The Vipers Temptation | Completed

Chapter 21 - The End

I'm suffocating a slow, painful death sitting in the courtroom, waiting for Nico to enter.

"Honey, stop bouncing your knee like a five-year-old," snaps my mother. Tamara put a calming hand on my knee from the other side, where I'm sandwiched between the two.

"Breathe," she whispers.

The commotion from the front causes me to snap my head to where Nico is entering in an orange jumpsuit with his hands handcuffed. My heart starts to race as he gets closer, only to break when he refuses to look at me. I ignore my mother's and Tamara's protests as I squeeze by them and leave our section behind the prosecution. I sit directly behind the defendant's table.

"Nico," I whisper. By the stiffening of his shoulders, I know he hears me. Why is he ignoring me? Does he think I want to be here? "Nico," I plead.

His lawyer takes pity on me and says, "It's better for his case if you stay away from him."

Shame fills me at his words. "This isn't my choice," comes out as a broken whisper as I leave him to return to my section.

***

"All rise," comes a voice, snapping me back into reality. After the Judge enters and sits, the people in the courtroom follows suit.

I zone out as the prosecutor, George, and Nico's lawyer, Neil, go back and forth until the prosecution finally speaks the words I dread, "The prosecution calls its next witness, Callie-"

"Objection!" Interrupts Neil.

"On what grounds?"

"She has no reference to this case."

"Other than being kidnapped by Mr. Moretti?" Asks George.

"She was never held against her will by my client."

"Then her testimony shouldn't be a problem."

"Objection overruled. Miss, please make your way forward," commands the Judge.

I rise on shaky legs and release my death grip on Tamara's hand. As I make my way to the stand with my heart in my throat, I can't glance at Nico. I'm sworn in and talked about lying under oath.

"Now, Miss, do you know the man sitting across from you," asks George.

"Yes," I say into the microphone, then flinch at how loud it sounds in the quiet courtroom. All the faces behind Nico fade until I can only see him.

"How do you know him?"

How do I know him? How do I explain the complicated relationship between Nico and me? "He's...my neighbor."

George continues to ask me basic questions about how and when I met Nico before dropping the bomb. "At which point did Mr. Moretti kidnap you?"

"Objection, your honor!" Shouts Neil.

George holds up a hand and says, "My apologies. Did Mr. Moretti ever hold you against your will at any point during your acquaintance?"

The Judge waves Neil off when he tries to object. "You will answer the question."

Fear clogs my throat as I glance around the courtroom before settling on Nico, who still refuses to look at me. Did I mean anything to him? I wish he would just look at me.

"Miss?" Questions the Judge.

"I-I..." I couldn't stop staring at him, willing him to meet my eyes that hold all the memories that haunt me.

"Miss?"

"I-I..." I blink back the tears that threaten to fall. "We're married."

The courtroom erupts into chaos, but I focus on Nico, who snaps his head up and finally meets my gaze in confusion.

"That's false!" The prosecutor shouts.

"Order! Order! I will have order in my courtroom!" The Judge yells while using his gavel. The room quiets immediately.

"We have no record of that, your honor." The prosecutor says.

The Judge turns to me. "Miss, need I remind you that you took an oath?"

"No, your honor."

"Well, I don't have paperwork that confirms your statement, such as a marriage license."

"Your honor, I believe she's been an accomplice to Mr. Moretti all along and not taken against her will like we've been led to believe. And all this marriage nonsense is just another ploy to help the defendant."

"I have proof." Everyone turns towards me. The prosecutor's eyes narrow in suspicion as I open my bag and dig around.

"Here," I pull out the documents I brought with me. The documents that were sitting in my mail this morning. The Judge nods to the bailiff, who takes my papers and gives them to the Judge. The Judge looks them over and then at the courtroom.

"Well, they did get married and have the necessary documentation. And under the spousal testimonial privilege, Miss," he pauses, "Mrs. Moratti cannot be called to testify against her husband. You are dismissed."

The courtroom is a blur of murmurs as I make my way out of the chair and back towards the aisle that leads to my seat. I briefly catch Nico's eyes and become seared with the longing in his gaze. He quickly masks his face before meeting another man's gaze, I hadn't noticed sitting in the back dressed in all black. He must work with Nico because they both carry that scary vibe. Nico nods in my direction, and the man nods back before leaving. What does that mean?

Tears fill my vision as I rush out of the courthouse into the cool air.

"That was a bold move," remarks a male voice behind me.

I spin around in fright then notice the man that was in the back of the courtroom, leaning against the wall next to the exit. I notice a scar above his right eyebrow that adds to his menacing persona. Midnight black shaggy hair frames his striking dark eyes. He was taller than Nico by an inch or two. And his arms were thick with muscles. If I must guess, this is the man in charge.

"Perhaps," I shrug.

"You know what this means?" I shake my head. He leans in and whispers, "You're under our protection now." With that ominous message, he walks away and gets in a black SUV with tinted windows. That must have been the infamous Capo, Dante Valentino.