Bodyguard Bear (Protection, Inc 1)

Ellie

“I call Eleanor McNeil to the witness stand,” announced the prosecutor.

There was a flurry of murmurs. The judge banged his gavel. “Silence in the court!”

Ellie swallowed. It was the moment she’d awaited for so long. She’d looked forward to it— once it was done, she’d be safe— but her heart fluttered in her chest at the thought of finally doing it.

“I never did like public speaking,” she murmured.

Hal’s strong arms gave her one final squeeze before he released her. He bent to give her the lightest kiss on the cheek as he said in his softest growl, “You’re the bravest person I’ve ever known. Put him away. I’ll be with you the entire time.”

Her brother Ethan, who had returned from whatever classified location he’d been fighting in and was sitting on her other side, whispered in her ear, “Kick his ass all the way into the electric chair.”

Hal’s love gave her strength and courage, as did Ethan’s faith in her a

ss-kicking skills. So did the sight of the entire team of Protection, Inc., who had turned out to support her. All of them were there, from tatted-up Nick to the gold-chained Lucas. Rafa gave her an encouraging grin, but she was equally grateful for the chilling stare Shane had fixed on Nagle. Curvy Destiny looked deceptively harmless, while slim Fiona radiated a coolly professional air of ‘anyone who tries to get to the witness goes through me first.’

Ellie walked steadily to the witness stand and told her story. The prosecutor had advised her not to look at Nagle in case he intimidated her, but she didn’t take the advice. Instead, she stared steadily at Nagle as he sat handcuffed in the dock, hatred in his eyes.

But he didn’t scare her any more. All his men had already been convicted, along with Detective Kramer. Nagle’s own trial was the last one. And if he tried anything, Hal would bite his head off. Literally. And that was only if Ethan or Hal’s team didn’t kill him first. Ellie wasn’t alone, she was surrounded by people who loved her and would die to protect her.

When the time came, she raised her arm and pointed straight at Nagle. “That’s him. That’s the man I saw in the alley, who ordered the murder.”

Nagle gave the slightest twitch of his hand, as if he was about to make a fist. A low, hair-raising growl echoed through the courtroom.

“Silence!” said the judge. “Who was that?”

Nobody spoke. But Ellie knew who it was. And Nagle sat still as a statue for the rest of her testimony, not even daring to look her in the eyes.

His sleazy defense lawyer tried to claim that Ellie was a liar, but she could see that the jury believed her. When she finally got down from the stand, she felt triumphant. She settled back down beside Hal on the hard court benches, and he took her hand.

“You were fantastic,” she whispered.

“So were you,” she whispered back. “Loved the growl.”

The judge banged his gavel. “Silence in the court!”

***

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict?” asked the judge.

The foreperson stood up. “We have, your honor. We find the defendant, Wallace Nagle, guilty of all charges.”

The courtroom erupted in cheers. Hal bent Ellie over and kissed her. She relaxed in his arms, all tension gone. When they finally broke apart, she saw that even the judge was smiling, his gavel unused beside his hand. Then he cleared his throat. Silence fell.

“Wallace Nagle, you are hereby sentenced to life in jail, with no possibility of parole. Maximum security.” The judge banged his gavel. “Also, the court would like to commend witness Eleanor McNeil, for her extraordinary courage and honesty.”

The guards dragged away the red-faced, spluttering Nagle to begin serving his life sentence.

Half of Hal’s team crowded around to congratulate her, and the other half formed a protective barrier between her and the reporters who had started to descend. Ethan hugged Ellie and smacked her on the back, then went to join the group fending off the reporters.

“My team and your brother have it covered,” Hal said, jerking his chin toward the swarming journalists. “Let’s take off. We can celebrate with them later.”

It warmed Ellie’s heart to see how much more relaxed Hal seemed than when she’d first met him, and how he now not only trusted his team to do their jobs, but to take some of the weight off his back.

“Good idea,” Ellie said. “Let’s go.”

They left the courthouse hand in hand.