All Love Lost (ON HOLD)

Chapter 29

"Has the jury successfully deliberated the case of Sgt. Gerald Bleu v. the U.S. Department of Armed Forces?" The judge's voice boomed throughout the courtroom.

As I sat in the very back, my heart thundered loudly inside of my chest.

The anticipation of the verdict was going to be overwhelming either way it went. If he were to be convicted, clouds would part, allowing the sun to shine a little brighter. If not... I didn't even want to think of the hell he'd raise.

A short, pale man stood to his feet holding a piece of paper out in front of him. "Yes sir, we have."

"Very well." The judge nodded and turned towards the legal teams. "You may stand."

The prosecution team stood first, followed by Daniel and his co-counsel. Lastly, Gerald and the three officers surrounding him stood.

The jury member adjusted his glasses to the tip of his nose as he peered down at the single piece of paper that spelled out Gerald's fate.

He cleared his throat before beginning.

"We the jury, find Sergeant Gerald Bleu not guilty of the following charges... larceny in the second degree, kidnapping in the second degree, extortion in the first degree."

My heart felt heavy at the list of things that he was found not guilty of. I wasn't entirely sure the scope of all of the charges that he was facing, but I'd wholeheartedly believed that he was guilty of all of the accusations.

I dropped my head and my eyes instantly pooled with tears. In that moment, I felt like so much of my time, effort, and energy had been wasted. Just as the the first tear rolled down my cheek and the courtroom began to buzz, the same juror began to seek again.

"We find Sergeant Gerald Bleu guilty of the following charges... aggravated assault in the first degree, domestic assualt in the first degree, stalking in the second degree, embezzlement in the first degree, four counts of murder in the first degree, and two counts of murder in the second degree."

I didn't need to hear anymore.

Grabbing my purse off of the seat next to me, I got up and promptly left the courtroom. I sped through the lobby and out of the building as quickly as my legs would carry me. As soon as I got into my rental car, all of the tears that I'd held onto began cascading down my face.

I was happy. So, why did the tears refuse to shut off?

. . .

I scanned the key to my hotel room and went inside. I immediately pulled my shoes from my feet and flung my tired body onto the soft mattress.

Despite my many protests, Carissa and Solomon forced me to hang out with them for the majority of the day after the case wrapped up. I just wanted to order room service and sleep for he rest of the day. But, in the end, I was happy they pulled me away from my original plans. Just being in their presence significantly lifted my spirits, and I was grateful for them.

Now I was exhausted.

I pulled my phone out of my jean pocket and gave my mom and Olivia a call to let them know how things were going. I'd already spoken to them after hearing the verdict and they seemed concerned about how emotional I was. My mom wanted to pray and Olivia wanted to get onto a plane and come back to Miami since she had to travel for work the day before. I ensured them both that I was fine before hanging up with them and trying Adrian's number. His phone had been going straight to voicemail the last couple of times I called him, and I got the same result yet again.

Letting out a deep breath, I hung up and got up from the bed to put my phone onto the charger. Next, I willed myself to get into the shower and wind down for the night. It was still fairly early, but all I wanted to do was sleep. Almost every night since the plan went into action, my mind had been racked with what ifs. And tonight it was no different. But eventually, after much tossing and turning, I was able to drift off.