Unforgivably Broken (The Broken Series Book Two) (32 page)

Last night, I hadn’t paid attention to the questions being asked by the reporters who had set up camp outside the courthouse for this ‘high profile’ case. The only thing on my mind then was getting through the crowd to Lili.

Today, I was shocked at the questions when I heard them, especially the ones pertaining to me. I kept my arm firmly around her shoulders, keeping her close as they pressed in, trying to gain her attention. I was proud of her
. Walking tall with her chin up and her eyes forward, she ignored every one of them. The only words she spoke were the occasional “excuse me” as she squeezed through.

Now, she was starting to show her nerves. The
prosecutor asked to speak with her this morning and warned her that she will most likely be taking the stand sometime today. They requested for her to go back with one of the clerks and wait to be called in, rather than waiting in the holding room upstairs.

“You should go back to the room,” she whispered for the third time, not meeting my eyes.

“No,” I repeated my answer, unwilling to leave her here to face this.

“You don’t need to hear this,” she said, finally turning to face me. “You don’t need
—” I stopped her with a finger to her lips.

“I need to be right here. Got it?”

“Lili,” someone called and I turned my head, spotting Kaitlyn as she approached. There were others with her, two women and a man that I assumed were Lili’s parents and aunt that Tish had told me about.

“Honestly, Kylee.
First one hoodlum and now another? What will the press say about your rotating men?” One of the women questioned as she frowned at me, barely giving me a cursory glance.

“Hoodlum?”
I asked at the same time Lili spoke.

“You seem to forget that I don’t give a shit what the press says,
Lydia
.”

“You must be Zane,” the other woman said, ignoring the heated exchange completely as she stepped up
and immediately wrapped me in a hug.

I
blinked, looking to Lili who cracked a smile at who I assumed was her aunt. When she released me, I couldn’t help but ask, “What was that for?”

“You saved my girl,” she said reverently, a hand over her heart. She glanced over her shoulder at
Lili’s parents. “You should show this young man the respect he deserves. He took a bullet to protect one of your children.”

The couple looked over at me
uncertainly as I stood, positive my expression was locked in shock.

After a heavy silence, Kaitlyn spoke. “Are you still coming to dinner?”

Lili bit her lip, glancing up at me. Tish had warned me that her sister begged for her to come to her parents’ house for dinner, just once. Apparently, Kaitlyn disagreed with her parents’ ways most of the time but she loved them and wanted Lili to give them the chance to try to heal their family. I couldn’t deny her that. I wasn’t sure if, given the chance, I would try to make amends with my parents, but I wouldn’t deny Lili the chance.

“I guess we are,”
Lili said softly, seeming distracted. I followed her line of sight, seeing the prosecutor heading toward us from the other end of the hallway. Lili’s grip on my waist tightened and I knew her nerves were kicking in.

“If you’ll excuse us for a moment,” I said, not giving any of them a chance to answer as I pulled
Lili away. I gave us just enough space that I could whisper to her and not be overheard. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her to my chest, lowering my face so my lips were right beside her ear. “You are the bravest person I know. You’re strong, you have an amazing heart, and I love you to the bottom of my soul. You can do this. You hear me?”

I could feel her trembling and I squeezed her a little tighter. “You have my heart and my strength
. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what. Understand?”

She looked up at me, fear evident in her eyes.

“Kylee?” the prosecutor asked and she glanced back at him before returning her gaze to me. Her eyes were glassy, but I saw the determination in her expression.

“I’m ready,” she said, squeezing my hand once before following the
prosecutor down the hall.

Trying to stay in my seat while the smug asshole glanced around the room when he was led in was brutal. He didn’t seem remorseful in the slightest that a girl was dead because of him. I was furious for the small family sitting to the side, the mother weeping openly when his eyes skirted past them.

As they finished questioning the witness that had begun her testimony the day before, I saw the attack that I’d heard so much about. The defense attorney was good, great even. He found holes, or created them, pulling in doubt about the credibility of the story being told. My fear for Lili was building.

“The State calls Kylee Camden to the stand,” the
prosecutor said. There was a chuckle from Hunter’s table that was quickly covered by a cough. I nearly lost it but Kaitlyn touched my arm, drawing my attention to her.

I glanced over, noticing again how strange it was to look into a face so similar to
Lili’s and yet completely different. I was brought back to the moment by the sound of a door opening. Lili stepped into the courtroom, her head high, and took her seat on the witness stand. She didn’t look at anyone but the bailiff as she was sworn in and then her attention turned directly to the prosecutor, who would question her first.

“Would you start by stating your full name for the court,” he asked and she didn’t waiver.

“Kylee Asher Camden,” she said, leaning into the small microphone in front of her. I watched carefully, searching for some sign that she was nervous but she showed nothing but an almost unshakable, self-contained calm.

“Thank you, Kylee. And how do you know the defendant?”

Lili’s eyes flicked for only a moment to Hunter’s table before returning to the prosecutor. “We trained at the same gymnastics club.”

“Were you ever in a relationship with him?”

