BILLIONAIRE BIKERS: 3 MC Romance Books (68 page)

Lucas awoke a short time later. Wanting to stretch his legs, he walked out into the hallway to find Fetsko sitting outside the room.

“So you got everything arranged, I see.”

“Yeah. Someone had already told them there would be a guard.”

“You know,” Lucas started, “I’m just now beginning to come out of the fog, I guess. Thank the powers that be that you guys intervened, but how in the hell did you know where we were?”

Fetsko just looked at him. “I hate to tell you, Lucas, but it wasn’t that hard. With all the eyes we had on you, we finally traced down the fact that you always emerged somewhere near Edwards Air Force Base. We knew what time the deposition was, so we just manned all possible exits. We tailed you from Barstow.”

It was Lucas’s turn to stare.

“The Service was tempted more than once to just follow you in, but they weren’t sure with the resources you had, that they wouldn’t be greeted with missiles or something.”

Lucas grinned. “Well, I’m glad that the impression we give is that daunting. That’s the whole point, I suppose. But it concerns me a lot that I might be slipping.”

“You need to figure that out.”

“I’m quite sure I’ll find out what the Service has to say about it.”

“Oh, yes. I’m sure they’ll let you know.”

# # #

With Fetsko on guard, Lucas decided to walk a bit. He got on the elevator to the first floor. When he stepped out, he was right in front of a gift shop. He looked around for a little bit, deciding on a red amaryllis plant. He continued to look and came upon a display of rune necklaces.

He spied one that was familiar to him. He recalled seeing it over a door somewhere. When he had asked what it represented, he was told that it was a rune of protection. The rune was carved into a slice of deer antler and hung from a silver chain. He bought it and a little pouch for it, along with the flowers, and went back to Audra’s room.

The next time she woke, she saw him sitting beside her, looking at her. At the same time, she noticed the amaryllis and smiled. He leaned toward her.

“I got you something else, too,” he said, handing her the pouch.

She took it out and looked at it. “It looks kind of sinister,” she said, “and yet it’s beautiful.”

“It’s only sinister for your enemies,” he said. “It’s a rune of protection. It will be there when I can’t be.”

He bent over her and fastened it around her neck. She touched it, looking at it again.

She wanted to say she hoped there would never be a time when he wasn’t there, but she knew it was all too likely. Neither of them had any idea what the future held for them.

“I’ll treasure it,” she said, and he kissed her.

# # #

Lucas’s request for a video deposition was denied. Despite all the hardships Audra had been through, the Grand Jury felt the need to be able to question her during the deposition—which they wouldn’t be able to do via video. He made the request again, suggesting that perhaps they could review the video deposition then send any questions they might have, and they would video her again with her responses.

The response he received was disappointing. They told him that one of the most important parts of Grand Jury testimony was the ability to see the demeanor of a witness during the testimony, especially while being questioned or cross-examined. Even if the questions were read to her, or if she read them and responded to them herself, it would not be the same as facing counsel. Also, they said, there was no way the Grand Jury could know whether she was being coached or otherwise tampered with.

He would have asked that they fly out the prosecution and defense counsel to Edwards AFB, but by the time he received the second response, they were only two days from the deposition.

Two days later, he drove her to Edwards AFB where they would get on a private plane. They would be met at Luke Air Force Base by six marshals who would escort her to the courtroom.

When they arrived at Luke, he was approached by the deputy in charge of the detail. “You can stand down now, Roberts. We’ll take her from here.”

“But….”

The deputy shook his head preempting any protest on Lucas’s part. “You’ve done a remarkable job in intense circumstances to get her this far, but our orders are that you’re to stand down now. There’s nothing to prevent you from being at the courthouse, but you’re no longer there in an official capacity.”

There was nothing else to be said. When Audra realized he wasn’t coming along, she turned and looked at him with an imploring look. He wanted so very much to kiss her, to whisper reassuring words.
Damn this situation!

# # #

All Lucas could do was pace and wait. Why was it taking so long? An eye witness testimony should be simple and straightforward.

“Miss Donahue,” the prosecutor addressed her, “by your own admission, there was only one light on in the house, and you were not in the room where the light was. How then, since it was after dark, and you saw my client walking through the hallway, did you manage to see his features clearly enough to describe him to the artist?”

Audra was terrified. Up to now all the questions had been simple and straightforward, about time, place, her whereabouts, how she happened to be there. But now the question was one where, if she didn’t say just the right thing, they could let him walk.

