Conrad and I both hurry up and get our clothes on. It takes a while to get all the shirt buttons done and our ties fixed before finally throwing on the suit jackets just as the guards motion for us to go into the courtroom.
I don’t even hear the first part of what the attorney says to the judge; I’m too busy searching the crowd. Most, if not all, of the Savage Kings are here with their significant others, not that you would know them on sight since they traded in their cuts for nice suits. They look like a bunch of businessmen, if you didn’t know any better.
Our parents are near the front, looking concerned as usual, and I try to give my mom a smile. Finally, I spot Madison a few rows back, partially hidden by the taller men in front of her. She’s wearing the same white suit she wore the first day we met, her dark hair pulled back, looking perfect. Sitting next to her is a clean-cut guy with short brown hair wearing an expensive-looking pinstripe suit and even a matching vest and tie. He looks like he belongs in the courtroom, unlike us Kings who are probably all buying off-the-rack casual suits that are better suited for weddings or church events.
At first, I think he could just be a stranger who happened to sit down next to her, but then I watch as the two of them whisper to each other back and forth. Madison has a smile on her face, and she looks…happy with him.
I may hate just the sight of the other man, but I can still admit that he’s the type of guy she belongs with – someone who works on that side of the courtroom and didn’t just leave a jail cell in handcuffs.
When Madison’s gaze lands on mine watching her, I force myself to face the front of the courtroom and pay attention to what’s going on.
The attorney explains to the judge about the federal investigation for the baby he made Hannah lose, and how Conrad lashed out at him that day when he found out about it for the first time. Then he gets to me and my charges – saying that I had been there the night two men tried to hurt Madison; and if I hadn’t scared them off, she could’ve been raped and killed. I still can’t stand to think about what could’ve happened if I hadn’t heard her scream. The fact that Madison and I believed it was Bailey, since the attackers pressured her to drop out of the race, is why I was so angry I hit Bailey at the television station.
The judge is an older, white-haired man with a thick beard who looks more like a wizard than a man who hears court cases. His expression never changes during our attorney’s arguments or the district attorney’s counter. If he didn’t blink now and then, I would think he was just a wax figure.
Finally, though, the judge calls an end to the bickering attorneys and says that, as a magistrate, he can’t dismiss the charges, but that he’ll refer the case to Superior Court and allow Conrad and I to both be released on a written promise to appear in court to have all this hashed out again.
“Thank you, Your Honor,” our attorney says. And as soon as the judge recesses for fifteen minutes, he turns to us. “This is great news! You’ll get out today, and I have no doubt that the Superior Court judge will dismiss the case. Especially if Bailey is arrested before the court date in a month.”
“Thank God,” Conrad says as he turns and finds Hannah in the audience.
“You’ll need to ride back to the station with the guards. I’ll meet you there to make sure they release you immediately,” Jeffries says.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“Can I talk to my girlfriend and parents for a second?” Conrad asks.
“Yes, but make it quick and stay on this side of the bar. You need to be out of here before the judge comes back.”
“Okay, sure,” Conrad says as he turns around, and Hannah is suddenly there, wrapping her arms around him as she stretches over the bar to get to him.
Our parents are next in line for hugs, and then I see Madison coming down the aisle with the flashy suit guy, so I take a step to the side so she can come closer.
“Hey,” I say as I drink her in from head to toe. “I heard you worked some legal magic to make this happen.”
“I did what I could,” she says with a small smile, and then grabs the man’s arm to pull him closer. He’s tall and lean, but I still have about three inches on him. “Cannon, this is Daniel. He’s a law school associate who works in the US Attorney’s Office in North Carolina. I gave him the information, and he got the ball rolling on the investigation of Bailey.”
“Thanks,” I tell him as I hold out my hand to him. He eyes it down his nose as if he doesn’t really want to shake hands with a man like me, but finally he does. Then it’s a challenge of strengths. He may have done us a huge favor, but I still have to make him pull away first. His face winces, and then he lets go.
“Give us a minute, and I’ll meet you at the car?” Madison asks, and he gives her a nod before he turns and walks out of the courtroom with a glance at her over his shoulder before he leaves.
“So, you’re coming home!” she says excitedly. “I’m so glad for you and Conrad both.”
“Me too,” I agree.
“The FBI agent is in town today and would like to meet you and Conrad both in your attorney’s office this afternoon, if that’s okay? You’re not in trouble. He just needs you both to give statements about Bailey blackmailing you.”
“Yeah,
