mikey Raferty or as you best know him, Subject 08005, has permanent vocal cord damage sustained in your custody while he’d been poked and prodded to find his ability.”
“Incorrect,” she said. “The boy is a shifter. His vocal cords are normal for his type. He’s a phoenix.”
Mackenzie blinked. Who the fuck was she trying to fool? Mikey had no ounce of shifter in him. All of them would have smelled it, and the boy wouldn’t have been sick when he’d been brought to the hospital.
“Your Honor,” Charles began, “I’d like to submit to the courts the intake form and the diagnosis results from Mikey Raferty’s examination at the children’s hospital when he was first released and then subsequent follow ups with Danielle Raferty and an independent doctor’s evaluation from Dr. Clemmons. Each person notes there has been significant injury to the boy’s vocal cords due to whatever torture was inflicted upon him. Mrs. Raferty said she can fix it, however, his father and mother have decided to allow the boy to determine if he’d like Danielle to do the procedure.”
“I’ll allow it,” the judge answered, taking the forms from Charles.