“I--I would like to speak with counsel,” she said, almost in a whisper.

“Speak up, Miss Donahue so that the jury can hear you.”

“I would like to speak with my counsel,” she repeated.

“Oh, so, you need to be coached. You need to be reminded of just how it was you knew how to describe the man they call El Toro Blanco.”

Even the mention of his name made her sweat.

“I would like to speak with my counsel,” she repeated, clearly and confidently.

The prosecutor made a gesture of disgust, but he knew it was her right. A ten minute recess was called.

Lucas saw her as she was rushed out of the room and around the corner where her lawyers waited. He tried to follow, but was waylaid. “It’s only a 10 minute recess. There is no access to the witness,” he was told.

Lucas sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“What is it, Miss Donahue?” her chief counsel asked.

“They want to know how, considering the low light, I was able to clearly identify Blanco.”

“Well, how were you?”

“The light was from a desk lamp. The shade was turned back, so the bulb was pointing out into the hallway. I remember that from looking in the window.”

“Whew. Don’t know if anybody’s going to believe that you remembered that detail, seeing as how you were shot and unconscious right after that.”

“Nevertheless,” she said, feeling more confident in the intimate chambers, “the hallway was lit enough that I could see his features, as well as his stature and build.”

“I think they’re fishing,” one of the other lawyers spoke up, “to see whether or not you could have been tainted by any photos you were shown. Simply identifying a photo is not nearly as damning since you didn’t pick him out of a lineup.”

“I was never shown any photos!”

“Is that right?” the second counsel asked.

The chief counsel was thumbing quickly through the investigative records.

“She’s right. She was in the hospital, and they brought the artist to her. Police used her sketch to identify him.”

“Perfect. Then, that’s what you tell them: the lamp cast plenty of light into the hallway. Then, if they ask you about seeing pictures, you never saw any pictures, and the artist was brought to you in the hospital. Short and sweet.”

She nodded her head, and her little entourage marched her back into the courtroom.

She reseated herself on the stand, and she was reminded that she was still under oath.

“Are you ready to answer my question now, Miss Donahue?”

“Yes, please, if you can restate it.”

The prosecutor looked irritated.

“All right, Miss Donahue. By your own admission, there was only one light on in the house, and you were not in the room where the light was. How then, since it was after dark, and you saw my client walking through the hallway, did you manage to see his features clearly enough to describe him to the artist?”

“The lamp from the other room provided adequate lighting for me to distinguish his features as he walked through the hallway.”

Clearly not satisfied with that answer, he proceeded. “Might it not be, Miss Donahue, that you were shown pictures of several cartel men, and that my client’s photo stuck in your mind?”

“I was never shown any photos.”

The prosecutor’s eyebrows went up. “Never shown any photos?”

“You might recall, sir, that I was wounded. Immediately upon rescue, I was taken to the hospital. Once it was ascertained that I was an eyewitness, an artist was brought to me in the hospital. I never saw any photos prior to working with the artist.”

The prosecutor checked his notes, then said, “That is all, then, Miss Donahue. Thank you.”

Audra breathed a sigh of relief.

When the jury was sent to chambers, Audra’s cadre came to her.

“Miss Donahue, we will now escort you to our headquarters where you will be issued your new identity, documentation, and instructions concerning your security.”

She stood, and they escorted her quickly through a side door and out to a waiting vehicle.

Lucas looked with anticipation as everyone exited the courtroom but realized shortly that she must have been taken out another way. He realized then that they would take her directly to headquarters. He called a cab and arrived shortly after they did.

The chief met him at the door. “Come this way, Roberts,” he said.

Lucas followed him into his office where he sat down.

“There’s no easy way to say this, but you’re suspended now until you can meet with a review board.”

“What does that mean?” Lucas asked.

“I think you know what it means. It means you won’t be going with Miss Donahue.”

Lucas came half out of his chair. It was simply something he had refused to consider. Now, he realized that being in denial about it had been foolish, and that he should have talked to Audra about it.
Why do I continue to make such dumb decisions?
he thought.

He sat back, looking into the corner of the room…anywhere but the chief’s face. He was trying to control his emotions. He wanted to say he knew that he had brought it on himself, but he wasn’t admitting anything this time. Honesty was what had landed him in psychiatric care before.

“Can you just tell me what’s being done about Michaelson?”

“I thought you decided that your interview with Michaelson was just a figment of your imagination.”

Lucas leaned over and handed him the piece of paper that Michaelson had written on.

