That. That right there was the difference between the two men. Vincenzo knew that I needed space. He gave it, even if he would rather not. Liam was invasive. Overwhelming.
I would choke him in his sleep if I was his wife.
Luckily, that tragedy was not my fate.
“Thisisthe women’s bathroom.” I slapped the faucet off.
I didn’t want to be too harsh with him. Liam was the man I worked with—not for, with—after all. And he was also the man who’d made sure Maksim Varga’s body was scattered up and down the eastern seaboard.
With some help from an underworld assassin, Liam caught the warlord before he could leave the country, put a bullet between his eyes, and neutralized the threat. Varga would never try to collect the debt my dad racked up with him again.
I couldn’t wait to tell Vincenzo.
I have to free him first.I looked at myself in the mirror. I could do this. “Do you need something, Liam?”
“Yeah, time to go. The jury’s being seated,” Liam clipped out.
“Why the hell didn’t you say that?” I screeched, hustling to grab my briefcase.
As I dashed into the hall, my gaze collided with a stormy blue one. I faltered, nearly tripping. Liam growled and reached out to steady my elbow.
“If I lose my hand for touching you—” he warned.
I shook him off. Righted myself. And met my sire’s glare.
There was no pride there. He’d seen me conduct my first trial. Any parent should be beaming with pride at the accomplishment. His anger was a tangible slap.
Fuck him.
Tipping my chin up, I hustled back into the courtroom. The judge was just emerging from his office as I scooted to the desk assigned to me.
Vincenzo looked like a stone in his seat. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I hadn’t this whole time. I would have started balling to see him cuffed. And if I failed—
I won’t.
I couldn’t.
So, I resisted looking directly at him once again. I focused on the next steps, playing the cards as they were dealt.
The foreperson, the member chosen to speak on behalf of the jurors, didn’t sit. He stood there, paper in his hand.
I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper.
Judge Stegen nodded to the juror. “Have you reached a verdict?”
The foreperson stretched out his hand. “We have, your honor.”
Air caught in my throat. The muscles of my chest clenched tight. My vision tunneled on that sheet of paper.
All the things I could have done differently swam to the surface. Had I been convincing enough? Did I play the part right? Why—ohwhy—hadn’t I spent more time on trial law instead of mastering contracts and mergers? I freaking knew why. It was all to please the one person who would never see me.
And now the person who did depended on me.
And I might have failedhim.
Oh, lord, no. I couldn’t let Vincenzo down. There was always an appeal, but I couldn’t be away from my soulmate that long. Couldn’t exist knowing he suffered behind bars—his worst fear realized.
The judge scanned the paper. His face was unreadable.
