Liability (Suncoast Society #33)(85)

“I’m guessing a couple of hours, if that. If you’d like to go eat or something, and I’ll call you when to come back. We won’t start the trial portion before one, at the earliest.”

“We’ll wait.”

They found a waiting area with more comfortable benches. When Tilly came hustling up a few minutes later, she sounded out of breath. “What’d I miss?”

“We’re going to trial,” Cole told her. “He wanted a plea deal, the prosecution made a counter-offer, and he refused it.”

“Good. I hope they put him under the jail.” She gave hugs all around and then settled on a bench. “You still doing your PT?”

Mason snapped her a salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Smartass.” She smiled “It’s good to see you up and about. All you people need to stop giving me scares. I can’t take the stress. Landry, Abbey, Laura, Betsy. Hell, Reed got f*cking air-lifted by the Coasties. For a damn gall bladder attack.” She snorted, then her face turned sad. “Leo and Eva just about killed me, the two of them. Between his car wreck and her issues with the baby. And then Sofia…”

She jabbed a finger at him. “I might be a nurse, but you guys aren’t allowed to keep scaring me like this. I’m only human. I’m going to start requiring my friends live wrapped in bubble wrap.”

“I’m glad we’ve got you, though,” Kim softly said. “We love you.”

Tilly almost looked…embarrassed. “Yeah, well, I love you guys, too.”





Mason wasn’t sure how he’d handle testifying against Freddie. It was weird seeing him sitting at the defense table, in a rumpled, oversized button-up shirt and slacks that had probably come from a thrift store. He had a public defender, and the state attorney had confirmed Freddie’s family had completely disowned him over this.

The man glared at Mason as Mason was sworn in and prepared to give his testimony.

The state attorney was ten minutes in to walking Mason through the events that led up to the night of the attack when Freddie stood and started shouting.

“All I wanted to do was love you! Why couldn’t I have moved to Florida with you?” He tried to round the table, but a bailiff and his defense attorney tackled the guy, even as Mason’s dad and stepdad had to hold Tilly back, who’d started to stand and go after Freddie.

The judge banged his gavel while calling for order and getting the bailiffs to get the jury removed until things were calmed down.

Mason remained where he’d been sitting, waiting, watching.

Freddie was sobbing, screaming nearly incoherently.

“Fifteen minute adjournment,” the judge ordered. “Counselor, get your client under control or he’ll be in full irons and a gag.”

Mason’s gaze somehow had locked onto Tilly’s.

He totally blamed her for freezing and starting to laugh at that.

Mason clamped his lips together, trying not to laugh, but that made Tilly laugh even harder, until Mason was faking a coughing attack to hide the fact that he was laughing his ass off.

Freddie might end up in some nonconsensual bondage after all.

It actually took the better part of a half hour before the jury was brought back in, the judge instructed them to ignore the defendant’s outburst, and the case resumed. When the state attorney finished his questions, the defense attorney stood.

“No questions, your Honor.”

Mason wasn’t sure what that meant until the judge turned to him. “You’re excused, Mr. Lange.”

Mason slowly stood, not having to fake how much he was hurting today, and letting the bailiff loan him a helping arm to get down from the stand and to his walker.

Freddie glared at him the entire time.

Mason didn’t even look at him, his gaze focused on where Cole, Kim, Tilly, and his parents were waiting.

They all helped him out into the hallway, where he hugged Tilly. “You damn troublemaker,” he said.

She grinned. “Hey, I can’t help it. That was some funny shit right there.”

“What happened?” Cole asked. He and Kim might be called to testify, so they had to wait in the hallway.

“What’d we miss?” his dad asked.

“You didn’t hear the judge threaten to put him in irons and gag him?” Mason asked.

His dad shook his head. “We were too busy trying to keep Tilly out of prison orange.”

They only had to wait another hour for the trial to finish. The state attorney had just come out to tell them that the jury had the case, when one of his paralegals hurried out to call him back in.

He stuck his head through the door. “Jury’s back.”

Mason and Cole exchanged a glance. “Is that good?”

“Hopefully. Come on.”

They all returned to the courtroom. Freddie was escorted in by bailiffs, who had him in full irons. They hooked his leg irons to a ring in the floor, but unlocked and removed the ones from his wrist.

Then the judge and jury returned.

Mason sat between Cole and Kim, holding their hands while the clerk delivered the verdict to the judge. He read it, returned it, and then asked the foreman to read it.

“We, the jury, on the first charge of attempted premeditated murder, find the defendant guilty.” He worked through all six primary charges that had been filed against Freddie.