“You probably have a sample of Michaelson’s handwriting around her somewhere. See if that matches.”

“Exchange? What exchange?”

Finally, Lucas stood, reaching out to shake the chief’s hand. “I think I’ve said enough for now. Thank you, sir, for all of your support during this detail.”

“I’ll need to know how to get in touch with you when we’ve scheduled the review board.”

Lucas gave him a grim smile. “I’ll let you know when I have a new cell phone.”

“Oh, one more thing, Roberts.”

Lucas turned to look at him.

“Someone handed this to me and said they thought it belonged to you.”

Lucas was startled as the chief handed him the rune necklace that he had bought for Audra.

Audra was numb. She sat there as they completed the last of her paperwork. They were sending her to Seattle. They gave her ten thousand dollars up front and a sixty thousand dollar a year stipend. Not much, considering the cost of living in Seattle, but it would be enough to sustain her until she could get her feet under her.

She had to say she was impressed with how thorough they had been about everything. They had reaccomplished her college records. Everything was now in the name of Elise Woodrow. Her transcripts, diploma, everything had been redone so that she could find work in graphic design. They had even retrieved her portfolio from her home and had redone all the identification associated with it.

Once she had everything together, they gave her an appointment for later in the week with a psychologist in Seattle. She hadn’t expected that, but decided it was probably a pretty good idea. They had set aside a separate fund for her to pay for her therapy.

The last thing was to see the court psychologist before she left. They had left the psychologist to be the bearer of bad news. “How are you feeling so far, Elise?” Audra was startled to hear her new name.

“A little overwhelmed. I didn’t realize that I was going today, but I guess it makes sense. I’m sure Arizona will be glad to see me go,” she said and laughed.

“So, you understand that once you get there, you will be on your own?”

Audra looked at her quizzically. “On my own?”

“Yes. I’m sure it will seem strange, and perhaps a bit frightening at first to be alone since you’ve been under 24/7 protection for several months.”

Audra swallowed. “But what about…?”

The therapist looked casually down at her desk to avoid Audra’s eyes for a second. “Deputy Roberts is on suspension pending a review.”

Audra just stared at her.

“Actually, that’s the typical procedure…given a new identity…sent far away where you can start a new life. You will contact the U.S. Marshals Service once every six months for the first two years, then after that, you’ll simply have to make an annual report. They will want to know that you’re working—”

“You’re avoiding the issue.”

“Yes. As I was saying, being alone is the typical procedure. Do you consider Deputy Roberts as family?”

Her response stuck in her throat. Suddenly faced with that question, she wasn’t sure. They had been together day and night since last September. They had come to know and love each other. But did they really have a relationship?

“I…I…”

“Here’s what I recommend. I don’t want you to have to make that decision today. Give yourself six months. Give Lucas six months. Let’s see how you both feel then.”

Audra’s mind was spinning.
Isn’t a relationship as much about commitment as anything else? If we just make a commitment to each other, can’t we work everything else out?

“Let me be honest. Deputy Roberts was released from his prior care too early. Now many things have compounded that. I know you probably don’t think the Marshals Service should have any say in your private affairs, but after reviewing everything, I think your relationship right now is built entirely on co-dependence. You are both going to have the chance to get some good counseling. Let’s see where you both are in six months.”

Audra nodded, tearing up. She reached for a tissue. “When I think of myself last May, then again in September, and how far I’ve come since then, I think I’ve grown up a lot, and that I can handle anything. But I…I guess I’ll find out.”

There was silence between them for a moment.

“I don’t know about being alone though. The cartel seems to have found us at nearly every turn. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”

“That can be part of your ongoing therapy once you get to Seattle. I don’t know that a witness like you ever gets over that feeling. Until, or even if Blanco undergoes the needle, there are those who may want revenge. But we’ve given you a great new start. You just need to always remember that even one phone call can give you away.”

Audra sighed deeply, expelling her sorrow and trying to feel raise her spirit. Somehow she knew that for right now, being without him was the best thing.

# # #

Lucas waited outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. He leaned against a pillar for quite a while, then walked to a coffee shop across the street.  He should know better though. He had been on a few WITSEC details before, and he knew they didn’t just come walking down the front steps.

Fetsko had offered to put him up for a few days until he could find some place to stay. Fetsko lived in Yuma, and that definitely wasn’t somewhere Lucas wanted to stay, if for no other reason than because it was too close to Michaelson and Mexicali. However, he knew that at least it would give him time to finish recuperating and make a plan.