“Objection. Clarify?” The defense attorney stood, drawing the attention to himself. One thing I’d noticed about this man, other than the fact that he was younger than I would’ve thought for his talent and skill, was that he was constantly trying to disrupt the flow of questioning. I was sure, if you studied law, it was probably a technique used often to bring the witness out of the moment and fluster them.

Lili
however, looked unfazed.

“I’ll clarify,” the
prosecutor said before the judge could respond. “Were you and Hunter Davis ever what someone would consider a couple?”

“No.”

“How well did you know Brooke Hansen?” He moved away from the questions directly about Lili, which confused me until he stepped aside again and I could see her face. Something had drawn her eye, pulling her attention and rattling her as she lowered her head, looking away from the small group of people behind Hunter’s table.

“She… uh… I was her mentor in the semi-elite program,”
Lili stumbled over her words, clearly losing her focus. I let out a breath, feeling nervous for her when she was this unsure.

“We’re here for a jury to determine if Ms. Hansen’s accusations against Mr. Davis are valid. You understand that, correct?”

“Mmhmm,” Lili hummed, still looking at her hands.

“What was that?”

“Yes,” she responded, finally lifting her head again.

“We’re also here because a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a minor was added to Mr. Davis
, naming you as the victim. You have your own testimony to give, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Can you walk us through your experience with Mr. Davis?”

Lili
proceeded to tell the same story she’d told us in the living room, answering direct questions from the prosecutor. She seemed to be holding her own despite the fact that the defense attorney continued to object to what felt like every other question in an attempt to throw her.

By the time the
prosecutor finished and the judge dismissed us for lunch, my nerves were shot. Listening to this story the first time was horrible. Hearing it now, in even more graphic detail, knowing the piece of shit that put her through that was sitting closer to her than me, was enough to push me to the edge.

Lili
ignored everyone else, running straight to me when she came out of the back doors, throwing her arms around my waist and burying her head in my chest.

“You’re doing great, Pixie. I’m so proud of you,” I whispered, holding her tight and rubbing her back to calm her down. “Let’s go for a walk, huh?” I asked, hoping to keep her moving and her mind off
what was to come. She’d done exactly what she’d set out to do so far but after lunch, the defense attorney would start questioning her. I could feel how tense she was.

“We’re just going to wander around the building,” I announced to
Lili’s family as we continued right past them. After the comments from her mother earlier, I had no desire to spend any more time with her parents than necessary.

I let her lead and she took me to the stairs, pausing once inside the small entry to look up and down before seeming to make her decision. She started down the stairs, following them to the bottom floor.

She didn’t stop until she got to the glass door on the side of the building. Unlike the front doors, which were locked, requiring you to go through two tunnels to enter or exit, these were functional. She stared out at the park across the street and I was stunned to see that there didn’t seem to be any photographers on the side of the building. They seemed to keep to the front sidewalk, knowing we would have to come that direction anyway, I supposed.

“There’s a food truck,” she whispered and I followed her gaze to where
the line of men and women, most in business attire, stood along the sidewalk.

“Are you hungry?” I asked, unable to hide my surprise. She hadn’t eaten last night or this morning and I knew from what Tish had told me, she didn’t seem to have much of an appetite at all.

She shrugged noncommittally, keeping her eyes trained outside. I glanced around, seeing Denni and Kaitlyn nearby. “Why don’t you wait here and I’ll go grab something for us?” I asked. I didn’t want to drag her outside and risk her getting hounded by press if they came snooping. She would be safer inside.

She nodded and I kissed h
er forehead, motioning to her aunt and sister before I slipped out the door. The heat of the sun was immediate but it was the humidity that hit me hardest, making it difficult to breathe.

As I made it to the back of the line, I was thankful for the trees casting shade over the sidewalk. At least I was out of the direct line of the midday sun, even though there was no breeze to help with the overwhelming heat. I took a moment to glance around again, noticing
a large, white gazebo in the center of the park. It seemed to be made even more beautiful by how foreign it was — a serene escape in the middle of a sprawling metropolis.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
a voice said beside me and I turned, realizing the line had moved but I’d stayed rooted in place as I stared down into the tiny park. I didn’t speak but nodded at the guy who was probably close to my age. “I think they leave this here for guys like me, a final moment of serenity to hold us over before we end up missing the tranquility of it all in there.” He nodded his head toward the building at the next intersection. I narrowed my eyes to read the words on the sign.

Travis County Jail.

I looked back to the guy, studying him closely. His expression was sorrowful, regretful even, as he took in his surroundings.

“I’m turning myself in to start a four year sentence,” he admitted, without making eye contact. Maybe it was the idea of confessing to a stranger, or maybe he was always this open, but he didn’t seem to care what I thought of his words. “This is the last view I’m going to have of the outside world.” He took a deep breath and shook his head before turning to me and nodding once. “God bless you, man.”

I returned his nod and watched him walk away without looking back. Once he disappeared inside the jail, I realized that I hadn’t spoken a single word to him during the entire interaction. I caught up to the end of the line, trying to figure out what could’ve gone wrong in his life to lead him to this moment.