Another Lifetime

Chapter 32

DeAnna Kastell

"How do I look?" I asked my best friends as I walked into the lounge. The skirt suit set felt so restrictive and formal but I needed to look respectable and rocking up to court with a lot of tattoos on display was not the way to do it. I'd even used scar concealer to cover up my Kingstello tattoo in case I took off my jacket in court so I really looked like I'd moved on from X.

"Like you're ready to send a drug lord to prison," Jessie told me seriously, "but also terrified," she added and I needed to get out of my own head. Jessie has decided she was going to come with us for the trial because she's my best friend and she didn't trust Harry to keep a straight face.

"I can't go in over confident about the outcome, I'm not supposed to know about X being out and testifying for the state," I reminded her, "so scared is the look I'm going for," I told her and I wasn't changing my mind on this.

There was a knock on my door, "come in!" I called out and Preston entered the room. "Time to leave?" I asked him.

"Yes Miss Kastell, the car is out front," he told me and Harry pulled Jessie up from the couch. "There's also a meeting not far from the court house that starts ten minutes after you'll be let out of court," he informed me and escorted us out of the suite. My dad was having my apartment renovated for the summer and turning the former drug den room into a spare room for Harry to stay in and redoing the art studio too.

We got into the car and I'd had no contact with X since I got into the city. I was pretty high up on the witness list so I'd probably get called today. I didn't know when X's testimony was being played in court but I was so scared that something he said in those recordings would give away his identity.

We got to the court house and Frank was there for some reason, "why are you here?" I asked my brother and hugged him.

"Got added to the witness list last minute by the defence, don't know why," he told me and that couldn't be good. They had to be aware that X was paroled in the town Frank was a cop in so they must have assumed that the older cop brother of X's 'ex' had to have threatened him at some point. I hope that they hadn't put together that we were in school together because Aron never knew me as DeAnna Kastell, too risky for the family name, and that's what I was down as on all my school paperwork.

We took our seats and Harry was holding my hand the entire time, like the good fake fiancé and friend he is. "All rise, the honourable judge Amelie Barker presiding," the court representative called out and we did as we were told. I was seriously hoping this would be the last time I was ever in a court room, apart from maybe if Ben got arrested then I'd happily be his character witness and get him sent down to become someone's prison bitch.

The opening statements were made and they started calling witnesses, "the prosecution would like to call DeAnna Castello to the stand," DA Roberts said and Harry kissed the back of my hand before letting me go to give my evidence in court. I had been put on the roster by my first legal surname rather than the name I use for legal reasons but for some reason Frank gets to be Detective F Kastell.

"Do you solemnly affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, under pains and penalties of perjury?" The bailiff asked me with my hand on a book of law. I didn't want to swear an oath because there was no god I believed in enough to feel threatened by the consequences of breaking an oath so like the last time I was a sworn witness, I made an affirmation to the court instead.

"I do," I answered and got myself into the headspace to answer the questions. Aron was giving me such looks, and I was surprised he hadn't tried to threaten me into lying on the stand with the video.