Page 62 of Breathless
“I’m down with that,” he said.
“Cool,” Justus said, looking at Chaney and giving her a thumbs up. “I’d say we’re both lucky girls.
“Very lucky,” Chaney said, winking back at her.
EPILOGUE
Two weeks later…
Chaney sat on a wooden bench outside of the courtroom with Rawlins waiting to be called to testify. Justus was already inside giving her testimony. She didn’t know how long it would be before they’d call her, but she sure was feeling knots in her stomach.
“You’re cutting off the circulation in my hand,” Rawlins warned.
“Sorry,” she said, loosening her grip. “I know McAdams worked with us and assured us that we could go in there and do this without a problem, but until I’ve actually stepped my foot into that witness box, I don’t think I will truly believe it.”
“You’ll do fine, darling,” Rawlins said. “I have faith in you.”
He lifted her hand and kissed the top of it with a feathery light brush of his lips that sent a tingle all the way down her spine to her core.
“Rawlins,” she moaned in the back of throat.
He grinned at her, arching his brows in a promise of more where that came from, and she knew he meant it because he had a way of taking her breath away.
The large, wooden doors to the court room opened and the bailiff stepped out. “Miss Chaney Daniels to the witness stand.”
Her moan turned to a groan of disgust, and she stood, walking forward. Rawlins followed to take a seat in the back of the court room and watch the proceedings.
She walked to the front of the court room, trying not to get distracted by those sitting in the gallery or looking at the defendants. She did not want to look at that table and lose her cool by focusing her attention on Nuchols, Bidle, or Polaski. It was bad enough that she’d eventually have to go through this again when Leland Warshafsky was prosecuted.
Taking the stand, she raised her right hand when asked and repeated after the bailiff before taking her seat in the witness box.
“Miss Daniels,” Mr. McAdams began. “Can you state for the record what happened to you early this year at the end of the spring semester.”
She swallowed before taking a deep breath and gave her account of what happened when she joined Justus and Kurtis on the hiking weekend.
“And is Kurtis Nuchols present in the courtroom today?” McAdams asked.
“He is,” Chaney said, pointing him out at the defendants table without being asked.
“Let the record show, that the witness has identified one of the men in question,” McAdams said going over to his table and coming back with a folder. He opened it up and showed her photos of. “It is my understanding that while you were in captivity that you were on several occasions physically abused. We have evidence of this abuse from when you were taken to the hospital upon your rescue. I’d like to show the jury exhibits 6 and 7. Can you tell us about it?”
“That’s true,” Chaney said. “I was beaten by Poe Polaski because I stood up to him and when he was doing it to another girl, I called him out for it. The evidence you have is from that abuse.”
“Can you identify your abuser, Miss Daniels? Is this man, Poe Polaski in the courtroom today?”
“He is. He’s the big, beefy one, sitting in the middle,” she said, pointing to the defendant’s table.
She sucked in her breath and finally stared out over the gallery, her gaze landing on a couple she’d never dreamed in a million years would be sitting there. Her parents. They hadn’t even told her they were coming, but she steeled herself against reacting. She wouldn’t let them sway her resolve to give her testimony. Nor would she let the fact that her father just gave her a thumbs up distract her.
“Objection, your honor.” Felty stood.
“Overruled, Mr. Felty,” the judge said. “You may continue, Mr. McAdams.”
“Miss Daniels, do all the defendants work alone?” he asked.
“No, they work for Leland Warshafsky,” she said.
“Objection, your honor,” Felty stood. “Mr. McAdams already established this in Miss Killion’s testimony. Why is he rehashing it in Miss Daniels?”
