Page 62 of Michael's Awakening
Chapter Twenty-Four
Michael
Sitting in court that Monday morning, I bounced my leg anxiously as the jury deliberated. My colleague, Richard, really helped me out with this case.
The evidence he found for me had been previous assault charges by the defendant, Gary Reynolds, when he was younger. Within one of those charges, there had also been evidence of a sexual assault on a younger woman. Charges were dropped on the former assault on the woman because she decided last minute not to proceed further with the case, but it was still buried within Reynolds’ record. The records had then been sealed, which was why I hadn’t seen them during my original discovery.
It was enough to corroborate the accusation against Reynolds, showing he had a history of violent behavior and abuse.
There was also evidence that his daughter had been having night terrors for the past few months and started seeing a counselor because of them. Those records, along with the testimony of an expert witness, alleged that the daughter was suffering from some traumatic event in her life that fit with the typical symptoms of a child who had been abused. The son also had a record of typical abuse victim behavior. His teacher testified that the boy was lashing out during class and experienced random outbursts of anger; behavior he had not displayed previously.
I knew that feeling all too well.
The prosecution had offered the defendant a plea bargain before the trial due to the amount of evidence against him, but the idiot refused and demanded a jury trial. Therefore, he got one.
Out of the two children, only the boy had testified against their father in court, but his testimony was a powerful one. Probably one of the most impacting victim testimonies I’d ever witnessed. When the defense cross-examined the boy, if anything, it made his testimony more fool-proof.
That bastard Reynolds didn’t stand a chance. The jury was going to send his ass away for a long time. At least, I hoped.
When the jury returned and announced their verdict, I breathed a sigh of relief. Guilty. Looking over at the mother of the two children, she nodded at me and mouthed ‘thank you’ as tears streamed down her face.
It was moments like those that I lived for in this profession. Justice was served and another asshole was off the streets.
Grabbing my suitcase, I walked out of the courthouse. It was only a few days until Christmas and the weather was definitely reflecting that fact. I pulled my jacket tighter against me and went to my car as the relentless cold stabbed into me. Finally shielded from the wind, I sat in my car and pulled out my phone. It was just past two o’clock in the afternoon so Gabriel would still be at work.
Tapping my thumbs on the steering wheel, I thought of what to do for the next few hours. Going back to my office was out of the question. I’d go batshit crazy if I had to work on anything else that involved legal issues. My brain was fried. Maybe do some shopping? I already purchased Gabriel’s Christmas gifts, but he could always use a few more, right?
I knew I was probably going overboard with it, but I never had anyone to buy gifts for before. Gabriel told me not to spend a lot of money on him; however, I let his words go in one ear and out the other. What was the point of having extra money, if I couldn’t spend it on the person I loved?
Even though Gabriel was Mr. Glam and Fabulous, I knew my bank account had no interest for him. He loved me for me and money wasn’t a motivating factor for him.
I needed him like the air I needed to fill my lungs, and I knew he felt the same way about me.
Having an idea, I smiled and started driving to his beauty salon. When I arrived, I entered the shop and looked around for his gorgeous ass.
“Oh my God! What did you do?” I heard Gabriel squeal from the back of the store.
I smirked. There he was.
Walking to the hair salon area in the back, I saw Gabriel talking to a woman whose hair was a mucus green color. I winced. Damn, that must suck for her.
The woman brought her hands up and covered her face. “I know! It’s awful! That’s what I get for trying to dye it myself. Can you fix it, please?” She removed her hands from her face and looked up at Gabriel with a desperate gleam in her eyes.
“Honey.” Gabriel shook his head and pointed to the salon chair. “Have a seat. Let’s see what I can do.”
I smiled as I watched him work. He really was a great beautician. His bubbly personality and genuine care for the people around him made him a real joy to be around. Even though he could be a little firecracker with a punch of sass, he possessed the biggest heart of anyone I knew and I’d do anything to keep him safe.
As Gabriel tried to work miracles on the green-haired monster in the chair, I took a look around the store. There were aisles upon aisles of beauty products, with a makeup station in the center of the shop, and a hair salon in the back. Gabriel worked both the hair and the makeup stations, depending on what the customer wanted.
“Can I help you with something?” A friendly-sounding voice asked from behind me.
I turned to see a tall woman with medium length, wavy, brown hair and blonde highlights looking at me with a smile on her face.
“No, thank you. I’m Gabriel’s boyfriend.” It felt odd referring to him as my boyfriend. He felt like so much more than that. “I was just—”
She cut me off, “Oh, you’re Michael!” She stuck her hand out for a shake. “I’m Kaylee, his manager. He’s talked about you so much, I wondered if I was ever going to be able to finally meet you.”
“He’s told me about you as well.” I smiled and shook her offered hand. “From what he’s told me, you two seem more like friends than a typical manager-employee relationship.”
