The liar! Axe seethed, sucking in a breath, but his father remained stoic and silent next to him.
Leanna’s father next stepped to the table where Gabriel sat. He slapped his back and whispered something. The boy straightened up.
“Your Honor. This is Gabriel Medina Espinosa, your daughter’s friend.”
Cano nodded, appearing satisfied. He tilted his head toward Leanna.
Her father next stopped behind her. “Your Honor. This is Leanna Carmelita Rivera. Your daughter’s honorable mother.”
Joshua gave Leanna a dismissive leer, then nodded his head toward the row of prisoners.
Leanna’s father stopped behind Axe’s father. He yanked him to his feet and stood behind him, holding on to his tied hands.
“Your Honor. This is Vincenzo Salvadori. Your enemy.”
Leanna’s father dropped his hands and pushed him down to a kneeling position.
He stopped behind Axe. He took his hands and yanked up, signifying Axe should stand.
“Your Honor,” he said. “This is Axe Salvadori. Your enemy.”
While he spoke, he cut the plastic ties around Axe’s wrist. He shoved him down, and Axe knelt, resisting the urge to shake his hands loose. He presumably did the same with Ivan and Juan while introducing them.
When he finished, Cano pounded the gavel, and Tomas took his position in the corner of the stage behind Cano.
What game was Cano playing and would they get out of it alive?
* * *
Leanna didn’t like the fact that Axe, his father, Juan, and Ivan were being held prisoner. Even worse, Juan had been shot, and no one was doing a thing about his wounds.
Should she say something to Cano?
But then, she was here at his pleasure, and Cano did not like being interrupted or told what to do.
Leanna well remembered defending a puppy who’d nipped Cano’s pant leg only to have him wring the puppy’s neck and blame its death on her. He’d tossed the puppy’s body at her feet and made her bury it.
She looked at Axe, but he studiously avoided signaling anything to her. Instead, he looked through her and had his gaze fixed on Carmelita.
Confused, Leanna glanced at Carmelita and realized why Axe was so concerned. The poor girl was quailing in the witness stand, blinking and wiping tears. She kept looking at Juan, who lay on the stage in a fetal position, moaning softly.
Someone had to help him.
Leanna raised her hand.
Cano pointed the gavel at her. “Wait your turn to speak.”
She stood, despite his warning. “That man is hurt and should be taken to the hospital. Can’t you see it’s bothering your daughter?”
“I see you’re using my daughter’s name in vain,” Cano said. “But you have a point. Bailiff, remove the bleeding prisoner and mop up the mess.”
He slammed the gavel down once.
After Leanna’s father half carried, half dragged Juan from the stage, a maid showed up with a bucket and swabbed the plastic film covering the wooden floor of the stage. She also wiped the blood off the green screen, which was used in video productions to allow other backgrounds to be pasted in.
Cano sat with his fingertips pressed together and stared at Leanna. His steady gaze drilled through her, and sweat prickled her under the hot glare of the stage lights.
After the maid finished cleaning, Cano hit the gavel on the stage and addressed Carmelita. “My darling daughter. See how your mother has spoken up? You must be like her and advocate for the weak. I’m disappointed you did not speak up. Will you now apologize?”
