Her Savage Mountain Daddy

“Let’s move.”

The guard yanked me to my feet, and I bit back the snarl that caught in my throat. The only reason I wasn’t—and hadn’t—fought my way out of the whole thing was her. Because what was about to happen needed to happen, to show the world and to show her what was really going on. In another version of this, I might have been worried—about what she’d think of me now, or about what they’d told her.

But then, I knew her, and she knew me. No, I wasn’t worried. Because I knew she was stronger than their bullshit, and I knew what had happened between us was stronger than anything they could throw at either of us.

The doors opened, and I blinked at the light, since they’d kept me in the dark like an animal for the last five days. I stepped into the courtroom, and a murmur went around the room, and then suddenly, there she was.

My angel.

My heart.

Nina lunged to her feet as I walked in, even if the guy who I’m assuming was her lawyer was trying to get her to sit back down. It made me grin, and when our eyes locked, I knew this was going to be okay. They thought they had me cornered.

I could’ve laughed, almost.

They did, but they should’ve known that a corner is the last fucking a place a beast like me should be kept.

I kept my eyes on her, and hers were locked on me as the whole circus got going. I only half heard the bullshit being tossed around—that I’d kidnapped her. That I’d forced myself on her. That I was some rogue criminal doing as I pleased pretending to be with the FBI. And of course, it looked bad if you didn’t know what was really going on. After all, Ulrech was my handler, and my only contact at the bureau, seeing as I was a contractor. So, unless you knew he was dirty, like I did, it sure as fuck looked like I was the psychopath he was up on the stand saying I was.

I looked right at Nina though, and none of it mattered. She knew what was real. She knew what we had up there on the mountain in that cabin was real. And she knew what was right and what was true.

My guard nudged me, and I blinked as I turned back to the circus. The prosecution and Urlech were over there smirking at me like it was game over. Me, I’d declined a lawyer. I didn’t need one, not for the bomb I was about to drop on this whole crooked situation. They were all looking at me like I was nuts, and if it didn’t look like I was worried, well, it’s because I wasn’t.

Time to set the whole thing on fire.

“Your honor.”

I stood, and another murmur rattled through the room. The judge turned to me, scowling at the interruption.

“Sit down, Mr. Alder-”

“I have new evidence for the court.”

The judge pursed her lips, glaring at me. “Concerning the case against you?”

I smiled. “No, your honor. Concerning the case against Deputy Chief Urlech.”

The murmur turned to flat-out chaos throughout the court room, and the judge banged her gavel for order.

“Mr. Alderson, I have no time for games.”

“Neither do I,” I growled. I turned to Nina, and I nodded.

You’ll know when, I mouthed to her. She frowned in confusion, when suddenly, I saw the light go on in her eyes. Her hand slipped to the pendant around her neck, and slowly, she nodded back at me. She stood, and her lawyers were hissing at her and telling her to sit, but she ignored them as she turned to the judge.

“It’s this, your honor.”

I watched as Urlech’s eyes went wide, his face turning red. He staggered to his feet, sputtering about obstruction and me playing games, but the judge hushed him as the bailiff brought the necklace to the bench.

“This is a USB drive?”

I nodded, and the judge’s eyes narrowed as she called for a laptop. I turned to Urlech and smiled as the video began to play, projecting for the court.

Game. Fucking. Over.

It was all there. The damning piece of evidence I’d found right before I went to get Nina that night at the club. The surveillance camera I’d set up caught it all. On the video, there was Urlech walking into a room with Sylvan Bucks. There was money exchanged, names given, and details about ongoing open murder cases shared. Sylvan and Urlech shook hands, and the camera feed cut.

There was a silence in the room for half a second before suddenly, Urlech lurched to his feet and made a run for the door.

…Not the brightest move to make in the middle of courtroom.

He made it two steps before he was brought down. There was chaos all over, but it was going right over my head. Because all I was doing is grinning as I looked over it all right at the girl I loved.